Suman Agarwal is a renowned nutritionist, author and founder of Selfcare India. From starting life as a dancer and classical singer, she became an Oxford-certified nutritionist and a qualified fitness trainer from the National Institute of Aerobics. Within a short span of fifteen years, Suman has positively influenced the health of over 12000 people across the globe—including industrialists, doctors and Bollywood personalities.
One of the best parts about Diwali is that it comes with sweet treats and deep-fried foods. Foods that we eat once a year and many of us tend to overeat and binge on these yummy treats! Why must your fitness routine suffer because of unhealthy choices? We tell you how you can continue to enjoy the festive season with its tasty treats and still remain fit just by making the right food choices.
Diwali Cheat Sheet
This is what you need to remember:
Exercise everyday
Festivals should not be an excuse to not exercise. Ensure you include some cardio exercise like a daily walk or even 45 mins on the treadmill. Walk on a treadmill (@5.5km/hr) for 45 – 60 minutes or jog for 30 minutes to burn those extra calories.
Choose wisely
Indian mithais available in the market have around 250 – 500 calories, making it impossible for us to maintain our weight. Here’s how we can make wise choices.
– Choose Sandesh (milk-based) over Mava Barfi
– Choose dry fruit chikkis over cakes or pastries
– Choose dhokla over batata vada
– Choose khandvi over fried mathia
– Choose ice popsicle/sorbet over an ice cream
– Choose dark chocolate almond rocks over ras malai
– Choose Shikanji soda/coconut water over aerated drinks.
And this doesn’t have to be only when you go out, start at home. Do not serve high-calorie sweets at home.
How To Do To Compensate When You Indulge
Even though we intend to be super careful, let’s face it festivals and a little overindulgence go hand in hand. Don’t worry, it isn’t that bad! Here are a few tricks to compensate for your cheats:
- Skip one meal and replace it with any one option from below
- Ensure that there is a first-class protein (like milk, curd, eggs etc) and fibre in all your major meals
- Milk and fruit – Sprout salad and soup – Curd and stir-fry vegetables – Egg salad – Chicken and vegetable soup
This way you will have compensated for your indulgences and will not even have to feel guilty!
Parul Gupta
Mansi Zaveri
Apollo Cradle
