Your Guide To Indulging Without Overindulging This Festive Season
In India, the month October often heralds the arrival of a number of festivals. The country truly comes to life during this period, with people dressing up in their finest, cleaning and decorating their homes, and of course, preparing a variety of delicious festive sweets and snacks. What starts with Ganesh Chaturthi progresses to Navratri and culminates in the grandest of all – Diwali.
It’s fairly obvious then that this period in India is associated with indulgence. From ladoos and barfis to chaklis and chivda, festive food is often sinful, but absolutely worth it! However, it’s important to balance things out. When it comes to nutrition, balance, and moderation are words that are commonly used by nutritionists. However, they shouldn’t be mere words. It’s important to put these words into practice, especially during festivals, when there’s a tendency to overindulge.
But don’t worry just yet. We’ve come up with a list of handy tips that will help you indulge without going overboard this festive season.
Indulge, But In Small Portions
One of the worst things you could probably do is indulge in a large plateful of snacks and sweets when you’re very hungry. Remember – this leads to overeating and eating too fast. Make sure you’re eating small meals and save all those special treats for when you’re nearly full, but not quite.
Snack On Nuts
Adding nuts like California walnuts to your daily diet can help you feel satisfied and full between meals. This means, of course, that you will be able to eat all your favorite foods prepared during the festive season without the added stress of overindulging. Moreover, walnuts are the only tree nut with an excellent source of the essential omega-3 ALA (2.5g/28g) and also offer protein (4g/28g) and fiber (2g/28g).
Drink Lots Of Water
Sometimes, thirst is often misunderstood as hunger pangs. So, make sure you’re having enough water throughout the day so that you eat only as much as your body needs you to.
Eat Slowly
Eating quickly while multitasking is a common mistake. When you truly focus on what’s on your plate and eat mindfully, you get optimal satisfaction with every bite, thereby avoiding the chance of overeating and overindulging.
Don’t Eat Out Of Containers
Whether it’s some freshly made chaklis or a box of homemade Mysore pak, make sure that you’re not eating any of it straight from their containers. If you do, you will end up eating more than you need to. It’s always better to empty your treats onto a small plate instead of eating from containers, so that you can control what you eat and how much you eat.
Make Healthy Swaps With Walnuts
Did you know that you can turn those indulgent festive recipes into healthy ones with the addition of walnuts? You can include walnuts to add texture and crunch to dishes, as a substitute for breadcrumbs and even to thicken curries without using heavy cream. It’s a healthier option all around!
So there you go! With just a few tips like these, you will be able to indulge freely without the guilt of overindulgence this festive season.