Diwali is a Hindu festival widely celebrated all over India known as the festival of lights. Diwali festival depicts the victory of lord Rama from Ravana and every Indian enjoys the festival by celebrating the victory of Lord Ram. It is one of the biggest and longest festivals which is celebrated all over India. On these days people do Laxmi puja at home and offices, celebrates this festival with their loved ones and shares gifts and sweets to each other’s.
We all know that Indian festivals are always about food. Every festival has its own specific foods to be made or consumed. As it is a 5-day festival, hence people call their loved ones to each other’s places. Similarly, this festival has its particular sweets and snacks which are prepared in every Indian household and sweets shops. But with festivities and social gatherings, people neglect their physical health and take it for granted thinking that these 4-5 days won’t hamper anything. But is that true?
No that’s not true, your body is like your temple, and just like everyone prefers to keep the temple clean similarly the body needs to be given clean and healthy food options to function well. For example, putting on 4-5 kgs in just 5 days can hamper 1 month of progress for a person who is trying to lose weight and the ones who are not losing weight are gaining unnecessary weight leading to obesity and chronic diseases. Hence special dietary needs have to be taken care of for people who are diabetic, or trying to follow any particular diet that doesn’t hamper digestion and doesn’t lead to extra kilos on the weighing scale. Healthy Diwali snacks for diabetics, as well as diabetic-friendly Diwali sweets, are important options for those mindful of their health.
Usually for Diwali people prefer Indian snacks which are deep fried in oil and Indian sweets which are made of milk and milk products. Snacks like chakli, mathri, samosas , muruku, namak para, chivda, aloo bhujia etc and for sweets ladoos, barfis, kheer, rasgulla , gulab jamun, kaju katli, jalebi etc. All these snacks and sweets are deep fried in oil/ghee and the sweets are made from refines sugar this can lead to inflammation in the body and can cause excessive bloating and gastric issues.
Hence to avoid it completely rather choose healthy sweets and snack options which can fulfil the appetite and also contains nutritional value. Options like dry fruit laddos made from dates and nuts, coconut and jaggery barfi, chia pudding made from almond milk, ragi ladoos, Oats and nuts energy bars, quinoa kheer, baked sweet potato, moong dal halva etc. are healthy sweet options which has good nutritional value like complex carbohydrate, good fats, proteins and less of simple carbohydrates. Such options make ideal Diwali sweets for diabetes and also suit those following a pre-diabetic diet plan
Snacking options like roasted makhanas, baked multigrain chakli and mathri , quinoa/jowar/ragi/amaranth puffs , hummus with veggie sticks or ragi crackers, baked sweet potato fries are healthier option than the one which are deep fried made with refined flour which is extremely high in carbohydrates and has trans fats which is harmful for people who have diabetes / cholesterol / hypertension/ fatty liver issues
People suffering celiac disease or hormonal disorders like PCOS/PCOD, hypothyroidism / diabetes mellitus are advised to have gluten free options as gluten is highly inflammatory and can lead to blood glucose spike and can cause inflammation in body and disturbs hormonal functioning. Also, sugar is the biggest culprit when it comes to disturbed hormones so instead of sugar the sweets can be made from dates/jaggery as even though jaggery
glycaemic index might not differ from sugar but has better nutritional value and is not inflammatory.
Gluten-free Diwali recipes include snacks and sweets like ragi crackers, ragi laddoos, amaranth /jowar/ragi/ puffs, nuts and dates ladoos, multigrain chaklis and mathris quinoa kheer in almond milk or low-fat milk is some of the options which are healthy packed with good proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates and are lower in calories as compare to other snacks. These types of snacks can help fulfill cravings and the social pressure of not eating anything when out also becomes less and one can enjoy the festival without any fear.
Vegan options are most preferable for the ones who are lactose intolerant and also the ones who want to lose weight or are on the weight loss journey. As milk is also inflammatory for people having hormonal imbalance and is lactose intolerance it is advanced for them to avoid milk and milk products as much as possible. Nowadays veganism is highly promoted everywhere and people have switched to completely vegan food for better health conditions and for environmental causes. Instead of dairy milk, one can make sweets and desserts in nut milk which is better for digestion, low in fats, and low in calories than dairy milk. Sweets like coconut ladoo , sesame ladoo, ragi kheer, vegan halwa, and vegan modak / jalebi can be consumed. Apart from vegan one needs to consider the sugar-free option in mind too so that both sugar and milk products are avoided which can lead to less inflammation, better digestion, and lesser calorie intake which will ideally not lead to weight gain.
Even though consuming Vegan Diwali treats, sugar-free, gluten-free, and healthy snacks one needs to make sure everything needs to be consumed in portions and to be eaten mindfully to avoid calorie surplus. Maintaining a good hydration level helps with better appetite control and will also not lead to water retention these days. Workouts are difficult to maintain when it is festive time in India but at least 30 minutes of brisk walk will do wonders for the body and will also help in maintaining good energy levels throughout the day.
Diwali is all about celebrating the day with your loved ones but food should not be the only way of celebration. Hence focus on healthy calories rather consuming empty calories which do not have any nutritional value.