It’s high time we weed out unhealthy food from our diet and replace them with more healthy, nutrient-dense options for better health and weight loss. Because unhealthy ingredients often contain more calories, saturated fats, and added sugar that would eventually lead to weight gain. By making healthy swaps, you can cut down calories and more nutrients as well, which is essential to lose weight because you’re not just cutting calories but also providing your body with the fuel it needs. But there’s one area we all go weak in the knees – “desserts, sweets, mithai!” Indian sweets can indeed pose a challenge for those who want to celebrate the upcoming festivities with full gusto but then do not want to get off the weight loss wagon either. Well, you can make an exception during festivities and enjoy just a teeny-weeny bit of sweet treats, but then avoid buying them from outside. In fact, making sweets at home allows you to control the ingredients and cut down sugar by a great degree. The best thing is that you can experiment and swap unhealthy ingredients with better alternatives. But here’s a friendly reminder, do reserve sweet treats for special occasions, indulge in them only occasionally, otherwise, they can easily make you gain weight. One more tip – during these festivities, if you receive sweets as gifts, consider sharing them with family and friends 😛 So, coming back to healthy swaps, here are some swaps that can make your kheer and ladoo more supportive of weight loss goals.
1. Halwa:
You can cut down the amount of sugar in halwa by making it with naturally-sweet apple, sweet potato, and carrot. Also, make it more nutritious by replacing sooji (semolina which is primarily made of refined carbs) with moong dal and ragi where you get complex carbs.
2. Kheer:
Have you thought about making kheer with quinoa and apple as main ingredients, or rolled oats, or with makhana!
3. Ladoo:
Forget motichoor and besan ke ladoos. Try experimenting with oats ladoo, nuts ladoo, peanut ladoo, and a combination of anjeer, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds with dates to make ladoos. Also read: “8 Surprising Sources of Empty Calories you May Be Overlooking.”
4. Barfi:
Festivities are so incomplete without barfi. Instead of regular sugar-rich barfis, whip up peanut barfi, nuts barfi, walnut barfi, badam barfi, or dry fruits mix barfi (with almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, dates).
And no one is going to stop you from eating nutrient-rich protein bars made at home with peanuts, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, walnuts, coconut powder, and dates!
Summing up, festivals are truly a time of merrymaking when family and friends get together, eat and celebrate together, but do remember to enjoy sweets in moderation and be mindful of portion sizes as well if you are trying to lose weight. If you are struggling to lose weight and don’t know how to kickstart your weight loss journey, subscribe to the Rati Beauty app to lose weight fast and without starving.
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