Health alternatives to festive eating

New Delhi: In India, festivals are all about celebrations and no occasion is complete without food. Most people enjoy the traditional, high on calories food but by choosing healthy options, you can enjoy the festival without piling on calories.

Dietitian Deepti G Dua, Mutation Diet Clinic Gurugram gives out some tips:

* Eat baked foods rather than fried or grilled food. You can also have kulcha matar/channa instead of bhatura or poori. Idli, upma, pav bhaji, wheat tortillas, kathi rolls, wheat burger etc. are also great options.

In sweets, you can have custard, sponge rasgullah, paneer kheer, sugar-free rasmalai etc.

* Try to do the cooking in air fryers, apam tawa, non-stick etc. Also, try to use wheat pasta, wheat spaghetti, wheat noodles, oats/ suji mix uttapam, cheela, cutlets etc. Wheat-based food is good for health as compared to the starches because it contains high amount of calcium, nutrients, iron, and fibre etc. and less calories. Consumption of fried and starches can lead to gastric problems and acidity. Eating healthy food may help avoid many health problems. Wait and compensate on cravings.

* During the festival, people think that if they have oily or heavy meals outside, skipping meals at home will compensate it but that leads to more binging and acidity because of starvation. Therefore, eat healthier, nutritious, low calories food otherwise it can affect your immunity and metabolism. Also, detox your body once or twice in a week.

Do's

* Have small parathas as a healthy meal.

* Have hot water before sleeping as it helps in proper digestion of oily food and makes sure it doesn't stick to spleen, intestine and liver.

* Drink detox water.

* Divide your meal according to time, this will satisfy your hunger and you will not gain more weight.

* While eating outside food, try to go for grilled rather than fried.

*Try to take CHO in lunch such as roti/rice/noodles etc. and protein in dinner like non-veg/paneer/tofu/platter for dinner with veggies.

* For proper nutrition, combine two types of food i.e. roti + noodles/ dosa + rice etc.

* Don't munch in between the meals.

* Don't skip meals to compensate heavy foods. Eat healthy, fibrous food with fruits and veggies.

Dont's

* Avoid fried & oily foods.

* Don't mix two CHO & two proteins together.

* Avoid CHO at nights.

* Try to avoid alcohol or be selective on wine. (Drink vodka instead of whisky or beer).

* Avoid sweets as it leads to fluctuation in weight.

* Try to avoid heavy meals when you are at home.