After finishing up with Navratri celebrations, it’s time for one the biggest and most celebrated Hindu festivals: Diwali 2018.

Well, it seems that almost every time a festival comes, we search for an excuse to enjoy all the mouth-watering delicacies available. After all, it’s a time for celebration, so why not indulge in them? A few words of coercion from friends, some from relatives, and your diet goes straight out the window.

But, more often than not, this indulgence translates to weight gain and regrets after festivities are over — not good. Why do that? Why ruin your shape if there’s a good alternative? Instead, take a look at the following healthy tips that’ll make your Diwali a happy and healthy one.

1. Look for Healthy Alternatives

• No matter what you cook or eat, healthy alternatives are always available. As such, it’s always important to carefully choose which ingredients go into your cooking. For example:
• Instead of choosing sugar and oil filled traditional sweets, go with dry fruits and nuts that have a natural sweetness and offer nutrients you need, such as raisins, figs, dates, cashews, pistachios, and almonds.
• Sweets can be sweetened with healthy alternatives like honey, jaggery, coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, brown sugar, agave, and stevia.
• Instead of using refined flour, go with whole wheat flour that adds more fiber and vitamins.
• It is advisable to replace full-cream milk with skimmed milk wherever possible to make sweets lighter on the tummy.

2. Stay Hydrated with Water and Healthy Liquids

Food cravings, upset digestion, poor blood-pressure, and skin problems are all common during festivals because of a disturbed eating routine. Thankfully, water is the best solution for all these conditions.

It’s important to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day to help reduce food cravings, ward off digestive issues, maintain blood pressure, and flush out toxins that rise due to the changed eating patterns.

Apart from water, some other healthy drinks that can keep you hydrated are fresh and natural cold-pressed juices that are healthy, contain natural sugars, provide energy and maintain hydration.

3. Eat Immunity Boosting Food

The burning of firecrackers increases the amount of toxic heavy metals in the air, which leads to problems like coughs, colds, breathlessness, respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and much more.

This time demands a strong immunity to prevent such infections and health problems, so try to have healthy foods that can fight infections and keep your immunity up. For example, tulsi leaves in the morning, adding ginger, garlic and healthy spices to food while cooking, having an optimum dose of vitamin C, and frequently washing your hands.

4. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise during festivals helps maintain both your health and body shape in many ways:

• It prevents fat accumulation in the body
• It removes toxins and infection-causing bacteria from the body
• It keeps the body active and makes one feel energized
• Performing high-intensity workouts is also good during festivals because they burn extra calories

But, keep in mind to avoid doing outdoor exercises for a few days after the festival, as there will be more pollutants and toxic heavy metals in the air.

5. Avoid Alcohol and Aerated Drinks

Alcohol and aerated drinks will make you feel dehydrated, mess with your digestion, and add an extra dose of calories. This is because most of these drinks are nothing but unhealthy drinks filled with sugar, chemicals, and artificial colors. As such, limit alcohol and avoid aerated drinks; replace them with a healthy alternative that is more nutritious and natural, such as cold-pressed juice that is filled with vitamins and minerals.

6. Avoid Fried Food and Sweets

Most traditional Indian dishes are fried or sweetened. Instead of frying, use a different method of cooking: baking. If you do fry, make sure to drink a glass of warm water to clean up the oil from your system. When it comes to sweets, they’re something that can add a lot to your weight. Be a mindful eater and show love to your body by limiting how many sweets you eat.

7. Use Smaller Plates

Smaller plates will give you the perception that you’re eating more than you are, allowing you to not get as full as you would otherwise. Therefore, if you want to be a mindful eater, use smaller plates.

Final Thoughts

Everything we covered today is simple but highly effective ways of staying healthy this Diwali. Remember, if you want to enjoy the festival to the fullest while looking and feeling your best, all you have to do is eat healthily; don’t let festival eating ruin your efforts to look the way you want to.