Eating in the Age of Dieting: Listen to Rujuta Diwekar to enjoy a guilt-free Diwali

Healthy routines and pre-planned diets frequently take a backseat when the holiday season gets underway. Don’t worry, Audible.in with celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar has prepared a comprehensive guide called Eating in the Age of Dieting to enjoy the holiday season in moderation.

Sustainable & familiar

“The whole idea of being on a diet is to get healthier, fitter and leaner. To achieve that, the diet must be sustainable, and culture compliant. Diwali is a good time to figure out if you are on a sustainable diet. If eating a regular Diwali meal amounts to breaking your diet, then it means that your weight loss plans are going to be unsuccessful this time too. Essentially what this reveals is whether your diet fits into the game plan of the weight loss industry. These unrealistic guides are not a culture fit, instead they focus on the guilt around occasion-based feasting and take advantage of the same to sell detox plans or packages that are often extreme and doomed to fail. A wholesome diet will teach you to eat without guilt, and there really is nothing wrong in enjoying your pooris or halwa,” shares Rujuta on busting myths around Diwali feasting.

Curate a special Diwali menu

“The healthiest Diwali menu is one that sticks to the basics. Be it a simple spread comprising homemade mithai, one freshly fried item, one sabzi, one dal, some roti and rice accompanied with chutney, pickle or papad, all served with love and attention to detail,” says Rujuta in her audiobook. She also states that to have a more authentic celebration “bring out your traditional silver thalis or kansa (metal plates) and have a leisurely sit-down dinner with conversations. Indulge your guests with time and attention rather than an overwhelming variety of dishes, breaking the monotony of heavy and multi-course Diwali meals with a touch of simple sophistication.”

5 rounds of Surya Namaskar

While the festivity might make us feel laid back, Rujuta in her audiobook states, “Keep up with your regular exercise routine but bring it down a notch if staying awake late. Five rounds of Surya Namaskar will save on travel time to the gym, cost less, leave you feeling fresh and help smoothen the digestive processes after bouts of overeating. She further adds, “Essentially it’s not the body but the entire lifestyle that needs to be prepared in the run up to Diwali and even post that. Fitness is a compounding effect of small steps taken in the direction of health and harmony every single day.”

Mithai is not the villain

The alternative to the fear of mithais is learning about their goodness and educating oneself about the basics. “Ghee, one of the biggest components of most mithai, helps keep the intestines in good shape and ready to take on the load of overeating during Diwali. It is an essential fat and helps assimilate fat soluble vitamins like A D E, and K while protecting bones, skin and immune function as the season changes. Sugar or jaggery is therapeutic when mixed with nuts, ghee, basen, atta or gond (edible gum from the sap of the Acacia tree) or suji, all of which are nutrient dense and delicious.”

Having said all this, Rujuta urges, “Avoid packaged sweets as they are often the low grade variety picked up by someone with their bottom line in mind and not keeping your waistline or taste preferences in check. Have homemade sweets.” She adds “A homemade Mithai eaten once a day over three to four days of the Diwali week won’t land you in trouble.”

Dry fruit is your best friend

While we all agree that dry fruits are good for our health, Rujuta says, “Dry fruits are great when eaten the way they are meant to be – first thing in the morning as a snack or turned into a mithai. Nuts and dry fruits are an amazing source of amino acids, minerals and phytonutrients. It is a myth that cashew nuts are full of cholesterol. It has zero cholesterol and actually helps regulate it. –IANS