Raksha Bandhan 2019: Keep A Check On Your Calorie Count This Rakhi

Raksha Bandhan: Sweets on raksha bandhan can add a huge amount of calories to your diet

The festival of Raksha Bandhan which celebrates the shared bond between a brother and a sister, comes with loads of sweets and delicacies, which are very hard to resist. Let not the onset of festive season spoil your year-long hard work to keep yourself in shape. For those who have been struggling to keep a check on their calorie count, this festival can surely be a challenge to overcome. Here are some tips which might help.

Few easy tips to keep your calorie count under control

1. Substitute usual sugar with brown sugar

Best benefit of this quick tip is minimal involvement of chemicals. The sugar which is usually used in kitchens is loaded with chemicals, which are used to give the bright white colour to it. These chemicals are not only extremely harmful to the health in the long term, but they also add up to the calorie count. There are various dishes that could be cooked using brown sugar instead of whitened sugar including firni, chakki, rice cakes, kheer, sweet, sour mix veg curry, mong daal pancakes, sweetened coconut stuffed rice and udat daal idli and a lot more.

Also read: Raksha Bandhan 2019: Try These Low-Calorie Sweets This Rakhi; Know Other Diet Tips For This Festival

2. Prefer home-made beverages

Cut short on aerated and processed beverages for good! Because they provide you with no nutrition just add to the calorie intake. Kokum sharbat, lassi, fruit shakes without ice-cream, unsweetened juices, kesar/badam milk, can be served to welcome the guests.

Rakha Bandhan: Prepare homemade drinks and keep your calorie count intact
Photo Credit: iStock

3. Add food products that boost metabolism

Some ingredients that can help you boost the metabolism are ginger, cardamom, protein rich legumes, almonds and more. You can always add these in a way or the other to help you burn some extra calories post celebration.

Also read: Does A Sugar Detox Work? I'm finding out.

4. Manage your portion size

Going for smaller servings at a time, when you are looking for a low-calorie diet, is essential. However, people in general forget this crucial step often. It is required to keep a check on the total calorie consumption.

Also read: Festive Season Is Round The Corner! Do Not Indulge Yourself In Sweets Instead Keep Yourself Full By These Healthy Nuts

5. Choose some fibre

During such festivities, a lot of dishes are made with maida, it is surely recommended to replace maida with whole wheat. However, it you prefer to use maida, then add some wheat bran or oats bran to the flour. This would add fibre to the food and help you with a better digestion and would suffice your satiety sooner. Moreover, it would also add some more flavour to the different kinds of breads.

While, it is important to restrict your calorie intake with a healthy and balanced diet, it is equally important for you to regularly engage in some degree of physical activity. Speaking of which many communities in India have specific outdoor games played specifically on Raksha Bandhan, which along with adding to the fun, can surely help you shed some extra calories. So, make healthy food decisions and enjoy the occasion better.

(Dr. Charu Dua is Head of Department, Nutrition and Dietetics at Max Healthcare Patparganj / Vaishali)

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