Wishing all ATM readers ‘A Happy and Safe Diwali!’

Dr. Amarprakash P. Dwivedi
M.S. (Ayu.), Ph. D. (Sch.)Asso.Professor & I/C, Shalya TantraEMail: dramar_d@yahoo.co.inMobile: 09323097013/09757445151

Happy Healthy Diwali

‘Deepawali’ or ‘Diwali’ is one of the most popular festivals in India. It comes in the Hindu month of ‘Ashwin’ as per the lunar calendar and corresponds roughly with either October or November depending upon the movement of the Sun & the Moon and their relative positions in the space and the time.

Meaning and significance: Deepawali means, a row of lights. Symbolically, it represents our divine nature and reminds us of our primary responsibility to pursue the path of light and find the divine.

The great Goddess Mahalaxmi, who symbolizes all the positive forces of light and the divine nature of wealth,is the principal deity of this  remarkably unique festival. Just as she represents health, wealth, happiness, victory,harmony, joy and enlightenment, Diwali represents the brilliance of life in its full glory. Many Hindu consider Diwali as the beginning of a new year.

It is also believed that the festival of Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after spendind 14 years of extradition.

As far Ayurveda is concerned, it is believed that on the first day of Diwali festival  i.e. on Dhantrayodashi ‘Lord Dhanvantari’ emerged from the ocean holding the knowledge of spiritual medicines of Ayurved, to help the mankind fight against sickness, disease and death.

Diwali Health Mantra

Sweets and Festivals go hand in hand. And when it comes to Indian festivals, especially the grand Diwali, sweets are many, along with all kinds of rich dishes. If you tend to gain weight more easily, it is suggested to keep your taste buds in some control otherwise all your weight loss strategy will go waste. Here are some tips on adopting healthy ways of eating this Diwali.

•         Moderation is the mantra to enjoy festive food. Eat fatty foods, sweets and other fried snacks in little amounts. It’s good to go on Ayurvedic diets (Light easily digestible meals like Kichadi. Soups, Fruits & fruit juices, Coconut water etc. along with drinking Luke warm water) before the big day comes so that your body gets detoxified beforehand. After relishing the festive food, again go on Ayurvedic diets!

•         If you are making sweets yourself, use low fat ingredients- like low fat milk and other dairy products. Use natural sweeteners like honey and dates to make sweets and avoid using refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

•         Before eating snacks, remember to drink water to bring in the feeling of fullness.

•         Instead of loading your plate to the brim with sweets, just take a few, may be one or two, items and eat them slowly and gradually.

•         If someone serves fruits along with sweets, try to take more of them in your plate.

•         A couple of sweets are OK but don't let yourself have more of carbonated cold drinks. Instead, have some natural refreshing drink like lemon juice, coconut water, or some other fruit juice.

•         Don't try to eat away all your gifted chocolates at once. Keep them in fridge. Eat them in moderation over a few days. They don't get spoiled so soon. There are much better options than this too. Give these chocolates to the young ones in the family, neighborhood or even to the children in the nearby orphanage! Enjoy happiness while sharing and keep yourself away from worries of weight gain at the same time.

The low-calorie guide to festive cooking:

•         Use skimmed milk to prepare dishes like shrikhand, rice puddings like kheer phrini, Bengali sweets, fruit custards, etc.

•         Make salted munchies such as mathris, shakarpalis, chaklis, kachoris, etc, using high-fibre flour such as finger millet or bajra, ragi or soya flour along with wheat flour.

•         Add green leafy vegetables such as methi (fenugreek), palak (spinach), kothmir (coriander) or mint to salted snacks.

•         Bake salted snacks instead of frying them. Bake cutlets or kebabs instead of frying them.

Serve roasted papads.Decorate biryanis with baked onions instead of fried ones.

•         Serve meals with rotis or pulkas or steamed pulao instead of puris or parathas or biryani.

•         Eat dry roasted nuts and dry fruits in their natural form instead of fried, salted or sugared.

Sweets, puddings, chocolates, ice cream and soft drinks are made with sugar that only contain empty calories.  

•         Many sweets are also rich in ghee or mava, making them calorie dense. Instead of buying commercial ones, make sweets at home using less sugar and ghee.

•         For instance gajar ka halwa can be made at home using condensed milk instead of khoya or mava.

•         Have rasgollas instead of gulab jamuns. Other less fattening Diwali sweets include sandesh and pedas.

Tips for maintaining the calorie count:

Diwali is a time full of celebrations. Holidays, shopping, partying, eating, fun and fare are all part of it. This is the time when you are most susceptible to put on weight. It is very difficult to resist those tempting dishes beautifully adorned on your table. Restraining yourself from not eating these yummy recipes is out of question. So here are some very simple daily activities which will help you to loose some calories, and you can very easily fit these in your holiday schedule…

·         Get off the bus one stop early.

·         Walk to a bus stop a few blocks away.

·         Walk briskly instead of strolling .

·         Walk around the house while you talk on a cordless phone or mobile.

·         Climb stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator.

·         Do a squat every time you pick something up. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength

·         Take a 10-minute activity break every hour while you read or watch TV.

·         Take your dog out for a walk.

Also...

•         Make it a point to sit down and eat, as this will help you think about the amount of food you are consuming.

•         Eat slowly and chew your food well, and you will find you end up eating less.

•         Drink a 12-ounce glass of water before eating as it will take up room in your stomach and make you feel less hungry.

•         Quit smoking as it is injurious to health.

•   Avoid excessive drinking as excessive drinking can cause health problems like liver and kidney diseases.

•     Limit your coffee/ caffeine intake as studies shows that it raises the blood pressure.

These are some very simple activities which will help you in maintaining your calorie count. Good eating habits form the basis for maintaining strong health. To get robust in the right way, you may require changing your eating habits along with various other routine practices. Thirty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (such as a brisk walk), at least 4 days every week, greatly helps in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and weight.

…Wishing all ATM readers ‘A Happy and Safe Diwali!’