Diwali is finally here and it's time to catch up with family and friends. While the festive vibe is in the air, a lot of us have already indulged in all things decadent and sweet. Diwali celebrations and sweet treats are quite synonymous to each other, which often end up giving us a sugar overdose. Bingeing on the traditional delicacies of the festival may wreak havoc on your waistline as most of the Diwali delights are loaded with sugar and fat that only adds to the calorie load. However, you can steer clear of those extra calories by following few cooking and eating tips that won't make you go looking for a diet post the celebrations.
Here Are Few Diet And Cooking Hacks That May Help You Stave Off Excess Calories:
Ditch The Deep-Frying Method And Opt For Baking Instead
Snacks like mathis and samosas can be baked instead of frying, which would further cut out on a lot of extra calories. To reduce the calorie count further, you can skip the regular potato-based filling and stuff your samosas with veggies instead as they are rich in fibre content. Kebab, cutlet, tikka masala can all be baked with full seasoning and very less oil. Alternatively, you may also bring to your rescue the air-frying method that reduces the oil consumption to a considerable extent without compromising on the taste. Pakoras, fish, chicken; all of these can be cooked using this method.
Swap Butter For Healthy Oil Alternatives
Home cooking allows you to choose the amount and type of ingredients. For instance, if you are making butter chicken at home for Diwali party, replace the butter with some healthy oil and use it in moderation. You can also swap the heavy cream and use skimmed milk instead to get the same texture and taste.
Snack Smart
Instead of snacking on deep-fried stuff, bring protein-rich snacks to your rescue as they may help you stay satiated for long. For dinner, you can choose vegetables of your choice and a small serving of carbs.
Avoid Intake Of Excess Sugary Sodas
Alcohol packs in a lot of calories and if you add a sugary soda or juice to your drink, the calorie load would only end up increasing. First of all, drink in moderation and have a glass of water or flavoured water between your drinks as it will prevent dehydration and help you avoid a hangover.
Make Judicious Choices
When you're at a Diwali party, walk around the table and see what is laid out from end-to-end. Avoid eating everything that's present on the buffet table and be judicious in your choices as it will help prevent calorie overload. Other than this, wait before you reach out for the second helping. It takes about ten minutes for your stomach to register what you have eaten; wait and then decide if you really need the second helping.
Start Out Full
Eat before you hit the party circuit. During the festive season you may have to head out every day or very often. Therefore, it is better to eat your meal before you leave and stick to munching small amount of non-fried snacks. You can munch on a snack, preferably a protein-rich one, before you leave so that you don't hit the party empty stomach. You can also consider a handful of nuts, an apple or cucumber, a tablespoon of peanut butter, or just one whole grain toast or roti.
Dance Till You Drop
Make the most of the festive season by dancing to your heart's content. Dancing is a form of exercise that may help you manage your weight by burning excess calories.
Stay focused for the rest of the day. Keep yourself hydrated and eat lots of vegetables and fruits. This will prevent exhaustion and keep you energised through the day.
Wishing you all a Happy Diwali 2019!
When you say weight loss, the first thing that comes to mind is the need to starve oneself and skip eating. This thought is very scary for people who are used to 4 regular meals a day. Feel good, because it is not just scary, it is false too.
The idea is to eat healthy and low-calorie foods and not to stop eating completely. You should also learn to trick your body - eat something filling that will control and delay your hunger pangs. Your stomach is busy but not digesting something that adds a lot of calories into your system. Sounds great, isn't it?
Try these low-fat, filling foods and see how different your body reacts:
1. Eggs - These are not just filled with protein but provide all the essential amino acids to your system. These amino acids have the ability to suppress hunger, and it will be quite some time before you start feeling hungry again. Scrambled or hard-boiled or in any form you like, pick an egg if you have a choice and see the difference.
2. Oatmeal - Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day and try to make it as wholesome as possible. Oats, loaded with fiber, fill your stomach and prolong your hunger pangs. Not just in lowering calories, these also help control your body mass index (BMI). Oats can be cooked in different ways, and adding fruit or vegetables can make it more wholesome. Oats help in controlling cravings and oats in form of salads is also a very healthy option.
3. Apples - With about 75 calories in each average-sized fruit, apple is packed with nutrients and accelerates weight loss. The ursolic acid contained in apples improves fat burning and promotes leaner muscle mass. Best eaten raw, you can also add it to oats or have a smoothie.
4. Food Recipes - Some of the homemade recipes like yogurt dip with vegetable sticks or roasted chana with makhana, etc are some of the extremely delicious yet low-fat filling foods which will not only sooth your taste buds but will also optimise your health.
5. Nuts - While nuts are usually considered off radar for people who are watching their weight, it is not true. Whether almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, or pistachios, nuts contain good (unsaturated) fats and are packed with fibers. They are packed with calories but you will feel full for a long time before you are hungry again, and that helps. A glass of water along with the nuts will prolong the digestion and keep your hunger pangs away for more hours.
If you are planning to lose some weight, eating these types of foods will definitely help you.
Most people think that there is no way to lose weight other than joining a fitness centre or following a well-regulated diet chart, but there are times when taking little steps can aid in burning off extra calories and offer more weight loss. Fortunately enough, several stealthy means can help to turn up calories burn all through the day.
Rise up and sweat: If there is a lack of time to get up and hit the gym early in the morning, set the alarm at least 15 minutes early and get involved in activities that would get the metabolism stroked such as jumping jacks, crunches, squats and push-ups. This will boost the calorie burning process, and it would continue all through the day.
Raise the heart beat: One should try to increase the heart rate for one minute at a time. This process could be repeated at least ten times in a day. The additional amount of oxygen will help in keeping the individual alert, activate the lungs, heart, brain and legs. The best benefit of raising the heartbeat is that it helps in burning 300 to 400 calories a day. The most viable way of increasing the heart beat is doing 10 squats or performing lunges at the end of each hour.
Sit on the floor: When watching the television or playing with the pet or helping a young kid in his homework, one should try to sit on the ground instead of the sofa, chair or the bed. This is because when a person sits on the floor, the muscles are required to offer support and more energy is required for standing up.
Eat with the non-dominant hand: As per the reports of the University of Southern California, eating with the non-dominant hand will aid in eating less. Even though people believe that eating is a direct result of hunger, the truth is that eating is also determined by environmental cues. Disrupting the eating patterns such as switching to chopsticks or having dinner in an unfrequented part of the house can help control intake.
Pop in prune: A study conducted by a team at the University of Liverpool found that eating about 5 to 6 ounces of prunes each day for about 12 weeks can help the overweight individuals to lose about 4.4 pounds and approximately about 1 inch from the waistlines. The body can easily tolerate prunes, and it doesn’t lead to any sort of side effects. They contain high amounts of fibre and helps the individual feel fuller for longer hours.
Avoid overeating the products which are “low-fat”: This may sound absurd, but people tend to eat 50 more than required when they get hold of food that has a label saying “low fat”. This tag makes the product appear healthy and prompts the individuals to feel that they are manifesting a great feat by consuming these kinds of foods. The good rule of thumb is that one should eat the same amount of the “low fat” version of the food as he would have done with regular fat content.
So, it may not be one of the most loved vegetables across the world, but it is a universally acknowledged fact that karela, or bitter gourd, is one of the most nutritious veggies one can add to their diet.
The bitter-pungent taste of this wonder veggie may have given karela a 'not-so popular' rep amongst many, but once you develop a taste for these lovely bitters - there is just no looking back.
The many savoury bitter gourd preparations are a proof to India's obsession with karela. Bitter gourd juice contains a train of important nutrients ranging like iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamin C.
In addition to these minerals and vitamins, it is also an abundant source of dietary fibre. This nutrient dense vegetable can do wonders for your weight loss goals, too.
In a 2010 issue of a report published in the Journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, it was revealed that extracts of bitter gourd helped in the dislocation of human fat cells and also hindered the formation and growth of new fat cells.
It was further concluded that bitter gourd can be viewed as a natural agent for treating obesity.
Here's why karela juice could prove to be your best summer companion for burning some quick pounds:
How Does Karela or Bitter Gourd Juice Help In Weight Loss.
1. Regulates Insulin: Karela juice is an excellent beverage for diabetics. Bitter gourd helps regulate the blood sugar level in your body. Stabilised blood sugar levels eventually help in weight loss. Bangalore-based Nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood explains, "Karela juice makes your insulin active. When your insulin is active, your sugar would be used adequately and not convert into fat, which would inevitably help in weight loss."
2. Low-calorie Veggie: Bitter gourd is low in calories, fat and carbohydrates. You would be surprised to know that 100 grams of bitter gourd has only 34 calories. It is also low on carbohydrates and fats.
3. Rich in Fibre: Bitter gourd is rich in soluble fibres. It is said the the fibre in bitter gourd pods amounts to 10 percent of recommended daily value intake. Fibre-rich foods induce the feeling of fullness. Since fibre takes long to digest, you feel full for a longer span and tend to binge less. Bitter gourd is also filling because it is high in water - about 89 to 94 percent of its weight is just water, which also makes it an excellent summer vegetable.