Eat smart during Navarathri

Festivals are the time we let loose our dietary inhibitions and gorge ourselves on all the special treats only to regret later about all the calories we have piled on. But does it really have to be this way? It is not necessary that food which is not high in bad fat and grease is not delicious.

In this age of lifestyle related illnesses, we should always be on guard, come what may. Here are some pointers which can help keep you slim and fit during Navaratri.

• Add liberal dose of any dals. Almost all dals are high in protein in it.
• Instead of parathas made of wheat atta, opt for healthy bajra or jowar rotis with a dash of ghee.
• Ditch the polished white rice and go for the high fibre hand pounded brown or red rice.
• Swap the polished and unhealthy white sugar for jiggery or palm sugar.
• Opt for cooking oils that raise the HDL (good cholesterol) like cold-pressed sesame oil or cold-pressed peanut oil.
• Choose your menu with care and try to ditch the dishes that require frying. Instead boil, blanch, sauté or grill your food.
• Opt for olive oil, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil or rice bran oil for drizzling.
• Substitute the skimmed milk or cashew nut paste with coconut milk. (Yeah… coconut is absolutely good for health)
• Cook your food with whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, curry leaves and other spices to make them more flavorful.
• Too much salt causes high blood pressure and bloating because we drink too much water after salty food, so go easy on the salt and instead of refined salt, opt for rock salt, sea salt or the Himalayan pink salt.
• Ditch the usual aerated cold drinks and favor healthy buttermilk.
• Choose fruit and vegetables that up your metabolic rate and eliminate toxins from your body.

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