Healthy Diwali 2024: How to Make Healthy Mithai for a Guilt-Free Diwali

Diwali is a time of celebrations, with pure joy, sweets and treats.

Sweets are an integral part of the Diwali festivities and this year, Indians are estimated to spend ₹ 1.85 lakh crores on gifting and sweets form a major chunk of this spending.

Traditional Indian sweets like rasgulla, gulan jamun, kaajukatli, and barfi often contain sugar, fats, and artificial additives that can contribute to weight gain, especially when consumed in excess.

Diwali is also the time when Indian sweets are sold at their utmost, which often leads to adulteration of milk and milk products such as khoya or mawa.

Adulterated sweets can lack essential nutrients, leading to food poisoning Adulterated milk lacks essential nutrients, depriving the body of necessary energy and elements.

Consuming adulterated Diwali sweets can lead to diarrhea, gas, and other digestive issues. But the days of oil-laden, unhealthy Diwali sweets are gone.

This year, let’s embrace a healthier Diwali with mithai made from natural and organic ingredients that are delicious, without compromising your health.

In this blog post, we'll share creative and tasty recipes for healthy mithai that you can make at home.

These recipes use natural sweeteners, healthy fats, and whole grains for a guilt-free and satisfying Diwali experience.

How to Make Diwali Sweets Healthier?

Diwali is synonymous with consuming calorie-rich sweets often leading to weight gain and a rise in blood sugar levels.

we should be mindful of eating and staying active during the festivities, for a joyous and balanced celebration.

To celebrate a guilt-free Diwali, we can use organic and natural ingredients that are free from fertilizers and pesticide residue and offer a multitude of benefits to the body.

Read more: Why Organic food is healthier

1. Choose Natural Sweeteners

   Nature offers numerous alternatives to refined sugar, such as Jaggery, Honey, and dates.
   These are low-calorie sweeteners with negligible adverse effects on blood sugar levels.

   Honey: High-quality Honey is full of significant antioxidants that may improve digestion and boost immunity.
   For a better taste and nutritious celebration, use natural and organic honey, from certified brands, sourced at one of India’s best marketplaces, Refresh.
   Dates: Dates offer a high-fiber calorie sweetness with some important vitamins and minerals. Fiber helps your digestive health.
   Jaggery: Jaggery is a “ Superfood Sweetener” and has been used in a variety of Indian cuisines for centuries.
   It contains vitamin B and minerals such as calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and copper. You can make nutritious ladoos, burfi, and Halwa, pairing jaggery with dry fruits.

2. Opt Low-Fat Ingredients

   Sweets are all about natural ingredients that speak for the festive celebration.
   To maintain the balance of health and weight during Diwali, you can replace high-on fat flours with low-calorie flours like Almond flour for your barfi and halwa.

   Almond flour is high in manganese, vitamin B with a lower glycemic index, which can help maintain your blood sugar levels.
   You can also replace refined flour, a generally unhealthy flour that has a high glycemic index, with organic and natural flour like rice, jackfruit, banana, potato, coconut, and buckwheat flour.

3. Choose Natural Fats

   Diwali sweets are incredibly delicious and fats play a major role in their taste.
   Another way to make guilt-free Diwali sweets is to replace traditional refined palm oils and low-quality ghee with top-quality oils and Ghee.

   1. Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a rich source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can help boost metabolism and promote weight loss.
   It also has a high smoke point, making it suitable for frying and baking.
   Research has shown that coconut oil aids weight loss and may improve metabolism in obese patients.

   1. Ghee: Ghee is a clarified butter that has been traditionally used in Indian cuisine for centuries.
   It is rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been linked to various health benefits, including weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity.
   

Know why Ghee is Good for your Health!

Additional Tips for a Guilt-free Diwali:

• Diwali sweets made with Honey and High-quality Ghee are nutritious but it is important to be mindful while eating.
• Try bite-sized portions instead of larger servings to control portions of your meal, whether its sweets or Indian delicacies.
• Traditional Diwali sweets often include oil-frying. Instead, you can opt for baking or air-frying your ingredients to cut down on excess fats.

In conclusion, Diwali is a time of new beginnings and an occasion for celebrations. You can have a grand Diwali party and still feel guilty because of oil-laden, unhealthy foods.

Using these tips and incorporating organic ingredients in your Diwali sweets can help you feel satisfied and have a delicious festive season.