Low-calorie sweet nothings on Holi platter

LUDHIANA: At the time of festivals, it becomes difficult for even the strictest of diet conscious to avoid sweets, and Ludhianvis, anyway, do not shy away when it comes to their platter. The sweet shops in the city have the sugar free option of almost every prominent variety for those who count their calories.
With Holi round the corner, the sale of low calorie sweets is witnessing an upswing. Kapil Kharbanda, owner of a sweet shop in Model Town, says the low calorie sweets they prepare are "kalakand", "patisa", "anjeer dhamaka" and "khajoor dhamaka". "While 10-15kg of sugar-free "kalakand" and "patisa" are sold in a day before Holi, we sell about 3kg of "anjeer dhamaka" and "khajoor dhamaka" per day. The demand for low calorie sweets is comparatively lesser on routine days," said Kapil.
He added there has been a 15-20% rise in the demand for low calorie sweets.
"The prices of simple and low calorie sweets differ by about Rs 70-80 per kg as sugar free sweetener comes costlier than normal sugar," said Kapil.
Owner of a sweet shop at Ghumar Mandi, Rajan Vig said they make low calorie sweets only on demand as its shelf life is just 48 hours. "During the festive season, we get orders for about four to five kilograms of sugar-free sweets in a day. Though we take orders for all types of sweets, "dhodha", "ras malai" and "kalakand" are most sold among sugar-free sweets," said Rajan.
Owner of another sweet shop, Rajesh Sharma said the high calorie sweets popular around Holi are "gujiya", made of maida, khoya and dry fruits, and "chandra kala". Homemaker Komal Bansal of BRS Nagar, said, it is difficult to burn the calories gained by consuming normal sweets. "So, for the last few years, I have been having low calorie 'kalakand' and 'patisa' during festivals," she added.