Happy, Healthy Diwali

It was Arun's third pre-Diwali card party, in as many days. And lady luck seemed extra kind to him this year.
"Get me some salted kajus," he yelled, excited after winning his second big hand in a row. "Any more barfis left?" he inquired in the same breath. Overweight and diabetic, Arun has been instructed by doctors to lose 15 kg over the next three months.But that is unlikely, thanks to the endless partying this time of the year. Instead, thanks to alcohol coupled with constant gorging on sweets, dry fruits, and fried dishes, Arun may have added a few kilos! Festivities in India are synonymous with some serious bingeing. And if you aren't careful during this time, you may end up putting on a few kilos in the span of a few days. An average healthy adult man requires around 2,000 calories a day, while an adult woman requires 1,700 kcal. According to Dr Ritika Samaddar, chief dietician of Max hospitals, a man consumes around 500 calories per major meal (three times a day) and over 200 calories through snacking. However, during festivals, one often ends up consuming more than 1,500 extra calories every day through constant snacking in between regular meals.
Take Arun, for example. Besides his regular meals, he has been gorging on barfis (250 calories a serving), dry fruit (a handful of cashews is equivalent to 50 grams, containing 450 calories), traditional Diwali dishes like matthis (240 calories for 4), tikkis (350 calories for 2), jalebis and gulab jamuns (140 calories each). And this doesn't even take into account the alcohol one drinks (a single peg contains 200 calories). Of these food items, "the most damaging are high-calorie sweets and fried products. Calories consumed through these are called empty calories because they have no benefits. Instead, they add to the body's fat," says Dr Samaddar. While it may be customary to exchange sweets and namkeens during this time, choosing your snack well while partying is vital. For instance, having dahi vada is better than eating tikkis, suggests Dr Samaddar.
Clinical dieticians say that celebrations can throw even the most disciplined people off their fitness regimens. Not only does the bingeing result in extra kilos, it also causes digestive disturbances, heartburn and indigestion . So here are a few tips from experts on how to avoid these this season...
Plan your meals. If you know you will dine out, then eat less through the day. But don't go starving to the party. Eat a light snack like a salad, soup, some lightly done vegetables, lentils, milk, yoghurt or nuts before you go out. Usually, festive food is higher on calories, fat, salt and sugar - keep a tight control on portion sizes, especially when the variety seems endless. At home, do not allow a build-up of sweets or chocolates. Chances are you'll end up gorging on these. Get rid of them by gifting these to others.
In a restaurant, start your meal with appetisers like clear soups or salads without rich dressings. Pass over the bread and order a portion of grilled vegetables instead. Go for roasted or baked, grilled or barbequed snacks instead of fried ones. Avoid drinking more than two medium measures of alcohol or wine. Alcohol stimulates the appetite and is primarily a source of empty calories since these are stored as fats. Women should limit their intake to one medium drink. Order dry wines, not sweet ones. Also save yourself from calories from sugar by avoiding sweetened beverages. Go in for sugar-free substitutes , diet sodas or fruit juices diluted with soda.
For the main course, look for vegetables with less gravy as that is loaded with fats and calories. Try grilled, stir-fried or lightly saut����ed vegetables. If you are non-vegetarian , choose baked, roasted or grilled fish or poultry instead of red meats. Skip desserts if possible. Fruits make for good alternatives.
Finally, gift healthy this Diwali. "Find alternatives to traditional high calorie sweets. Give fruits rather than traditional sweets," says clinical dietician Dr Ishi Khosla. "Use skimmed milk to prepare dishes like shrikhand and rice puddings like kheer and phirni. Other less fattening Diwali sweets include sandesh and pedas. Drink several (average two) glasses of water before snacking . This will make your stomach partially full and you will eat less as a result," Dr Khosla adds.
If you have a sweet tooth, here's a piece of good news: Stick to eating rasgullas. They are steamed and therefore have half the calories as compared to gulab jamuns, which are fried and also high in sugar content.