Importance of a Balanced Diet During Festivals: Make Your Festive Diet a Balanced Diet

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Importance of a Balanced Diet During Festivals: 7 Ways To Make Your Festive Diet a Balanced Diet

Festivals are a time for celebration and indulgence, but it is important to remember that a balanced diet is still important. Scroll down to know everything about a balanced diet.

Festivals are an important part of our Indian culture and they act as a vehicle to present our tradition and values to the world. It is a time to rejoice and bond with family and friends and share our love through sweets and goodies. Every household brim with sweets and namkeens and we tend to overindulge in sugar and fat-rich foods. Enjoying festivities does not imply ignoring a healthy diet, skipping exercise, and putting our health at risk.

Overconsumption of sugar, salt, and fried food can make us feel bloated, dizzy, and irritated. Does that mean that we completely avoid our traditional festival food? Not exactly. Instead of planning to go on a detox post-festival, why not try and be mindful of our food habits during the occasion itself? In this article, Dr. Meghana Pasi, Nutrition Consultant, MyThali Program, ArogyaWorld, shares 7 amazing and effective ways to make your festive diet a balanced diet.

What Is a Balanced Diet?

A balanced diet can be defined as – food that contains adequate nutrients required by the body to grow, remain healthy, stay disease-free, and protect us against nutritional deficiencies. Consuming all food groups cereals/grains, pulses/meat/poultry/fish, veggies-fruits, milk-milk products, and fats/oils in adequate quantities makes a meal balanced.

There are numerous benefits of having a balanced diet:

Helps To Manage Weight

A healthy balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and having moderate amounts of unsaturated fats and dairy can help you maintain your weight during the festive season. Having a wide variety of these foods provides less space for foods high in fat and sugar, which causes weight gain. Instead of making us feel guilty after consuming unhealthy food, a balanced diet allows us to enjoy all foods in moderation while avoiding excessive calorie consumption.

Limits Sugar Consumption

A well-balanced diet aids in managing insulin resistance and dental concerns caused by excessive sugar consumption. Sugars should account for less than 10% of total energy intake in a balanced diet. Choosing fresh fruits over cookies, cakes, and chocolate helps minimize sugar consumption.

Foster’s Mental Well-Being

Various research studies have concluded that a balanced diet is essential not just for good physical health but also for mental well-being. Having well-balanced meals during the festive season helps to stay fresh, active, and calm and reduces the feeling of guilt that comes after excessive consumption of unhealthy foods.

Keeps Up Energy Levels

Having protein and fiber-rich breakfast like idli-sambar, veg upma, poha, veg parathas, and sandwiches instead of kachoris, samosas, or bhajis will power you with enough energy you need to run errands on a busy festival day.

Enhances Immunity

A well-balanced meal rich in vitamins and antioxidants will boost your immunity and help fight infections. Eat at least 3-4 portions of veggies and 2 portions of fruits throughout the day. Have fruits at mid-morning or snack-time to avoid intake of caffeine and fried foods.

Helps in Portion Control

Festive gatherings often involve large portion sizes. A balanced diet encourages portion control, helping you enjoy your favorite foods without overeating.

Keeps You Hydrated

Staying hydrated is essential during festivals, especially if you consume alcohol or salty foods. A balanced diet includes water-rich fruits and vegetables, contributing to overall hydration.

Celebrate festivals as an occasion to meet and greet your loved ones. When you focus on the fun, it becomes easy to ignore the food. Show your love and care by serving healthy food to your family and friends and also be mindful of what you place on your plate. Striking a balance between indulgence and nutrition is the key to making the most of this special time of the year.