You can’t ask an Indian to quit pani puri, papdi chaat or moong dal halwa, especially during the festive season. It’s too deep in our system.

You get only a few festivals in a year to cheat on your super healthy diet. It wouldn’t be fair if we place another diet chart in your hand to follow. However, it’s also necessary to warn you about some of the common diet mistakes you might be making. 

These mistakes are not hard to avoid but if not considered, they can worsen severe health conditions like diabetes, blood pressure, obesity, etc.      

To help give you a headstart, we have cherry-picked some of the most salient diet mistakes people make while enjoying the festive food.

Mistake 1: Reusing Oil

Festive food involves a lot of frying and we all have reused the oil at some point. Maybe we cooked a vegetable in the oil that was used to fry samosas, but we often do it without realising its effect on our body. It’s not just us, even the sweet shops make the same mistake.  

Reusing the oil can create free radicals which harm the body by clogging the arteries, causing acidity and heartburn. This goes without saying that you should be careful while purchasing sweets and other fried snacks. 

Opt for baked and steamed options such as vegetable chips, quinoa puffs, dhokla or khandvi.

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Mistake 2: Saying No To A Balanced Diet

It’s okay to consume unhealthy foods for a few days as long as you’re balancing them with enough vegetables and other nutrients. The food we eat while fasting also includes fried chips and sabudana vada. Not exactly the healthiest options.

So when you’re eating these items, load half of your plate with essential vitamins and minerals in the form of vegetables. Pick baked munchies instead of friend namkeen and potato chips.

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Mistake 3: Forgetting To Count Calories In Drinks

Alcohol, cocktails and soft drinks contain a lot of kilocalories. These calorie bombs can lead to dehydration and make you feel more hungry. Empty calories and a high amount of sugar in such drinks are not good for your health but if you still plan to consume them, do count the calories. 

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Mistake 4: Not Consuming Enough Water 

Drinking more water during holidays can help you neutralise the alcohol content in your body. Plus soft drinks too can dehydrate your body so you’ll need water to detox and rehydrate. 

Coconut water and energy drinks are healthy and tasty alternatives to both water and soft drinks. They are especially great for diabetics. 

Diabetics are often dehydrated because they have weak kidneys. When kidneys start overworking, they expel fluids at a rapid speed. Thus, it is very important for diabetics to drink enough water to prevent dehydration.

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Mistake 5: Too Much White Sugar + White Flour

It’s a dangerous combination for weight watchers. Use whole-grain flours like wheat and jaggery or stevia. Avoid sweets with silver coating as they are adulterated with aluminium which is not good for your health. Sweets with artificial colours and chemical preservatives can also damage your liver and kidneys. Consume jaggery coated nuts instead of milk-based sweets. You can use stevia in the sweets you make at home to avoid all health risks.

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The Bottomline

In this health-conscious era, there are plenty of ways to blend health and taste. There’s no need to deprive yourself of your favourite food as long as you know how to eat smart. 

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