What is food?

Well, technically it is the combination of various ingredients mixed and cooked proportionately.

The word ‘Mixed’ & ‘Proportion’ are the key terms here. The wisdom of knowing the exact amount of ingredients and the time it should be cooked is what makes you an exceptional cook.

That said, it is hard to master cooking skills and even harder to grow confident in it. No one is born a great cook. Although, we learn to eat naturally; cooking great food needs practice. Knowing a few cooking tips can make your food delicious and even makes your whole cooking process smooth.

So, to get you started we have enlisted 10 simple cooking activities every cook should master. These activities are your stepping stones in the delicious and flavoursome journey.

● Learn how to chop efficiently

Most of the cooking items you cook involve chopping. But still many people struggle to master this necessary skill. If basic task like chopping a carrot takes forever, no wonder you will feel the whole cooking process dull and drudgery. Learning a few chopping techniques will definitely come handy while cooking, saving you from menial hard work and loss of time. With some practice, you will learn to chop ingredients like a pro.

● Don’t Overload the Pan

You might want to finish your cooking early and end up filling your pan with an extra amount of food items. Chances are that, heat may get unevenly distributed, thus affecting the flavour and nutritional value. You need to leave space of few inches in order to heat your item thoroughly.

● How to knead a dough

Kneading dough is a daunting task, but believe me, when mastered it’s fun and easy. The secret of taste and texture of chapati or a poori lies in the consistency of dough. Unless you are capable of kneading perfect dough, it’s impossible to roll the perfect roti. Knowing when you can stop kneading is another aspect which needs practice. The trick lies in applying a rhythmic & gentle force that stretches and massages the dough.

● The Art of making round Chapatis

Making chapatis is easy, but getting a round one is tough. The trick lies in applying equal pressure and giving it a proper direction. It takes some time to get the perfect round shape, even thickness and uniform size. Making roti is a time-consuming process and you may end up getting frustrated. But roti is an essential part of the Indian diet, especially in the northern and central part of India. Roti can be eaten with dal, curry, vegetable and hence it is important for every chef to master this art.

● Choosing the right cooking oil

When choosing the right cooking oil, it is important to look at the oil’s smoking point and your temperature requirement. Your family’s health requirement should also be taken into consideration. Overheating the oil can release some harmful substances leading to unhealthy consequences. Oils like sunflower oil, rice bran oil, groundnut oil and many more are available in the market. You need to try different varieties before you choose the one suitable for your needs.

● Knowing the right spices

Spices are the main ingredients to impart flavours to your deliciously cooked meal. When you are first learning how to cook, the number of spices you need to deal with may seem intimidating. There are a group of spices which works great together and there are some who don’t. It is important to know the right combination to avoid any flavour clashes. Different recipes need a different combination of spices but as long as you stay within the same family, you can mix and match.

● How to Cook rice

Rice is an item that needs to be cooked regularly. You need to know the amount, the quantity of rice grains required, the absorption method to cook delicious rice. Rice is eaten with dal, curry and forms a core ingredient for many recipes. Hence it is important to be able to cook this delicious part of the meal.

● How to preserve your food ingredients

There are some food ingredients which you need on regular basis and it is only logical to stock these ingredients in your kitchen to avoid a daily trip to the farmer’s market. But it is also important to learn how to preserve those ingredients. There is nothing frustrating than planning to make your favourite recipe and finding out that all the important ingredients are spoiled. Based on the type of ingredient, the storage method differs and it is important to know the correct method to keep produce fresher and longer.
Like for example – For preserving herbs, pour extra-virgin olive oil over it and store them in small packets in refrigerator.

● Cleaning your Utensils

Every great cook and a house-party host know the importance of effectively cleaning the utensils. Based on the cooking oil and the type of utensil you use the cleaning method differs. Clean utensils are important for both hygiene and presentation – becomes more important when we take pride in our delicious cooked food.

● Taking Safety Precautions

Even though it’s your own territory, it’s crucial to take all the precautions and preventive measures to avoid any catastrophes. Especially when dealing with oils, knives and heat, you need to take extra care. Always keep a first-hand kit near your cooking unit. Also, maintain cleanliness and hygiene around your kitchen. Some important tips include avoid wearing loose clothes near the stove, avoid dangling jewelry, cleaning the spills immediately. Get a fire extinguisher for your kitchen. You should take your best precautions to avoid kitchen fire, but sometimes it may go out of hand. So make sure you know how to use an extinguisher and all the necessary tips while dealing in the kitchen.

All in one, the ultimate advice is to have fun while making food. Nothing brings people together than great food. With each practice, your culinary skills get evolved. To become a master chef, you need to know the basics and we hope that these tips are a great place to begin.

Oils are an important ingredient in our daily food consumption. Especially, in the Indian states, oils form an essential commodity while preparing many food items. Cooking oils can affect various health aspects like maintaining cholesterol level, skin health, maintaining sugar level in the blood etc.

So, choosing bad cooking oil can adversely affect your overall well-being. A good cooking oil not only adds taste but also defines the nutritional value of the item.

Talking about choosing good cooking oil, there are many refined oils available in the market today, promising various health benefits; one such oil is the Rice Bran Oil. A relatively new member in the vast family of refined oils, Rice Bran oil is gaining popularity due to its various health benefits.

Before we discuss the benefits of using Refined Rice Bran oil, let’s first understand what rice bran oil is made of.

What is Rice Bran Oil?

Rice Bran oil is extracted from the outer husk of the rice grain called chaff (Rice Bran). Rice Bran refers to the thin coating of the rice kernel removed during the process of milling. It has a high smoking point and is neutral in taste making it suitable for many cooking applications.

Rice bran oil contains many useful components like Vitamin E, tocopherols and tocotrienols, an antioxidant known as oryzanol, high quantities of phytosterols, polyphenols etc.

Now let’s discuss the benefits of using Rice Bran Oil, and why you should include it in your diet.

● Heart-friendly Oil

Rice Bran Oil contains an optimum amount of oryzanol, an antioxidant, which helps you maintain a healthy cholesterol level in the body.

Rice Bran oil has a perfectly balanced amount of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats when compared to other vegetable oils. It has 37:38:25 ratio of polyunsaturated fats: Monounsaturated fats: Saturated fats respectively.

Since India is a country prone to heart diseases, making rice bran oil a part of your daily diet can help you eliminate various cardiovascular diseases.

● Has a neutral or mild taste

The rice bran oil has mild or neutral taste making it versatile for many Indian foods. Its taste doesn’t clash with your desired taste and is suitable for preparing many food items.

You can use it for stir-frying, sauteing and grilling. It may add a mild nutty flavour, but otherwise it has a light taste and clear texture.

● Helps in reducing weight

Rice Bran oil helps you maintain cholesterol level in the body and can help you in reducing your weight. The presence of unique antioxidant called oryzanol increases metabolism, further aiding your weight loss programme.

● Helps you maintain your skin health

Presence of Squalene in the rice bran oil helps you keep your skin soft and smooth and even helps delay aging of skin. It evens out the skin tone and reduces dark spots and even the dark circles around the eyes.

The moisturizing properties of the oil helps treat dry skin and eczema. The oil contains oleic acid and linoleic acid in the perfect amount and can help you treat acne.

Rice bran oil also helps you to fight other skin problems like dermatitis, rosacea and rashes.

● Has a High Smoking point

Indians love fried food items and rice bran oils form a perfect combination to deep fry your products. It has a high smoking point of around 250℃ or 490F, which helps in maintaining its nutritional value even at high temperatures.

● Boosts hair growth

Rice Bran oil contains a carbohydrate compound called inositol, which boosts hair growth, reduces dandruff and split ends. It contains the omega fatty acids which prevents the premature greying of hair.

● A good source of Vitamin E

Rice bran oil is rich in Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol). Vitamin E is an essential component in maintaining skin health, boosts immunity, promotes heart health, fights the symptoms of arthritis, promotes eye health and lowers the risk of cancer.

Daily intake of Rice Bran oil can help you maintain a healthy percentage of Vitamin E in your body, deficiency of which can cause vision problems, muscle weakness and poor transmission of nerve impulse in the central nervous system.

● Possess Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Rice bran oil possesses strong anti-inflammatory properties and its daily consumption can reduce the effects of menopause like hot flashes.

Conclusion

With various types of oils available in the market, the type of oil you use completely depends on your preference. But given the benefits of oil, it is recommended to use refined rice bran oil for cooking

The above-mentioned benefits show us that Rice Bran Oil can positively impact your health. You need to find different ways and try to include this oil in your daily diet.

India has diverse geographical and weather conditions and due to its diverse nature the crops we grow vary every few kilometres. The reason being the presence or abundance of water, the nature of soil etc.

The culture and the type of food we consume also vary with each passing city. In India, since time immemorial oil has been an important part of our food. The type of oil we use largely depends on our geographical condition. In Kerala, it’s coconut oil. In Andhra Pradesh, it’s sesame. Central India and Gujarat people are dependent on Groundnut oil.

Different types of oils blend perfectly with different food style and cooking habits. However, picking up the correct type of oil is getting increasingly difficult as newly refined oils make their way onto shelves everyday.

Choosing a healthy combination of refined oils can spare you the risk of heart diseases, cholesterol, diabetes etc. So if you are wondering, which is the best suitable oil, we made a list of 10 best cooking oils for you to choose from.

• Sunflower Oil – Extracted from Sunflower seeds, Sunflower oil is a good source of Vitamin E. It is rich in certain phytochemicals like choline and phenolic acid that are beneficial to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The polyunsaturated fats in it help to keep your cholesterol in check.  Due to its high smoking point, sunflower oil maintains its nutritional value even at high temperatures. It helps prevent arthritis, colon cancer, asthma and also promotes a healthy nervous system. Sunflower oil is mainly used in the deep frying of chips, vegetables, snacks etc.

• Olive Oil – Olive oil is the oil extracted from olives, the fruit of the olive tree. It is rich in healthy monosaturated acids that will help you lower the risk of heart diseases. The presence of antioxidants reduces the risk of various chronic diseases. Olive oil combined with Mediterranean diet appears protective against type-2 Diabetes. When combined with fish oil, olive oil greatly helps to reduce joint pains.

• Rice Bran Oil – Rice bran oil is extracted from the outer layer of a rice grain (Bran).  Relatively new oil on the shelves, Rice bran oil is gaining popularity due to its various health benefits. It has an ideal balance of polyunsaturated fats and monosaturated fats. Both are good kind of fats. Presence of High level of antioxidants boosts your metabolism rate and may also help you with weight loss. Rice bran oil has a chemical known as oryzanol, it is known to be effective in reducing cholesterol. Rice Bran oil is “less oily” when compared to other oils.

• Groundnut Oil – This is a vegetable oil extracted from groundnuts. Presence of antioxidants helps in maintaining the cognitive functions of the body. It contains a balanced percentage of polyunsaturated acids and monosaturated acids. Rich in Vitamin E, the antioxidants present treats dry skin and prevents skin from acne and boosts your hair growth. It is the most suitable all-purpose cooking oil especially in Asian countries where the food is prepared in a wok.

• Mustard Oil – Mustard Oil is extracted from Mustard seeds and is reddish brown in color. Being a rich source of monosaturated fatty acids it helps in reducing bad cholesterol in the body. Mustard oil fights the internal digestive infections, helps blood circulation and has been an important ingredient in treating cough and cold. Mustard oil can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases by 70%.

• Canola Oil – Canola oil is made from crushed seeds of canola plant. Among all the other oils canola has the least amount of saturated fats and the highest amount of omega 3 fatty acid and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), second to flaxseeds. It is important to include ALA in your diet as our body can’t produce it on its own. It can also help you with weight loss and cut the risk of heart-related diseases.

• Soybean Oil : Soybean is an edible vegetable extracted by heat treating beans with other solvents. Refined Soybean Oil lower the bad cholesterol level and reduce the risk of heart diseases. Due to the presence of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats soybean helps to gain weight. Use of soybean can prove vital for your bone strength and protects you from bone diseases like osteoporosis. Adding soybeans to your food or using it as a cooking oil can boost memory and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s diseases.

• Sesame Oil – Adding Sesame oil to your daily diet helps you to reduce blood pressure. Sesame helps in the production of serotonin and can help you to fight anxiety and depression. Presence of copper, zinc, magnesium helps in blood circulation, metabolism and helps reduce the pain of arthritis. It enhances the dental and oral hygiene of a person.

• Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a saturated fat that increases the composition of blood lipids. Due to its high melting point, coconut oil is used in deep frying cookings. It significantly increases the good cholesterol level in the body. It helps you in weight control by reducing belly fat and suppressing appetite.

• Palm Oil – Palm oil maintains stability at high temperatures than some other oils and fats. Products containing palm oil maintain their flavor and crispiness for a longer period of time. It has a neutral smell and can be used in different food items without compromising the taste. Palm is rich in beta-carotene which proves helpful in improving night vision, reduces the risk of cancer. Vitamin A, D and E are found abundant in palm oil which supports a healthy pregnancy.

In conclusion, I would like to say that all the oils have the essential nutrients required in the body. The real trick lies in selecting the combination suitable to you.

As the saying goes “Healthy eating leads to healthy living”. With “Healthy” becoming a popular buzzword these days, most of us are making a conscious choice to eat organic and clean. Eating home cooked and organic food is one way of defining healthy eating. Simple food and meal plans, cooked in healthy oils like Sunflower oil , Rice bran oil , Soybean refined oil in measured proportions, with no processed ingredients included, is how clean eating is defined. Healthy eating is an option. Taking t his option or ignoring it, influences one’s healthy living quotient.

Eating right has become a serious issue with the urban population since it is a predominantly sedentary lifestyle. It would, however, be unfair to contribute this urgency only to the current lifestyle solely. The fact is we are hankering after our careers and ambitions, over-working ourselves to make our dreams a reality. We are not even aware anymore that we are losing touch with the fact that relaxation, enough time to sleep and eat are an indispensable part and parcel of living a healthy life. This is an alarming trend. Time, today has become an almost impossible aspect to schedule. Planning workouts or even a simple run has become a task. In such a situation the only way to salvage our health is by planning our diet. Planning does not imply “dieting” as mostly understood. Rather it is a scheduled way of eating while making sure that the food eaten is nutritious and hence beneficial for our health as well.

Planning a Meal :

Before a meal is planned, remember the golden rule that every medical practitioner and nutrition specialist adheres to and advice about: Eat breakfast like a king, Lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. This is the vein of a good meal plan.

A meal plan would include:

• Breakfast ;
• Lunch;
• Snacks; and
• Dinner

Expectation setting and cleansing :

Expectation setting: Before you embark upon the planning bit for meals, define your goals:

• Why are you interested in making a meal plan for; and
• What will keep you motivated?

For someone, it might be a medical condition, or an old dress one wants to fit back into, or it could be a fitness goal or it might be about confidence renewal, once more. The bottom line is never to lose sight of the goals and the motivation, to keep up with the meal plans.

Meal prep:
Since time is a constraint, one of the ways to keep a track of what we are eating, along with the intake amount, is to stick to a meal prep. A “meal prep” is one of the most used coinage these days, which simply means meal preparation, a couple of days ahead.
The key here is to make a list of the recipes, you want to cook for the week or the next couple of days. Keep the recipes simple, ingredients healthy as per your health goals and gather the ingredients. The meals here would be for breakfast as well as for lunch.

Snacking:
That evening craving at the office to eat something is often the culprit that ruins a day of healthy eating. The hunger pangs that inflicts us, after a controlled portion of lunch, can be devastating. This is the time when you need to control the urge to give in to fast food. Hence, carry you portion of healthy snacks. It might be nuts like almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, cheese or yoghurt. If you are interested in salads, you may carry cucumber, carrot and beetroot sticks etc for snacks.

Believe in starting over and stick to your healthy meal plan:
One of the worst psychological set up that we commit to is the thinking that “once a diet plan goes off track (with one of the meals or the snack we are supposed to eat), we consider it a ruined day”. Almost all of the times that this occurs, it is usually an excuse we make to ourselves for cheating on the decided meal plan. Here is where we go wrong. One meal plan, gone off the track is not a ruined day. Start over but do not give in.

Cleansing:
This is one of the crucial ways to stick to, for your healthy diet plan to stay on track. Cleanse your house, fridge and the food shelves of sugars, candies, chips and processed food. The intention for your healthy meal plan is to eat healthy, rather than target weight loss or gain. Clearing off the saturated fat and sodium-rich foods will not only help you ward off temptation but will also help you get over the craving for these foods.

A hint of a healthy Vegetarian meal prep recipe: (Total calorie: 1204)
Breakfast (264 calories)

• A cup of hung curd or non-fat yoghurt
• Half a cup of a mixture of oats and nuts
• Half a cup of strawberries

Snack (105 calories)

• 8 Walnut / Pecan halves

Lunch (330 calories)

• 1 cup of the sautéed mix of onions, tomatoes, garlic and broccoli
• 2 cups of green leafy vegetables seasoned with olive oil

Snacks (70 calories)

• 2 Oranges

Dinner(435 calories)

• Two and a half cups of Bean & vegetables

Conclusion:

Healthy eating is a choice. Unlike the perception that most of us have, healthy food is not necessarily bland and dull. If you pause and think about it, you will realize that most of the time a food item, a dish or a cuisine appeals to our sensory system, due to its look and presentation. Likewise, various vegetables and fruits mixed and matched together can make even the rawest organic dish look irresistibly tempting.

Cooking oils lay the foundation of taste for any recipe or cuisine. They are therefore one of the first ingredient that needs thorough analysis so that oils best suited to a particular dish is used for cooking. Moreover, cooking oils are also one of the factors that affect a healthy diet plan.

Using oil to cook is meant not only enhance taste. The intent is the holistic well being of a person. This refers to the mental, psychological and physical health of a person. These, however, are not separate entities. They are co related while being interdependent. A physically well individual will always be in a better mind frame and hence will be psychologically sane. Unless a major trauma distorts the situation, the cycle of well-being continues.

With an array of choices available in cooking oils, it can be confusing to choose the best. Moreover, some recipes demand a particular kind of oil. Here we are dispelling the clutter to make you chose better.

Depending on what you plan on cooking, consider these :

• You could start off with a little planning. Are you deep frying dishes or are making a curry? It could be a mix and match or it might be a regular menu.
• Are you sticking to a diet plan? The salads can be tossed in a little oil for health benefits
• Do you plan on cooking an authentic regional dish with its distinct taste?
  Once you know the kind of food you would be cooking, keep the listed characteristics of various oils in mind. These will help you to make informed choices when it comes to choosing the right oil.

Rice Bran oil:

Extracted from the husk or the bran of rice grains, rice bran oil is the new health oil everyone is hankering for. The fact is, rice bran oil has been around for a while. Yet it has been able to garner attention only recently. Apt as a medium for deep frying, Rice bran oil is also rich in Oryzanol, an antioxidant. Being neutral in taste, Rice bran is also versatile.

Olive Oil:

One of the most favoured oil, as a healthy choice, Olive oil is derived from the fruit. Neutral in taste, Olive oil blends into food, enhancing the essence of the dish. Olive oil lets the individual vegetables stand out with its distinct taste and flavours. Being neutral in taste and rich in monounsaturated content, it is a preferred dressing for salads too.

Canola oil:

Canola is a flower. Akin to mustard, Oil extracted from Canola is versatile in its property. With a characteristic high smoking point, Canola oil does not burn easily. This is also a versatile oil. Additionally, Canola oil is helpful in reducing inflammation due to its alpha-linolenic acid content.

Sunflower oil:

Sunflower oil is a wonder oil since it enhances taste in food as much as it benefits the skin texture when used in cosmetics. Preferred the world over, as an oil for deep frying, Sunflower oil is an emollient too, rich in vitamin E. This makes Sunflower oil an aid in reversing age as well.

Coconut Oil:

With a distinct flavour of its own, coconut oil is considered “fatty”. Though coconut oil is high on the fat content, its benefits cannot be denied. Full of flavour, this oil is an immense aid in lowering cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure levels. One of its most interesting use of coconut oil is when it is used in lieu of butter for baking and frying.

Almond Oil:

Known for its properties of aiding hair growth as well as skin texture, Almond oil is also one of the best oils for cooking. Due to its Vitamin E content along with Zinc and potassium, Almond oil is a choice that should be made for the health one’s heart. Moreover, its high smoking point makes Almond oil an ideal oil for frying and sauté.

Soya bean oil:

Soya is a proven source of high protein. Hence the oil extracted out of soya beans is, naturally protein rich. However, it is also one of the few oils that are naturally low on trans fat. Loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids along with Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats, Soyabean Refined Oil is one of the healthiest choices around.

Flaxseed Oil:

Quoted as a weight loss aiding remedy, due to its alpha-linoleic acid content, it is also a constipation reliever. Flaxseeds find its place in ayurvedic medicines and therefore has medicinal value too. As an oil it helps in healing arthritis as well as cholesterol related problems. With an inclination towards a nutty flavour, this oil is great for baking and as salad dressings.

Sesame oil:

A regular in Asian dishes, Sesame oil has a strong flavour of its own. An oil with a storehouse of health benefits, sesame oil is without an ounce of doubt, one of the best, at par with Olive oil. Research has also proven that this oil is an absolute an anti-depressant.

Festivals are carefree times. These are the occasions when you want to let go of all the limitations that were self-imposed for a better living. This inevitably includes restrictions on our regular diet in terms of no fat, less salt, more fibre etc. However, when the festival happens to be Diwali, there really is no holding back on food, sweets and the calorie-loaded goodies. At the end of the festivities, when life goes back to normal, it is time to revert back to the food restrictions along with hitting the gym a lot harder, to shed the extra kg.

These post-Diwali efforts can be cut down to a minimum if we follow a few tips to stay on track with what and how we eat during the celebrations.

Here are a few tips to help you eat right through this Diwali. Stick to these tips to help you enjoy Diwali, without the constant worry of putting on extra flab.

1) Find Alternatives:

Sweets, snacks and feasts are the norms for Diwali celebrations. Most of the sweets made for Diwali are sugar syrup based or have sugar as an integral part of their recipes. It is not so feasible to replace all the sugar content with jaggery or natural sweeteners like Stevie leaves or sugar-free sweeteners for healthy eating. However, it would be a good idea to make bigger batches of sweets and snacks made for diabetic people in the family, so that most of these snacks get consumed. This will automatically take care of curtailing the excessive sugar intake.

Alternatively, try baking some of the sweets and snacks like chakli, sankarpali, karanji, the potatoes for aloo tikki, baked samosas etc. Healthy eating is an individual choice.

2) Keep yourself hydrated:

A lot of sweet and salty snacks will eventually dehydrate your body. Especially during Diwali, most of us are so busy binging on the goodies, that we completely ignore the everyday water intake portion, recommended for healthy living. Keep your water intake high. If needed, set the phone reminder to help you track your day’s water intake at regular intervals.Unsweetened juices are also a good way of keeping the fluid intake on the higher side.

Drinking an adequate amount of water also curbs the urge to eat and gorge on the irresistible snacks and the goodies. This will not only help you eat less but also save you the extra efforts, that you will need to put in post-Diwali, to neutralise the Diwali feasting affects.

3) Relearn Portion control:

Most of us today, in urban India are calorie conscious. Hence portion control is a practice of everyday life. However, when it comes to Diwali, most of this control gives way. Hence with the festivities in full swing and mouth-watering delicacies spread out, it is time to relearn portion control in Diwali.

Portion control is not always easy. Here are a few tips to help you achieve the same:

• Help yourself to smaller plates ;
• Smaller plates will help you serve yourself portions;
• Avoid second helpings;
• Choose food that is low on calorie

4) Plan your meals:

Diwali is synonymous with happy get-together of friends and family over sumptuous foods and snacks. Eating out, indulgence in food and lavish meals for guests and families are the most usual ways of spending these holidays together with the loved ones. Unlike a usual day, Diwali meals inclusive of breakfast, lunch and dinner are rich in fat, sugar, salt and flour. If the temptations are too much to resist and you end up eating for the better part of the day, restrict your dinner intake. Or if you have a friend’s Diwali dinner party to attend, plan your meals for the day. Keep lunch and breakfast small and light. If it is a lunch you are attending, plan your dinners.

5) Make a choice to eat salads:

Salads provide our body with fibre. A nutritionist would advise salads to be eaten every day since it is the right way to eat. During Diwali especially, when we eat so much oil and ghee based food, cleansing the system becomes a necessity. This Diwali, make a conscious choice to include a lot of fibre in your food. When you have guests over for a Diwali feast, serve salads as well.

6) Cut down on your salt intake:

Salt intake is often restricted for weight loss. Salt makes it easy for the body to retain water, leading to swelling and weight gain. During the Diwali feasting, our body takes in a lot of both salt and sugar. This needs to be restricted. If you have a Diwali party planned up, keep yourself sugar and salt-free for the better part of the day.

7) Prepare Beforehand:

This is more about getting your system all cleaned up before the big celebration. Start eating healthy, lessen the intake of salt, hydrate yourself and load yourself up with fibres. A cleaned system from inside is a well a prepared system for the Diwali onslaught of sweets and snacks.