Ayurvedic Tips for Choosing Healthy Sweets During Diwali: Avoiding Fake Sweets
Diwali is coming and we are eagerly waiting for it. In this festival, sweets play an important role for everyone. They enhance the taste and add sweetness to our relationships.
Due to the high demand for sweets, the trend of fake milk sweets and sweets made from low-quality ingredients has increased in recent years. These sweets are very harmful to health.
In this article, we will share Ayurvedic tips for choosing healthy sweets during Diwali. With this, you will be able to avoid fake sweets and choose healthy and pure sweets for yourself and your family.
Understanding Fake Sweets:
To meet the increasing demand for sweets during festivals, fake sweets are made in large quantities. Without checking the sweets, we buy them, which contain poor-quality ingredients. Therefore, we should have an understanding of fake sweets.
a. What Are Fake Sweets?
Sweets prepared with poor-quality ingredients such as artificial milk, colours, and chemicals are fake sweets. They look exactly like original sweets but the ingredients used in them are fake. Such sweets are harmful to our health.
b. Health Risks Associated with Fake Sweets
Consuming fake sweets causes many types of health-related diseases. These include allergies, digestive problems, and long-term effects. The poor-quality ingredients used in sweets prove fatal for everyone’s health.
Ayurvedic Principles for Choosing Sweets
Ayurveda also includes sweets in its list of balanced diet, which needs to be consumed in moderation. We should follow Ayurvedic principles for pure sweets. This helps to test the sweets and choose the right ones.
1. The Importance of Quality Ingredients
Ayurveda emphasises natural, organic, and high-quality ingredients. Reputable suppliers that prioritise sustainable farming practices and animal welfare provide us with suitable products. Original sweets are prepared naturally. Consuming them provides nutrition to our bodies.
2. Balancing Doshas
There are three types of doshas mentioned in Ayurveda, which include Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas. Pure and genuine sweets balance these doshas.
Prefer sweets made of ghee and dry fruits for Vata doshas, sweets made of cold and sweet foods for Pitta doshas, and less sugar and light sweets for Kapha doshas.
Tips for Choosing Healthy Sweets:
It is important to choose healthy sweets instead of fake sweets in the market. This keeps our digestive process strong. For choosing this, follow the tips given below-
1. Look for Authenticity
It is necessary to identify reputable sweet makers for pure sweets. Authentic ingredients increase the shelf life of products, reducing food waste. For this, read their labels carefully and check their authenticity.
2. Prefer Natural Sweeteners
In Ayurveda, jaggery, honey, dates, etc. are used for natural sweetness. So use such Ayurvedic-approved sweeteners in sweets. These are very beneficial from a health point of view.
3. Check for Freshness
Pure and healthy sweets are identified by their freshness. So check the freshness of sweets while buying them. This Diwali, prefer fresh sweets without preservatives for yourself and your family.
4. Opt for Homemade Sweets
Opt for homemade sweets over sweets bought from the market. Homemade sweets are made with great hygiene and are also beneficial for health.
5. Limit Processed Ingredients
Sweets made using artificial colours, flavours, and hydrogenated oils are harmful. So avoid sweets made from processed ingredients.
Ayurvedic Sweet Recipes for Diwali:
Instead of buying sweets from the market, make sweets at home for Diwali. It is very easy and interesting to make at home. Below there are some Ayurvedic sweet recipes, which you can make for Diwali.
1. Jaggery Ladoo
Jaggery Ladoo is a nutritious and healthy sweet. It is rich in nutrients. By consuming it, we get nutrition. We consume it to stay healthy in winter.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup jaggery
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)
- ¼ cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Preparation method:
To make Jaggery Laddu, first heat ghee in a pan and add wheat flour. Fry it on low flame till it becomes golden brown. After this, add chopped nuts to it and cook for 2-3 minutes. Let it cool. On the other hand, to make jaggery syrup, add water with jaggery in another pan. Now add flour mixture and cardamom powder to it, let it cool, and prepare ladoos.
2. Coconut Barfi
Coconut Barfi is rich in fibre, magnesium and copper. We consume it to get relief from constipation or stomach problems.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups grated fresh coconut
- 1 cup jaggery
- ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp chopped almonds or cashews
Preparation method:
To make coconut barfi, heat ghee in a pan and add grated coconut. After roasting it for 5-7 minutes, add jaggery and cardamom powder and cook it till it thickens. Now apply ghee on a plate, keep this mixture and let it cool. Now cut it into diamond shape, garnish it with chopped nuts and prepare coconut barfi.
3. Almond and Date Energy Balls
Almond and Date Energy Balls are preferred in festivals. It is a very rich sweet, which is made by mixing dates, almonds and dry fruits.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ½ cup almonds
- ¼ cup cashews
- 1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Preparation method:
Fry almonds and cashews for 3-4 minutes and make a powder. Now heat ghee in a pan and add ground date paste to it. Cook it for 2-3 minutes and add almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, and cardamom powder to it. Now cool the mixture and make Almond and Date Energy balls.
4. Besan Churma (Chickpea Flour Sweet)
Besan Churma is a Rajasthani traditional royal sweet. It is very beneficial from the point of view of health. It increases the energy level in our body.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
- ½ cup ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 cup powdered jaggery or sugar
- ¼ cup chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, raisins)
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Preparation method:
To make besan churma, heat ghee in a pan, add besan, and fry it on low flame. After it becomes golden and fragrant, add chopped dry fruit and fry it for 2-3 minutes. Add powdered jaggery or sugar along with cardamom powder to this mixture. Now cool this mixture and prepare churma. You can also eat it by crumbling it or as small laddus.
Tips for Enjoying Sweets Mindfully:
Enjoy sweets at festivals but also take precautions. Eat sweets while taking care of your health.
1. Portion Control
Sweets have a special significance in Indian festivals. Enjoy sweets this Diwali but control the portion of sweets. Avoid consuming too many sweets as it can cause health problems.
2. Pairing with Digestive Aids
Many times digestion-related problems occur after eating sweets. Ayurvedic practices are the best solution for digestion. Under this, you should consume warm water or ginger tea.
Conclusion:
In Indian culture, sweets are an essential part of festivals. Diwali is also such a festival, in which our celebration is incomplete without sweets. Prefer pure sweets instead of consuming fake sweets made from poor-quality ingredients.
According to Ayurveda, natural sweets satisfy you and are also beneficial for health. You can adopt a healthy lifestyle by getting health-related tips from the official website of Ayurveda Sahi Hai.
It provides information regarding all inclusive and holistic science for complete well being offered by Ayurveda. You can find your natural balance of life through holistic medicine and care.