10 Healthy tips to plan ahead on a festive day
Relationships are the essence of any festival celebrated across India, with Raksha Bandhan being no exception. Brother sister bond is that one relationship, which is woven in love with so many emotions, and this is what makes the festival of Raksha bandhan so special!
Rakhi, the sacred thread symbolizes the sister’s love and prayers for her brother’s well-being and the brother’s lifelong vow to protect her. The bond between a brother and a sister is indeed a lifetime relationship of love, trust, friendship, joy and so much more. Right from birth, it is our siblings who share all the happy and sad days of our lives. From being a best friend to a guide, siblings perfectly play all the roles and are the best gift given to us by our parents.
Healthy tips to plan ahead on a festive day and avoid indulgences
Raksha Bandhan is around the corner and it is that time of the year, when the exuberance of festivity is in the air. It is our duty to shower care and let our siblings know that we are always present for them whenever in need. And, it is also important to plan your day in a way that you don’t miss out staying healthy no matter the occasion.
This Raksha Bandhan, here are 10 tips to help you plan your day in a healthy manner and avoid overindulging during festivities-
- Avoid skipping meals- It’s a busy day and you’re so engrossed in catching up with the family and spending most of your time with them, you may skip meals. Try to avoid skipping meals and if you do, try to have some healthy snacks like makhana, buttermilk, fruits or nuts in between. Don’t forget to control your portions when you’re having your main meal.
- Portion control when having sweets- Sweets are irresistible, especially during festivals but don’t deprive yourself of your favorite sweets while trying to stay healthy. You can stay healthy by controlling the portions and still enjoying your favorite foods. Instead of consuming large portions of different sweets, make sure to have one whole sweet or very small portions of multiple sweets.
- Stay away from fried foods- Festivals tend to include fried foods like samosa but in order to continue eating healthy, you must avoid it. Prefer home-cooked meals, that way you’ll be aware of how much sugar, oil and salt is added into the food.
- Prepare sweets at home- Preparing sweets at home can give you the advantage of adding or replacing any ingredient such as the sugar in the sweets can be replaced with dates or jaggery powder for the sweetness without compromising with your calorie intake and having it guilt-free.
- Have a balanced diet- Make sure to stay hydrated and have enough fluid intake. Have the right amount of carbs and protein for all your meals and include different fruits and vegetables too.
- Exercise with your siblings for a mutual well being- Ensure that you along with your siblings exercise for at least 30 minutes as it serves tremendous health benefits. So, go ahead and make your workout charts today to stay fit and healthy.
- Nurture healthy eating habits together– Right food is indeed the medicine for daily well being of our body, but with the wrong choice and wrong timing, our health can get adversely affected. Avoid eating unhealthy food and prefer fruits and dried fruits or healthy sweet dishes. So, go ahead motivate each other to ‘Say No To Junk and Yes To Healthy Food!‘
- Motivate each other to stay away from unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking– Smoking is the root cause of lung cancer and several other heart diseases. While excess intake of alcohol severely affects the major organs of our body like liver and kidneys. So, pledge to make each other quit it now!
- Help each other to lead a stress-free life– Stress has the ability to wreck and hamper our well-being. Help your siblings recognize the reason behind their stress and don’t let it hinder their happiness. So start your day by going out together on Raksha bandhan for early morning meditation or yoga sessions for positive thinking, time management and relaxation techniques to lead a stress-free life.
- Share all health-related concerns with each other– Neglecting any health issue can lead to serious complications in the later stages of life. One should address all symptoms of illness with promptness and seek medical help in serious conditions. So be it small cuts or an injury at play or any other health illnesses, share it with your siblings and ensure that they are healthy.
Healthy recipe to add sweetness on this festivity
Besides exchanging the gifts and warm greetings, how can we forget the tasty, high calorie dishes and sweets prepared on this day of Raksha bandhan festival. But, should one really compromise on their health? People tend to refrain from following a diet plan during festivals but here are some easy and nutritious recipes which will help you celebrate this festival of Raksha bandhan just like all other Indian festivals, but with a ‘healthy twist’!
Strengthen the bond of love by gestures that show your love for your annoying one. Replace the sugar laden chocolate bars this time with your own sweet treats at home-
Dry fruit ladoo-
If you are a ladoo lover, then you would definitely love indulging in this sweetness which is overloaded with dry fruits and nuts. Just put in your favourite nuts and get going. Dry fruits are rich in magnesium, zinc and many other essential nutrients and this laddu makes for a perfect guilt-free snack for this festive season. Just replace your regular sugar with dates or jaggery to avoid excess sugar.
⏳ Preparation Time: 15–20 minutes
🍽 Serves: 10 laddoo
🥗 What you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup pistachio
- 7 to 10 dates
- 6 to 8 dried apricots
- 4 tbsp raisins
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
✋ Method:
- In a blender take 1 cup of seedless dates and dry blend around 4–5 pulses. Blend dates coarsely. keep aside.
- Now finely chop cashews, pistachios and almonds. do not powder them as you wont enjoy the crunchy bites.
- Now take a pan or kadhai and add a tbsp of ghee. Add all the dry fruits like raisins, cashews, pistachios and almonds. Fry them on medium flame for 3–4 minutes till they change colour lightly. Now add coarsely blend dates.
- Continue to fry on medium flame smashing dates with a spatula. this helps dates to separate out and mix uniformly with other dry fruits. Also add cardamom powder and continue to saute. Saute till the dates start releasing oil.
- Turn off the flame and allow to cool for a minute or 2. Then immediately start making laddus. do not cool completely, then you wont be able to make laddus.
- Serve immediately or store ladoo in airtight container.
Lastly, nothing is more important than your sibling’s health and happiness, and you must show this through your gifting gestures. This Raksha Bandhan, forgo the traditional gifts and switch to something unique and healthy. Strengthen your sibling bond even more and find the perfect wellness gift for your sibling to motivate them to live a healthier life.
