Diwali is coming, bringing along the time for celebrating and feasting!! Know the best weight loss-friendly Diwali sweet recipes that are yummy and healthy!
Diwali is coming, bringing a lot of joy and excitement of spending it with family and friends. Indian festivals are incomplete without sweets, and so is Diwali! But what happens when you are on a weight loss diet? Don’t want to mess up your diet plan? You need to try these weight loss-friendly Diwali sweet recipes for the perfect Diwali without compromising on your health.
Contents:
Must-Try Sweet Recipes for Weight Loss
Weight loss-friendly recipes for sweets? Yes! You must be wondering how sweets can be weight loss-friendly?? Sweets and weight loss can actually get along really well with the perfect blend of ingredients.
Read on to know the best weight loss-friendly Diwali sweets recipes for your weight loss diet plan this festival season. Not just that, all of these are Indian sweet recipes for weight loss, which can be made with the easiest of ingredients.
1. Moong Dal Halwa
“Moong dal halwa”, the famous dessert you must have heard of at least once at home! This halwa is enriched with the goodness of yellow moong dal, which is the skinned and split version of the green moong beans. Even without the skin, moong dal is a highly beneficial lentil for weight loss.
It is filled with protein and other essential vitamins and minerals to keep your stomach satiated for longer and prevent binge eating. You can control the amount of sugar in your version of moong dal halwa and take up the following low-calorie recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow moong dal (split yellow lentils)
- 25 g sooji or semolina
- 200 ml of ghee
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
- ½ cup chopped almonds or pistachios (optional)
Servings: Four
Method of Preparation:
- First you need to soak the moong dal overnight in sufficient water.
- Drain the water in the morning and grind the soaked dal into a coarse paste. Make sure not to add too much water while grinding it.
- Mix the sugar and water in a saucepan and boil it while stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. Add in the cardamom powder and stir it well. Keep it aside for a while.
- Heat the ghee in a thick-bottomed pan on medium heat. Add the sooji and roast it until light golden brown. Now add the moong dal batter to the pan while stirring.
- Cook the mixture on a low flame until it is thick and the ghee begins to release from the batter. Keep stirring until dark golden brown and then add the sugar water to the mix.
- Keep stirring well until the sugar water is completely dissolved into the batter. The halwa can be considered cooked when it starts leaving the sides of the pan while stirring.
- Once cooked, turn off the flame and transfer the halwa to a dish and garnish with the chopped nuts.
2. Til Laddoo
“Til laddoos” or sesame balls are yet another common sweet in Indian households during the festive season. They are high in protein, which curbs your hunger and limits your calorie consumption.
So it’s a great deal for your weight loss diet! Are you planning to prepare til laddoos at home? Here is the easiest recipe ever:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sesame seeds (til)
- 2 teaspoons ghee
- ½ cup jaggery (gud)
- 10-12 pistachios (powdered)
- 6-8 cardamom pods (elaichi) in powdered form
Servings: 16
Method of Preparation:
- Put the sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat and roast them until you smell their fragrance and they turn slightly brown. Once they start cracking, take them off the heat and set them aside.
- Take the same pan and heat the jaggery and ghee in it over medium heat until they melt completely. Remove from the heat.
- To the jaggery and ghee mix, add the roasted sesame seeds, cardamom powder, and pistachios.
- The goal is to mix it well as the mixture will turn sticky and might get difficult to mix. Cool the mixture.
- Rub a little ghee on your palms. Take some amount of the mixture and shape them into small balls.
- Store them in a cool and dry place and serve them whenever your Diwali guests arrive.
3. Ragi Sheera
“Ragi sheera” or “ragi halwa” is a win-win for you if you are on a weight loss diet plus it’s healthy for your friends and family as a Diwali sweet.
Ragi or finger millet is a rich source of phytochemicals, nutrients, and protein. It contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which helps curb your appetite and thus lowers your calorie intake. The dates in the sheera act as a sugar substitute along with a boost of nutrition.
Read to know how to prepare this dish.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ cup ragi flour
- 3-4 deseeded and chopped dates
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
- Water
Servings: 5
Method of Preparation:
- Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the ragi flour and saute it for 3 minutes.
- Add 1½ cups of water to the pan slowly while whisking to avoid the formation of any lumps.
- Cook the mixture on a medium flame for 2 minutes while stirring it continuously.
- Switch off the flame, add the cardamom powder and chopped dates and mix it well.
- Serve it warm and fresh.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- By making a few minor changes to Indian traditional sweet recipes, you can still enjoy the sweets guilt-free this Diwali. These sweets will also be a great addition to your weight loss diet.
- Some must-try homemade sweet recipes that are weight loss-friendly include moong dal halwa, til laddoo, and ragi sheera.
- Use the Phable Care App to consult India’s leading nutritionists and dieticians to get real-time remote care from the comfort of your home. Check out our store to order healthy treats, weighing scales, fitness bands, and more! We also have a Weight Management Program which provides 360º care. Start your weight management journey with Phable.
Friendly Asked Questions
Dink or gond laddoo is made by deep frying edible gum in oil, which is unhealthy for people trying to lose weight. The laddoos usually have a lot of sugar added as well. Thus, dink laddoo should be avoided or eaten in moderation by those seeking weight loss.
Rajgira or amaranth seeds are high in protein and fibre content so they can be good for a weight loss diet by promoting satiety and fullness. But ready-to-eat rajgira laddoos can be high in sugar content and therefore have a higher calorie count. You can make these laddoos at home and sweeten them with a low-calorie alternative to sugar such as stevia. These laddoos may be good for your weight loss efforts.
If you are on a weight loss diet, you can use sweeteners such as stevia and erythritol instead of sugar, and substitute part of the refined flour with healthier, high-fibre alternatives such as almond flour, quinoa flour, chia seed flour, oat flour, buckwheat flour, etc.
When on a weight loss diet, you should strictly avoid deep-fried sweets, those made with refined flour, or those having high amounts of sweeteners like sugar, honey, etc. This Diwali, opt for weight loss-friendly Diwali sweet recipes such as moong dal halwa, til laddoo, and ragi sheera.