Tag Archives: nutrition articles

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Healthy snack ideas for kids

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Online Dietician India Tags : 

Kids are picky eaters and not eating enough at meal times is a common complaint. That’s why snacks play an important role in providing the extra nutrition that they tend to miss out. Most parents tend to focus more on providing a nutritious meal and overlook the importance of giving healthy snacks. Chips, cookies, cheese puffs, cupcakes are convenient snacks but not the healthiest choices. Here are some healthy snack ideas for kids:

  • Sandwiches (with 100% whole wheat breads)-you can use cheese, tofu, nut/peanut butter, guacamole, paneer, egg, vegetables or even fruit and cream cheese as the filling.
  • Seasonal fresh fruits-cut them up in fun shapes/ sizes(use a melon scooper/cookie cutter), mix them in low-fat yogurt, make smoothies or plain fruit salads.Fruit and cheese kebabs are also a fancy way of serving fruits that kids will love.
  • Fresh vegetables: cut them into strips and serve with dips like guacamole, hummus, peanut/almond butter.
  • Boiled/Grilled corn: makes a tasty snack when served hot.
  • Smoothie popsicles: You can pour their favourite smoothie into popsicle moulds and give that as a treat on a hot day.
  • Baked fries: cut up some carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beetroot into sticks or wedges. Toss them in a little oil, salt and seasoning and bake them to make a tasty snack. Here’s the recipe for Baked Sweet Potato Fries
  • Steamed snacks: like idli’s/vegetable stuffed idlis, dhoklas, khandvi’s can be cut/decorated into fun shapes.
  • Mini- rolls/burritos: whole wheat chapathis/rotis can be used to make rolls with egg/paneer/tofu burji(scrambled), rajma/ channa, mung(pulses/lentils) curry/usal or cheese spread.
  • Tikkis/cutlets can be made with paneer/chicken/egg/lentils, mixed vegetables, and shallow fried or baked . These can also be served inside a pita bread or sandwich.
  • Mini/triangle/cone dosas/uttapams: these fun size/baby dosas can be more interesting for kids than the regular adult size ones. Serve them with chutney/ketchup/peanut butter (you can even draw a smiley face on the dosa with it)!
  •  Nuts and dry-fruits: older children can be given a handful of mixed nuts and dry fruits.

These snacks can be served with either a glass of milk/almond milk or some lassi/buttermilk.
Make sure to serve these snacks at least two hours before meal times, otherwise they may not be hungry enough for it.


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8 Commonly Heard Myths about Exercising

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There are a number of myths associated with exercising. Here are some of the commonly heard myths still doing the rounds in India:

Myth 1: I don’t want to start exercising as I’ve heard that I will put on more weight when I quit!!
This is obviously someone who is looking for reasons not to exercise! When you exercise you burn fat which brings about weight loss. Moreover people also tend to be more conscious of their diet since they are putting in so much effort to exercise. When you quit, you also tend to get back to your old eating habits. This increase in calorie intake and no means of burning those calories will ultimately make the weight creep back.
Solution:  Don’t Quit!! Exercise is not a short-term means to achieve your goal of weight-loss. Make it a daily routine and it’ll help in maintaining the weight you lost (along with a host of other health benefits).

Myth 2: Women should not train with weights otherwise they may end up looking like bodybuilders.
Both men and women can benefit with a little strength/weight training. Weight training has shown to help make your bones stronger and can also help in shedding weight faster by maintaining muscle mass and reducing the percentage of body fat. As for the fear many women have of becoming bulky-relax! Women don’t have enough testosterone (the hormone needed for building muscles) like men to end up looking like bodybuilders!
Solution: Work out with less weights at least once or twice a week.

Myth 3: Don’t drink water during your workouts.
This is a myth that I’ve heard ONLY in India. It probably originated in gyms where the trainers had to show instant weight loss after a workout! Water should be an essential part of your workout routine. You lose a lot of water from the body in the form of sweat and water helps in hydrating your body. Watch any sport and you’ll see players(cricketers, tennis players, basketball players, gymnasts and such) grabbing a bottle of water whenever they can to avoid cramps due to dehydration!
Solution: Try to sip a 1 liter bottle of water  during your workout.

Myth 4: Crunches will help get rid of belly fat.
Spot reduction is a myth. You need to reduce the overall fat in the body to see some difference in the belly fat. Crunches can help in tightening/toning the abdominal muscles, but it cannot convert the belly fat into muscle.
Solution: A balanced diet and a regular exercise routine will help you over a period of time.

Myth 5: Don’t workout during your periods.
Sounds more like an excuse to get 3-4 days off from exercising! Unless you have severe cramping/pain, working out during your menses can actually help in reducing the discomfort.
Solution: Try doing lower intensity workouts like walking or yoga on those days.

Myth 6: I’m not overweight,so I don’t need to exercise!
Exercise has many health benefits out of which weight-loss is just one of them. Lack of physical exercise can increase the risk of obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, strokes later on in life.
Solution: Exercise should be as important to you as brushing your teeth. Even low intensity workouts like walking 2-3 times a week will help you in the long run.

Myth 7: You need to workout in a gym to see the desired results.
Any kind of exercise/physical activity whether done in a gym, in a park,on the beach or in your house is enough to see results.
Solution: Aim at exercising at least 4-5 times a week for 30mins-1 hour.

Myth 8: I don’t have time to exercise!
I don’t have time either-I make time!! Just remember someone busier than you is exercising right now!!
Solution: Take inspiration from the President of the United States who is known to exercise regularly!


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5 Reasons Why Summer is the Best Time to Lose Weight!

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles,Online Dietician India Tags : 

With the summer sun beating down there isn’t much to look forward to other than a summer vacation somewhere cooler. For those who will be stuck in the heat, and have been planning to lose weight since the New Year, here are five reasons why summer is the best time to put your weight loss plans in action:

1. Easy to stick to a diet plan: with no relief from the heat, fried, greasy, heavy food is probably the last thing you want to eat! That itself cuts out a lot of calories from your diet!

2. Fruits and salads are so much more appealing-the water content in fruits and veggies makes it all the more delicious during summer. This not only adds much needed fibre to the diet, but also helps in keeping your body hydrated.

3. You could lose extra calories by just drinking ice cold water-yes, scientists now suggest that drinking ice cold water may burn a few extra calories as the body has to raise the temperature of the ice water to the bodies temperature! This may or may not be true but drinking 10-12 glasses of ice cold water a day can’t add calories as water is a great zero-calorie drink!

4. No festivals until August-so that means no excuses of having to break the diet due to festival binging! From now until Krishna Janmashtami , you can focus on your diet!

5. Exercising in the heat could burn more calories-this is the principle behind ‘hot yoga’ (Bikram yoga)! Supposedly, exercising in the heat burns more calories since it makes the heart pump harder to your extremities to help you lower your body temperature, which rises fast in hot weather.

So stop wasting time and get started and who knows you could end up losing up to 8-10kgs by the end of summer!

Online Dietitian India

Sweta uchil-Purohit


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How to lose 1 pound (half a kg) of body weight every week by eating a Healthy Indian Diet

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Are you planning on turning a new leaf this New Year? Are you looking forward to discovering the new Healthy You?Why wait for the New Year to plan your journey for a healthier lifestyle? If you’ve tried it every year and given up at the end of January-then trust me, there’s NOTHING wrong with you! It’s just that you haven’t found the right way to get healthy. This year, take the right steps, do the right things and make this the “Year Of the New You”.

Here are 9 simple steps to start off:

  1. Get up and move: Choose and start a physical activity or fitness program that you enjoy. It could be as simple as a brisk walk, a jog, aerobics, gym workout or a sport. Ideally something that keeps you on your toes for at least an hour every day. ‘Sitting is the new smoking’ these days-so keep moving! Your new mantra should be ‘Calories in and Calories out’-burn out the calories that you eat!
  2. Detox or declutter your kitchen pantry: Remove all the chips, bhujias, ghatias, sweets,cakes, chocolates and all the unhealthy foods from your fridge and pantry. It’s going to be out with the old and in with the new foods this year! If there are no tempting foods in your reach, you will end up not eating them.
  3. Stock up with ‘real food‘: Once you have all the high-calories and ready to eat processed foods out of the house, buy lots of fruits, vegetables and ingredients that you need to make dishes from scratch.
  4. Always include a vegetable and a protein source: Make sure you eat at least one vegetable (more is better) at every meal and add some protein to add satiety. Protein foods keep you full for a longer period of time and the vegetable will reduce the amount of grain/cereal you have. Examples: Upma with vegetables and curd, poha with vegetables and curd, sambar with vegetables. If you can’t add a vegetable-then add a fruit.
  5. Avoid sugary drinks and sweets: A little bit of halwa, a little bit of chocolate, a little bit of ice cream, a little bit of soft drink makes you pack on the pounds!
  6. Buy a water bottle: Yes, that’s right-a water bottle. Most of us forget to drink water through the day. Buy a big 1 litre water bottle (BPA free) and fill it up. Take it with you and you’ll never have to buy packaged water or soft drinks when you feel thirsty. Make sure you drink two bottles of water by the end of the day.
  7. Set timings for your meals: Don’t eat whenever you feel hungry-set regular meal timings. This helps in getting into a regular meal pattern and also does away with hunger attacks. This will reduce cravings and binge eating.
  8. Eat dinner two hours before bedtime: Eating too close to bedtime is a definite no-no! It not only interferes with your sleep pattern, but also makes you sluggish and susceptible to heart burn (acid reflux) in the night.
  9. Get eight hours of sleep: Researchers have now found a link between a lack of sleep and obesity. This is one simple thing which will go a long way in your journey of a new healthy you.
Once you have mastered these seven steps, then you can take the next most important step-find the right diet plan which has been tailor made for YOU. Check out our Indian Weight Loss Diet Packages or fill out the form in the Contact Us page and we’ll call you.
Indian Dietitian Online

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Which is the BEST day to check your Weight???

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How Weekends may be the Key Factor in making you Lose or Gain weight


Do you get depressed at seeing your weight fluctuate every day? Don’t panic-it’s just a pretty normal phenomenon.
Researchers have now found out that the body goes through a weight cycle. This weight loss cycle or weekly weight rhythms is somewhat similar to the REM cycles (Rapid Eye Movement) during sleep. Researchers from Cornell University along with VTT Research Centre of Finland looked into what a seven-day-a week human cycle has on their weights.
They found a definite pattern in weight gain and weight loss according to the day of the week .Not surprisingly, the most weight gain among the participants was seen on Sunday and Monday. After that the weight tapered down to the lowest being on Fridays!
This only goes to prove that weight fluctuations through the week is a normal phenomenon among everyone and there is no need to panic.
Which is the BEST day to check your weight?
For weight watchers this is a also a good point to keep in mind and instead of checking weight every single day, to just check on one particular day of the week. The best day would be Friday-so keep Fridays as your weight check days.

Online Dietitian India: Check out our Indian Weight Loss packages 

 


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New BMI Guidelines for Indians/South Asians/Asians

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The Body Mass Index(BMI) is a measure of weight divided by height.
BMI= weight (kg) / [height (m)]2
For years there was a debate with regards to whether the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved BMI parameters which stated a BMI of 30 and above as obese, were correct for Asian populations.
Indians as a race, have been known to have a higher body fat than their western counterparts and until now, using the global standards meant a large part of the population went scott-free even though they were at a greater risk for lifestyle related diseases. “Indians have a very different body, genetic and metabolic composition from westerners. Therefore, the parameters for obesity also have to be very different. This will bring more people under the overweight and obesity bracket. The revised guidelines would benefit 6 to 8 crore people. That in turn would lead to substantial prevention of diabetes and heart disease,” said Dr Anoop Misra.
Now,the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the advice of the WHO has issued new parameters for Indians:
If the BMI is-

  • <18.5:underweight
  • 18.5-22.9:Normal weight
  • 23-24.9 :Overweight
  • >25 :Obese

So,if you are an Indian(or for that matter of South-Asian origin) and stay overseas,it is important that you bring this change to the notice of your doctor.Chances are that they might not be aware of the change and still use the western BMI parameters on you(literally-“phir bhi dil hain Hindustani”)!


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Healthy Heart Diet for Indians

Category:Indian Dietitian Online,Nutrition Articles,Online Dietician India Tags : 

The World Heart Day is on the 29th of September. A Heart Healthy Diet is not designed only for those who have problems related to the heart (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack, etc), but also for those who would like to reduce the risk of heart diseases in the future. Following a Heart -healthy diet can be beneficial for all, especially since research shows that Indians are genetically predisposed to heart disease. Low physical activity, low vegetable intakes along with high fat intake has added to our problems due to which obesity and diabetes are now common among Indians.
A heart friendly diet should be:
1. High in fiber-studies have shown that a diet high in fiber helps in reducing cholesterol. Include whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat atta, ragi, jowar, bajra, whole wheat bread/pasta) and pulses, fresh fruits, vegetables and green leafy vegetables.
2. Low in saturated and trans fat– a diet low in fat, especially trans-fat (dalda/vanaspati, margarine,) is shown to be beneficial. Non-vegetarians can choose from lean meat like chicken and fish (especially those high in Omega-3 fatty acids like Indian Mackerel, sardines, salmon)

3. High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids– a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids is seen to benefit those who are at high risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD). It is essential for numerous normal body functions like building cell membranes in the brain and controlling blood clotting. Fish, walnuts, flax seeds, soy beans, spinach/palak should be included see the benefits.
4. Low in sodium-sodium is known to increase the BP and put more pressure on the internal organs including the heart. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for salt is less than a teaspoon/day.
5. Rich in Antioxidants: Found in coloured fruits, vegetables and grains, antioxidants are believed to help prevent disease by fighting free radicals which are substances that harm the body when left unchecked.

6.Rich in Fermented foods: Fermented foods contain ‘probiotics’ or in other words ‘live bacteria’ and yeasts that are thought to have health benefits.  desi ferThe most commonly used fermented food in Indian houses is curd/yogurt/dahi, lassi, chaas/buttermilk.  Check nutrition labels carefully for added sugars, thickeners and other additives that are used commercially and remember that fermented foods should be ‘live’ so need to be kept in the fridge. Heat treatment that may be used to preserve or cook these foods destroys probiotics.

Along side a healthy diet, being physically active is also very important. Speak to your doctor and then choose an activity or exercise that you can do for at least 30 minutes every day.

Here’s a sample Indian diet for healthy heart:

On rising: Water + Walnuts
Breakfast: Oats porridge (old fashioned/steel cut/rolled oats NOT Instant)+ Blueberries
Mid-morning: Green tea + Apple
Lunch: Brown rice + Palak dal curry+ Cabbage and pea’s sabzi
Cucumber and tomato salad+ Buttermilk/chaas (made from skimmed milk)
Evening: Tea/ Coffee with Channa chaat
Dinner: Paushtik Roti (with flax seed powder) + Baingan ka bharta + Fish curry
Carrot raita(made with non-fat curd) + Red grapes
(NOTE:Portion control is very important. To find out the right portion sizes, do contact your dietitian.)
Prevention is always better than cure and this is true even for the matters of the heart! Why wait for heart problems to crop up and then change your diet? By eating healthy now, you may be able to prevent/avoid heart diseases in the future.

For those interested in getting a personalized diet chart-check out the Healthy Heart Packages or simply fill out the ‘Contact Us’ page


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Gestational Diabetes?? A few lifestyle changes can help you control it!

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Women who have Gestational Diabetes (diabetes that occurs during their pregnancy) have been known to be at risk for diabetes later in their life. Now a new study done at 22 Kaiser Permanente mediclinics on gestational diabetics post pregnancy suggests that with proper lifestyle changes and a good weight management program they may just be able to prevent diabetes from occurring later on.
If you have or had Gestational Diabetes, it is important for you to follow a strict diet and physical activity routine not just during pregnancy but also after delivery.
With Indians known to be more at risk for diabetes and the unhealthy eating patterns that urban Indian tend to follow diabetes could be knocking at your door even before you expect. Don’t wait for your sugars to go out of control and then look for a diet and lifestyle change. Get healthy now and you could just prevent diabetes from happening to you.
Here’s are 3 simple steps to a new healthy you (Both during and post-pregnancy):
1)Eat right-don’t overeat, you don’t really need to eat for two. You just need to eat the right foods in the right amount.
2)Be active: Unless your doctor has put you on bed rest, there is no reason why you cannot be active. The least you can do is walk everyday.
3)Drink lots of fluids: The last thing you want is to be constipated. Both pregnancy and lactation requires increased fluid intake and what drink can be better than water.

Check out our Women’s Health Packages that can be tailor-made keeping you, your health problems and you eating habits in mind: Women’s Health Packages at myindiandietitian.com


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Indians and the Risks of Consuming a High Sugar Diet

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A spoonful of sugar……..makes the calories sit on your waist!! Are you noticing that you are slowly gaining weight even though you aren’t eating junk food? Sugar might be the culprit.Have you ever given a thought to how much sugar you consume in a day?

Studies have found that most Indians are genetically more prone to developing diabetes and tend to have a greater degree of insulin resistance. The culprits could well be urbanization, high-calorie and high-sugar diets along with decreased physical activity. Sugar and sweets that was once used as a treat during festivals and celebrations are now alarmingly becoming a part of our daily diet.

We Indians consume way too much sugar every day without realizing the health problems associated with it. The general mindset is “eat and drink today for we are healthy” as a result of which tomorrow you will end up with a host of health problems!
Many of us associate sugar control to diabetes and believe that if they are not diabetic then there is no need to keep a watch on the sugar intake. This is not true. Diabetics’ definitely need to be more cautious as it tends to increase their blood glucose levels but non-diabetics also need to curb excessive sugar consumption.
This brings us to the question: Is sugar such a terrible food that we need to take it in limited amounts? The answer is that anything in excess is not good.
Here’s what you need to know about sugar:

  • Nutritionally the only thing you get when you eat sugar is just calories (1 tsp/5g of sugar=19 calories). It has no other nutrients unlike a nutrient dense food like say for example nuts. Nuts will give you protein, minerals, vitamins, fibre and good fats (polyunsaturated) along with calories. These kind of foods are called nutrient-rich foods whereas candy and sugar are classified as nutrient poor foods.
  • More often than not, we tend to choose a sugary snack or drink instead of a fruit or other healthy foods and end up piling up on calories. This can lead to  dental caries and weight gain, which then increases the risk for other health problems like certain cancers, heart disease, and diabetes among others.Considering that Indians are at a greater risk of developing diabetes, this higher consumption combined with the resulting weight gain could trigger it off at a much earlier age.
  • Eating a sugary snack fills you up for that moment, but since there isn’t much fibre you end up feeling hungry again. This results in another snack which just increases your calorie count without offering your body other nutrients.

How much sugar is ok?

Most people feel that they don’t eat too much because they rarely add sugar to anything. But what they don’t realize is that while they might not add sugar into foods, they do have foods that already have sugar. Everyday foods and drinks like tea,coffee, biscuits, juice, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, jams, ketchup, ice creams, cakes and other sweets all have sugar. What we don’t realize is the amount of sugar in these-a can of soft drink/aerated drink easily contains 8-10 teaspoons, while your tea or coffee can have anything to 3-4 teaspoons. Add these through the day and you could easily be having anywhere close to 20-25 teaspoons per day!! That’s a whole lot.
Should we avoid sugar completely or is there a cut-off range? How much sugar?
While there is no need to completely avoid sugar, there is no safe range either. The WHO (World Health Organisation) and the American Heart Association recommend limiting sugar intake to:
Men= 9 teaspoons or less
Women= 6 teaspoons or less
Children:
Preschoolers= 3 teaspoons
4-8 years= 4 teaspoons
9-Teenagers=5-6 teaspoons

How much sugar do you consume? Keep a note-if it is over the recommendations, then you need to reduce it.

What are you waiting for??If you are overweight, diabteic or diagnosed as a pre-diabetic- you can try to delay the onset of lifestyle diseases.

Check out our:  Diabetic Diet Packages

For a personalized diet consultation, please fill out the form on My Indian Dietitian’s Contact Us page and we will get in touch with you .


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Healthy Eating During Ramadan/ Ramzan

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The Muslim Holy month of Ramadan (or ‘Ramzan’ in India) is the important month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims fast during daylight hours.
Those who are physically able to, are required to fast each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset.

Here are some tips for eating healthy during Ramzan:

  • During Suhur/Suhoor (pre-dawn meal): switch to complex carbohydrates like brown rice (parboiled rice/semi-polished rice), whole wheat breads/atta/pasta as these take time to be digested and hence will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.
  • To avoid acidity: Eat foods rich in fiber like vegetables, fruits, whole pulses/legumes. Avoid coffee, spicy and fried foods as these tend to increase the gastric secretion that can irritate the lining of the stomach.
  • To avoid weight gain: Avoid fried foods like namkeens (chivda/mixtures/sev/ghatia), samosa, fried chicken, fried fish, sweets,pastries, chocolates, desserts, biryani (on a daily basis), ghee, butter.
  • To avoid dehydration: Between Iftar and Suhur, drink loads of water, tender coconut water, lemonade, buttermilk/chaas and also eat fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water/moisture like watermelon, muskmelon, pineapple, cucumber, all gourds (like bottle gourd, turrai, ash gourd).
  • Choose healthy methods of cooking: Opt for grilled/baked non-veg instead of fried.
  • Instead of high calorie desserts: Opt for fresh fruits on a daily basis, these not only have less calories but will also provide you with the all-important fiber and water.
For those who are looking out to eat healthy during Ramzan, here is a sample Indian diet that is balanced and does not go overboard as far as calories are concerned:

Breaking the fast (at sunset): Dates + Water

Iftar is the Dinner – the meal which ends the day’s fast. Options you can consider for dinner meals –
Option 1: Brown rice with Cauliflower sabzi and Fish Curry along with Cucumber and Tomato salad with a glass of tender coconut water. A bowl of watermelon.
At Bedtime: Skimmed milk.
Option 2: Phulkas with Baingan Bharta and Channa Masala along with Curry Leaves Chicken (Kerala style) and Mixed veg raita. A bowl Muskmelon.
At Bedtime: Buttermilk.
Option 3: Quinoa Pulav (with mixed vegs)  along with Cucumber raita and fish cutlets. A bowl of Pineapple.
At Bedtime: Ragi malt.
Suhoor is the meal eaten pre-dawn before the day begins for fasting. Options you can consider for your early morning meal :
Option 1: Overnight Mango Oats porridge and a Boiled egg with a bowl of Papaya.
Option 2:  Masala French toast and  with yogurt. A bowl of Strawberry.
Option 3: Broccoli paratha with yogurt and Hariyali chicken (can be marinated and kept ready for baking) with Mint Raita and Tender Coconut Water. A bowl of rockmelon.

Eating healthy through Ramzan will not only be easy on your stomach but will also make sure that you don’t put on unnecessary weight during the month. Keep the feasting and all the yummy biryanis and kheer’s for Eid-after all, everyone deserves to indulge in some feasting after a month of fasting!