5 Ways to Eat Healthily and Merrily During Deepavali

WORDS GURSHARON KAUR GILL

FEATURED EXPERT
GURSHARON KAUR GILL
Dietitian

With Deepavali being around the corner, the thought of delicious, mouth watering dishes comes to mind for most Malaysians.

Be it the sweet delicacies or the main dishes, festive food is known to be a crowd favourite. It is during festive seasons, that most people let go of their healthy eating habits and indulge in more than their usual food portion. Because, who doesn’t love their mutton curry, chicken varuval or pineapple tarts?

However, the brunt of all the overindulging comes about after the festive season. You might start seeing some extra pounds in your weight and perhaps even spikes in your blood sugar level from all that over indulging. So, why not make your festive season this time a little healthier by following some of my simple tips below.

Tip 1
PREPARE YOUR OWN DISHES & SWEETS

This allows you to modify the recipe to make it a healthier version, such as by reducing the amount of ghee or oil used in the original recipe.

Alternatively, you may also switch from ghee, which contains high amount of saturated fats, to vegetable oil, which contains unsaturated fats and is hence more friendly for your heart health.

You can also reduce the amount of sugar or condensed milk by half from the original recipe for the sweet items. This method helps to reduce the overall calorie of the food items.

Tip 2
PRACTICE PORTION CONTROL

While it can be hard to resist the mouth watering festive food, it is still important to practice portion control.

When it comes to your favourite festive food like jalebi, kesari, pineapple tarts or muruku, practice sharing these food items with family or friends.

You can also practice portion control by limiting to only 1-2 pieces of these food items onto your plate, so that you avoid over indulging, more so if you have multiple houses to visit!

Another trick is to avoid eating cookies straight out of the cookie jars, as this usually causes one to lose track of how much they have eaten.

Tip 3
KEEP AWAY FROM SUGARY DRINKS

Sugary drinks like cordials or packet drinks are commonly served at open houses. However, these drinks are just loaded with sugar without providing your body with any nutrients.

Hence, it is advisable to limit your intake of sugar sweetened beverages to no more than 1 to 2 servings per day.

It is very easy to over consume these sugary drinks as you go about visiting from one house to the other or even while catching up with family and friends. Hence, for those hosting open houses this year, some healthier options to consider would be lower-calorie drinks. Great examples that are also simple to prepare are:

  • Ginger lemonade, with half the sugar from the original recipe
  • Infused water; you can always replace plain water with sparkling water for that extra fizziness in the drink

And for those visiting, if there is no other option of lower-calorie drinks, opt for plain water!

Tip 4
EAT MINDFULLY

Mindful eating helps you to listen to your body for hunger and satiety cues. This is important as it prevents you from mindless eating that adds up to your daily calorie intake.

Over-indulging is common, especially if you are busy catching up with family and friends, and unknowingly end up eating more than you need to. Hence, check in with yourself to identify your hunger and satiety cues is helpful.

Always remember to stop eating before you feel full, as your brain takes 20-30 minutes to register the feeling of fullness.

Tip 5
APPLY THE MALAYSIAN HEALTHY PLATE PRINCIPLES
The Malaysian Healthy Eating Plate. Click on the image to view a larger version.

It is always back to basics when it comes to eating healthily during festive season. The Malaysian Healthy Plate concept encourages the suku-suku-separuh (quarter-quarter-half) method, which helps to ensure a balanced meal with less sugar, salt and fat intake.

This concept simply means filling:

  • ¼ of your plate with grains (preferably whole grains)
  • ¼ of your plate with low fat protein sources (chicken, fish, mutton, eggs, prawns)
  • ½ of your plate with vegetables
HOW YOU CAN PRACTICE THE HEALTHY PLATE CONCEPT DURING DEEPAVALI 
Example 1
  • Grains: Idli (2 small pieces)
  • Protein sources: Chicken varuval (1 palm-sized lean chicken)
  • Vegetables: Stir-fried cabbage with turmeric (2 handfuls of veggies)
Example 2
  • Grains: Thosai (1 piece)
  • Protein sources: Mutton Curry (4 matchbox-sized pieces of lean mutton)
  • Vegetables: Stir-fried bhindi masala (2 handfuls of veggies)
Example 3
  • Grains: Jeera rice (2 to 3 flat rice scoops)
  • Protein sources: Chicken peratal (1 palm-sized lean chicken)
  • Vegetables: Stir-fried bittergourd with turmeric (2 handfuls of veggies)

The bottom line is, you can definitely enjoy the festive food that usually comes about only once a year. However, the key is to practice moderation when consuming them. That way, you get to enjoy the good food and yet not have to deal with untoward health problems after the festive season is over!

Sheep’s Milk vs Goat’s Milk: Is One Better Than the Other?

WORDS GURSHARON KAUR GILL

FEATURED EXPERT
GURSHARON KAUR GILL
Dietitian
IS GOAT’S MILK THE G.O.A.T?
EASIER TO DIGEST, COMPARED TO COW’S MILK
  • The lower levels of alpha-S1-casein protein in goat’s milk explain its easier digestibility and hypoallergenic properties.
  • The casein protein in goat’s milk also results in a smaller and softer curd formation in the stomach, which can be more easily digested by stomach enzymes compared to the harder curd formed by cow’s milk.
  • Goat’s milk has more medium-chain fatty acids than cow’s milk, which has more long-chain fatty acids. Long chain fatty acids are harder to digest, because they require bile salts from the liver as well as pancreatic enzymes to break them down before they can be absorbed by the intestine. On the other hand, medium chain fatty acids in goat’s milk do not require pancreatic enzymes to be broken down; they are more readily absorbed into the blood stream.
MORE CALCIUM, VITAMIN A & PROBIOTICS THAN COW’S MILK
  • 1 cup of goat’s milk contains 327 mg of calcium, while 1 cup of cow’s milk contains 276 mg of calcium. That equates to 51 mg more calcium in goat’s milk. However, this does not mean you have to switch to goat’s milk for that extra calcium. One is still able to achieve their calcium requirement through other calcium-rich foods like yoghurt, cheese, and some vegetables like spinach, bok choy, and broccoli in addition to milk intake.
  • 1 cup of goat’s milk contains 483 IU of Vitamin A while 1 cup of cow’s milk contains 114 IU. Vitamin A is essential for good vision, growth, fetal development, and a healthy immune system.
  • Goat’s milk contains a higher amount of prebiotics (oligosaccharides) compared to cow’s milk, which encourages the growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
HOWEVER, SOME CAVEATS OF NOTE
  • Goat’s milk may not be suitable for people that are lactose intolerant as it still contains lactose. Some people find goat’s milk slightly easier to digest than cow’s milk, but other people may not have the same reaction. If you are lactose intolerant or have milk allergies and want to give goat’s milk a try, do consult your doctor beforehand.
  • Children above the age of 1 year can safely drink pasteurised goat’s milk, provided they do not have any allergy issues. Raw, unpasteurized goat’s milk is not encouraged as it may contain bacteria that can cause serious illness among children.
  • Children diagnosed with cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) are not recommended to consume goat’s milk or goat’s milk formulas. This is because there is evidence that this milk may still cause allergy reactions in children with CMPA, due to cross reactivity with cow’s milk.
  • Goat’s milk has more calories per serving, when compared to whole cow’s milk. This is due to the higher fat content in goat’s milk (10 g per serving) compared to 8 g per serving in cow’s milk. So, if you’re watching your weight, you may want to consider low fat cow’s milk or skim milk, especially if you drink more than 2 cups of milk per day.
HOW ABOUT SHEEP’S MILK?
IT’S ALSO EASIER TO DIGEST, COMPARED TO COW’S MILK
  • Based on a recent study in New Zealand, the protein in sheep’s milk is also more readily digested as compared to cow’s milk, which may be the reason it is better tolerated by adults that are unable to tolerate cow’s milk.
MORE CALCIUM, ZINC & PROTEIN THAN COW’S MILK
  • Sheep’s milk contains as much as 35% more calcium in 1 serving (1 cup) as compared to cow’s milk. Calcium is an essential mineral for strong bones and teeth, and is one of the important minerals in the prevention of osteoporosis.
  • Sheep’s milk contains a higher amount of zinc as compared to cow’s milk. Zinc is important for cell growth and division, wound healing, and supporting a healthy immune system.
  • Sheep’s milk is a high-protein beverage, containing 7 grams more protein per serving than cow’s milk. Protein plays an important role in the building and repairing of tissues and muscles as well as for a healthy immune system.
HOWEVER, SOME CAVEATS OF NOTE
  • Pasteurized sheep’s milk is fine for children after the age of 1 year, provided that they do not have allergy issues.
  • Children diagnosed with cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) are not recommended to consume sheep’s milk or sheep’s milk formulas. Just like with goat’s milk, there is evidence that sheep’s milk may still cause allergy reactions in children with CMPA, due to cross reactivity with cow’s milk.
  • Sheep’s milk has more calories per serving, when compared to whole cow’s milk. This is due to the higher fat content (17 g per serving) compared to 8 g per serving in cow’s milk. So, if you’re watching your weight, you may want to consider low fat cow’s milk or skim milk, especially if you drink more than 2 cups of milk per day.
SHEEP’S MILK VS GOAT’S MILK: IS ONE BETTER THAN THE OTHER?

Looking at the data and evidence that we have, there isn’t one “best milk” out of the cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or goat’s milk.

All three types of milk have their pros and cons, and it really depends on the specific reason you choose a particular type of milk.

Barring any intolerance or allergy issues, it is absolutely okay to choose the milk that you like the most in terms of taste as well as your health status.


References:

  1. Alberta Health Services (2022, April). Nutrition guideline: Healthy infants and young children—milk. https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/info/nutrition/if-nfs-ng-healthy-infants-other-milks-fluids-milk.pdf
  2. Malaysian Paediatric Association and Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology. (2012). Guidelines for the management of cow’s milk children 2012 (CMPA in children). https://www.allergymsai.org/pdf/guideline-cows-milk.pdf
  3. Metzger, M. (2022, July 22). Goat milk versus cow milk: A comparison. Michigan State University Extension Sheep & Goats. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/goat-milk-versus-cow-milk-a-comparison