H1: Celebrate Eid without giving your tummy a hard time

Ramadan is almost over, and it is time for the reward; Eid-ul-Fitr, which means a lot of sweet treats and delicious meals but be warned, after a month of fasting, over-eating might cause some unwanted discomfort.

While no celebration should be an excuse to hamper your fitness goals. All you need to do is get a little smart with your choices and the way you cook to enjoy the festival of Eid without any guilt.

So before you go from controlled and spiritual in Ramadan to lazy indulgence all day on Eid! Here we share some healthy food swaps for Eid to save your stomach from the explosion.

Don’t Ditch Your Favorite Food – Alter the Eid recipes
We know how much you love eating sheer korma, sewaiyan, gulab jamun, kheer, biryani, and other spicy fried foods. But they can take a toss on your health, especially in this heat. Instead of skipping these delicacies, here’s what you can do:

Sheer Korma with dates
You can’t live without it right? Of course, it is the first dish you eat on Eid. So here’s a trick instead of using refined sewaiyan, go for brown rice sewaiyan. And for sweetness, avoid sugar, and use dates to taste it meetha. Moreover, you can swap the heavy milk cream by adding powdered dry fruits, low-fat milk, and not full cream to make the delicious sewaiyan.

Phirni with a twist
This is even better – If you can’t live without Phirni, satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way by eating your favourite phirni but with a healthy twist. This version is made using oats instead of rice, and the addition of apple further naturally enhances the sweetness.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• cup coarsely powdered quick-cooking rolled oats
• cup grated apple (unpeeled)
• 3 cups of low-fat milk
• 2 tsp sugar substitute
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Method

• First, heat milk in a deep non-stick pan and bring it to a boil.

• Add oats, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes while stirring continuously.
• Remove from flame, add sugar substitute, mix well and keep aside to cool slightly.
• Add apple, mix well and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.
• Serve chilled.

Biryani (Not the usual one)

Eid is incomplete without Briyani. So here’s some good news, if you are really craving for it, go for mutton biryani. Mutton contains iron, protein, vitamin B, E, K, Omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids that make mutton biryani one of the healthiest dishes on Eid. You can make your favourite biryani healthy by replacing the basmati rice with brown basmati rice.

Enjoy it with raita or salad to end your craving for good.

Drinks for a cool-me down treats

After all, you need something to gulp down that mutton all night. Here’s some healthy drinks to have instead of cola.

Pan Thandai

Eid-ul-Fitr is a summer festival that calls for some hydrating drinks. Paan thandai is a great option for you as it instantly hydrates and satisfies your taste buds. This drink comes with amazing benefits as it is loaded with probiotics, thereby improving gut health, immunity, and constipation.

Ingredients

• Fennel seeds two tablespoons
• Black pepper 8-10
• Green cardamom 10-15
• Black cardamom 5
• Almonds ½ cup
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• Cashews ½ cup
• Pistachio ½ cup
• Saffron 10-12 strings – optional
• Melon seeds 3-4 tablespoons
• Poppy seeds 3-4 tablespoons – optional
• Rose petals 1 cup
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• Water 1 cup
• Rosewater 2 tablespoons
• Sugar 1½ cup

Method

• To start off, soak all the ingredients together in water for 2-3 hours except for saffron, rose petals and sugar.
• Soak saffron in water separately.
• Peel off the skin from almonds and the cardamoms.
• Now grind all the soaked ingredients together and make a fine paste.
• Take a wok and add water and sugar till it dissolves completely.
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• Now add the grinded mixture to the sugar syrup, mix well, avoid lumps, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Let it cool, and then add saffron and rose water.
• Store in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.
• When you want to serve, take one glass mix, sugar, chopped pan, add 2 tablespoons thandai consistent and give it a churn.
• Garnish with pistachio, edible silver foil and serve cold.

Hibiscus Rose Ice Tea

A gorgeous-looking and refreshing recipe for a fragrant, floral drink to cool off on the hot summer days. It is probably the best dish to please your guests this Eid. You know what the best part is? It is great for your heart and light on your stomach.

Ingredients

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• 5 litres of water
• 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 1-inch cinnamon
• Two cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• rose syrup, as required
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Method

• Add water, dried hibiscus flowers, spices, and sugar, and bring to a rolling boil in a saucepan.
• Now reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or longer for a stronger flavor. Let cool to room temperature.
• Pass this through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the hibiscus flowers.
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• Refrigerate and serve chilled with over one teaspoon of Rose syrup and ice in individual glasses. Stir well. Enjoy this refreshing drink

Yes, don’t look amazed. You can enjoy Eid in a healthy way. Savour every bite, chew slowly and celebrate Eid without giving your tummy a hard time.