Festivals are round the corner and it is Diwali which is coming close with each passing day. People have a lot of aspiration and prepare thoroughly for this festival of nights. Majority of people in India like to exchange, buy and gift sweets to each other to celebrate freshness and joy amongst each other. One of the fondest sweet during this festival is Kalakand. This is an Indian desert made from milk which is high in sugar full fat milk and cardamom powder. It is enjoyed by people around the nation and is widely available at sweet shops.
Today we are here to let you know about benefits as well as risks of having kalakand sweet. We will also discuss about its calories how it became such a popular dish. OnlyMyHealth marks importance of your health this diwali and thus is coming up with series of health articles to make this festival more fruitful.
How is Kalakand made?
Kalakand comes originally from Rajasthan and made by a baker in Alwar city by Baba Thakur Das. This sweet was liked by the people so much that people from all over the state came to have taste of this delicacy. Slowly it builds on to spread to the north India and became one of the most loved Indian sweets.
Kalakand is made from milk by continuously stirring it for hours till it comes in a semi-solid form. It requires a lot of times and its basic ingredients to prepare this sweet. This is the reason that the original Kalakand is not preferred by people to make it at home.
Is Kalakand Healthy?
Well, this is a sweet containing a lot of full fat milk and sugar in it, so it’s not a healthy choice. Our nutritionist Ms. Shilpa Singh explains the reason behind it. She says that original Kalakand is made from three ingredients-
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cardamom powder
All these ingredients in excessive quantity can cause harm to the body together. Sugar itself is saturated fats which get stored on the walls of the intestine. Milk when stirred for such a long period loses some of its healthy nutrients and becomes similar to having a sweet. Cardamom powder is a healthy ingredient but excess of that could also be harmful in some ways like causing nausea or chills.
However Kalakand can be made healthy by tweaking a few ingredients. This means making use of home-made Paneer to make it thick and increase its texture. Adding natural sugars or putting jaggery instead of sugar and using cardamom comparatively less to make it tasty.
Calories in Kalakand Sweet
One piece of Kalakand has around 131 calories. One piece of this dish can fulfil 7% of total demand of a day’s calories.
- Carbohydrates- 38 cal
- Proteins- 15 cal
- Fats- 78 cal
Is Kalakand and Barfi Same?
Many people get confused and do not know the difference between Kalakand and barfi. Barfi is like an fudge which is made from flour, nuts, ghee, milk and sugar. It is solid in nature and dry in texture. However Kalakand is a also similar to fudge but it is soft and is mad by stirring milk continuously to achieve little solidity. Kalakand is grainier as compared to barfi and is not completely dry.
Benefits and Risks of Having Kalakand
Well there are more unhealthy nutrients in Kalakand than beneficial ones.
Paneer- This is one among two healthy ingredients of Kalakand which can be called as beneficial nutrients. Paneer is high in proteins and calcium and hence it is beneficial for growth of muscles and regulated body functions. It is a low carbohydrate food which can be had multiple times because of this health benefits. It is useful in maintaining blood pressure, contraction of blood vessels and reduces the risk of heart attack.
Also Read- Protein Diet Myths Busted, Know 7 Facts To Testify
Cardamom Powder- This is also helpful in keeping the digestive system in place. It helps the enzymes to perform their function smoothly and effectively. Having cardamom power reduces the cholesterol levels and has triglycerides which are healthy for liver health and reduces the risk of blood pressure problems.
Sugar- Sugar is widely used in this making this delicate sweet, it is one of the main ingredients and does not have any nutritional value to offer. Sugar intake makes the body last for a long period of time and it makes the burning process fast. Since the calories burn faster because of sugar, you may feel hungry more often. Because of this amount of calories increases and excess sugar gets stored in the walls of intestine and abdominal muscles which later causes several health issues. It also leads to these problems-
- Kidney damage
- Increased risk of heart attack
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Impotence
Also Read- Make This Diwali Healthy With 9 Immunity Boosting Mocktails By Dietitian Archana Batra
How to burn calories of one Piece Kalakand?
To burn calories of one piece of Kalakand sweet, you need to do one of these exercises for the given time being. These are approximate values and can change slightly for various people.
- Walking for 39 minutes (6kmph)
- Running for 13 minutes (11kmph)
- Cycling for 17 minutes (30kmph)
- Swimming for 22 minutes (2kmph)
Read More Articles on Healthy Diet
Picture Credits- istockfreeimages, lifekitchen.com