Lohri is just around the corner and it marks the beginning of the festive season in the Indian subcontinent. The festival of Lohri is all about celebrating with family and friends by circling around the bonfire, dancing on the beats of dhol and consuming those mouth watering dishes. We can surely not resist ourselves from munching over those popcorn, gajaks, rewadis, ladoos and peanuts as they are an integral part of the celebration. If you are worried that consumption of these food items might hamper your health and drag you back on your fitness goals, then this is a must read for you. Our traditions have a lot of benefits attached to them and there is a reason why these food items have been associated with festivities of the season. These food items are warm in nature and known to aid digestion, improve blood circulation and keep your body warm. Let us take a deep dive into this article and know what all health benefits the festival of lohri brings in for us with its mouth watering, delicious and healthy food from Nutritionist Shikha Aggarwal Sharma, Celebrity Dietician and Nutritionist, Fat to Slim.
#1. Peanuts
Peanuts are a great snacking option during the winter season and are easily available. Where roasted peanuts are irresistible during the chilli winters, one must know that their consumption can provide several benefits to your health as well. These nuts are a good source of plant based protein and other nutrients such as Vitamin E, omega 3, omega 6, fiber, biotin, folate, copper, magnesium and phosphorus.
Image Credits- The Spruce Eats
Also Read: Is Eating Peanuts Good For Weight Loss?
Consumption of these nuts during winter season can help you to -
- Improve digestion
- Control cholesterol levels
- Helps in repairing the normal wear and tear of the body
- Might aid weight loss
- Helps to control blood sugar levels
- Improves heart health
Where peanuts come in with such a rich nutritional profile, Nutritionist Shikha Aggarwal Sharma warns that one must not go overboard while consuming peanuts, Moderation is the key and consuming more than half a bowl of peanuts can impact your health in a negative way.
#2. Popcorns
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Well popcorns are not just a movie snack but have a big role to play during the celebration of winters as well. Popularly known as makai in the northern parts of the country, popcorns are a low calorie healthy snack that is not just a treat to your taste buds but can also benefit your health in several ways. As our digestion tends to become low during winter due to the lack of physical activity, consumption of fiber rich popcorns are known to get your digestive tract or tract. Not just fiber but popcorns also have an abundance of phenolic acids which is a type of antioxidants. Along with this it also earring these popcorns during winters can help you to-
- Improves digestion
- Promotes blood circulation
- Aids weight loss
- Helps in lowering the risk of several cancers
- Prevents heart diseases
- Reduces the risk of diabetes
- Prevents hypertension
- Lowers blood pressure
#3 Jaggery
Jaggery or good is an integral part of Lohri celebration as it is widely used for the preparation of several sweets like chikki, gachak, ladoos and rewaris. Extracted from the juice and pulp of sugarcane, the sweet tasting jaggery is a rich source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B, plant protein and comes in with some antioxidant properties. Consumption of jaggery in its pure form help you to-
- Improves digestion
- Boost immune system functioning
- Helps to fight flu
- Prevents anemia
- Provides relief from constipation
- Helps asthma patients due to its anti-allergic properties
- Reduces blood pressure
- Prevents premature aging
- Helps in clearing mucus and detoxing the body
- Aids weight loss
Nutritionist Shikha Aggarwal Sharma suggests that one must ensure that the jaggery they are consuming as a part of the festivities in its pure form. Consumption of jaggery that has sugar content in it would not just prevent you from reaping all these benefits but will also have a negative impact on your health.
#4. Sesame seeds
From gachaks and ladoos and rewaris, sesame seeds or til is something that is used to prepare a wide variety of Lohri sweets. Rich in iron and calcium, manganese, fatty acids, Vitamin B, fiber and antioxidants, sesame seeds have a lot of health benefits associated with them.
Image Credits- The Spruce Eats
Also Read: 5 Health Benefits Of Adding Sesame Seeds To Your Diet With These 2 Recipes
Consumption of these nutritious seeds can help you in -
- Boosting immunity
- Controlling cholesterol
- Improving digestion
- Controlling blood sugar levels
- Preventing anima
- Helps in controlling diabetes
- Fights infection
- Provides relief from joint pain
#5. Sarson ka Saag
Image Credits- Healthshots
A traditional combination of makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is a part of almost every Punjabi celebration of the winter season. This green leafy vegetable is a rich source of antioxidants, folate, manganese and vitamins such as C, E and K. With a rich nutritional profile, sarso ka saag is a winter dish that can provide you with several health benefits especially during winter season such as-
- Preventing heart diseases
- Improving digestion
- Preventing cancers
- Aiding weight loss
- Improving bone health
- Providing relief from asthma
- Improving mental health
Consumption of these food items during winter is known to be beneficial due to their wam nature that helps to provide warmth to our body from within. Many of these food items are also a rich source of fiber and improves digestion that gets compromised during winters because of lack of physical activity. Our traditions have a lot of benefits attached to them and there is a reason why these food items have been associated with festivities of the season.
With inputs from Nutritionist Shikha Aggarwal Sharma, Celebrity Dietician and Nutritionist, Fat to Slim.