Onam 2025: Dietitian Explains Why Mindful Eating Matters During Festivities

Onam is more than just a festival. It is about family, tradition, and of course, food. Many of us wait all year for the Onam season, excited for the grand Onam Sadya laid out with banana leaves filled with curries, rice, payasam, and crunchy chips. The flavours are rich, the variety is plentiful, and the celebration often leads to one thing: overeating. That’s where mindful eating comes in. It does not ask you to give up your favourite dishes. Instead, it teaches you how to enjoy them without hurting your health.

Importance of Mindful Eating During Onam

Dietician Rakshita Mehra explains why mindful eating is especially important during festivals like Onam. In her words, “Festivals are the time where overeating can be a thing and mindful eating will help in maintaining that balance between enjoying the festive dishes and taking care of the health as well.” She highlights three simple ways mindful eating can make your Onam plate healthier and more enjoyable.

1. Eat in portions

Mindful eating helps us pay attention to hunger and fullness signals. This is where hormones like ghrelin (which makes you feel hungry) and leptin (which makes you feel full) play a role. When you tune into these signals, you are less likely to overeat. Instead of piling food high on the banana leaf, you begin with smaller portions. You can always add more if you are still hungry.

Takeaway: Portions help you enjoy every dish without feeling heavy or guilty later.

ALSO READ: Low-Calorie Modaks and Festive Desserts for Ganesh Chaturthi: Nutrition Experts Share Tips

2. Use all your senses while eating

Mindful eating is not merely stomach-focused, as Mehra puts it. It is about sight, smell, touch, taste, and even sound. Listening to the sound of banana chips, the smell of sambar, and the sweetness of payasam makes one connect more to food.

This way, every bite becomes an experience, not just something you swallow quickly. According to Mehra, “Eating with all the senses will make the individual’s relationship with the food much better. It also helps develop cognitive powers as we learn to truly appreciate the meal.”

Takeaway: Food becomes more than fuel, and it becomes joy, memory, and celebration.

3. Better digestion and absorption

Festivals often bring digestive discomfort because we eat fast and too much. Mindful eating slows this process. Chewing well, sitting with awareness, and savouring food give your digestive system the time it needs to work effectively.

As Mehra shares, “Mindful eating improves digestion and absorption of food. It also leads to informed dietary choices and balanced portions during Onam.”

Takeaway: Your stomach feels lighter, energy stays stable, and you can enjoy the festival without bloating or tiredness.

ALSO READ: OMH Spotlight: Bigg Boss 18’s Shrutika Arjun Believes in Carrot Therapy and Ayurvedic Skincare For Glowing Skin

Conclusion

Onam concerns plenty, but not necessarily wastefulness. Mindful eating is not restrictive but a creation of space so that there is a balance. It gives you an opportunity to have the Sadya to yourself, as well as take care of your body. You eat slowly, listening to your hunger, through your senses, and, by doing so, you transform your festive meal into a body as well as mind-feeding experience. That is the true holiday spirit.