The festive season once again upon us, and most of us can feel the excitement already. As the party invitations start pouring in, what better way to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year than by getting ourselves and wardrobes ready? After all, we all want to look our best. To most of us, the easiest way to achieve this would be to hit the gym, adopt quick weight loss diets suggested by a friend or pop in a few weight loss supplements that claim to be healthy. The number of diets and diet-claims that have existed and are continuing to grow are mind-boggling and in no way good for the body.

These days there is a growing tendency for people to look for quick fixes thereby giving rise to a growing jungle of “fad diets”. But like they say there are no quick fixes, and the same goes for weight loss too. While fad diets may help you lose a few kilos and calories, this can have a negative effect on your body internally. Simply put, fad diets don’t work.

A healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet is the only way for long term weight management, and this should be consistent. Quick weight loss diets generally suggest avoiding certain foods completely, while a healthy diet will suggest healthy changes to your lifestyle and food intake. Eating healthily will come naturally to you if you change your lifestyle rather than adhere to short-term diets. We have experts from India Gate on board to share some simple ways you can adopt a healthy lifestyle.

How to Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle this Festive Season

Set realistic goals

Your diet plan should be gradual and realistic, something that you can follow more consistently. Unrealistic diet goals are usually a failure.

Don’t avoid just replace

Most quick weight loss diets tell us to avoid certain foods like rice and bread. These foods, being a staple to most cuisines are difficult to do away with completely. Therefore the best way to deal with this is to substitute them with healthy options. You can replace white rice or brown rice with sprouted brown rice which not only is healthier but tastes as good. Having higher levels of certain minerals, vitamins and active compounds, sprouted brown rice can stimulate the liver function and eliminate toxicity from your body. It can also be used for any dish as a replacement for white or brown rice.

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Keep healthy food at home

Unhealthy food is a big temptation therefore it is best to keep them far from you. Ensure you keep fresh fruits and nuts easily accessible, as then you are most likely to munch on them when hungry. Also, stock up whole grains, healthy proteins and fibre and avoid processed food.

Don’t curb your cravings

With quick weight loss diets, we tend to curb our cravings. Cravings are unavoidable and repeatedly curbing a craving has it coming back stronger especially if it is a sweet craving. The best way to manage this is by preparing healthy snacks options. Replace flour with healthy options like quinoa, flax seeds, chia seeds and use honey instead of sugar. Homemade energy bars are therefore always a good option. You can prepare them using quinoa, nuts and honey. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free, high in protein and iron.

Eat a healthy breakfast

Breakfast sets you up for the whole day, therefore ensure you have a healthy breakfast comprising of fruits, milk, nuts, and eggs. As mornings are usually a rush time, smoothies are great options. you can make a smoothie of fresh fruits, nuts and seeds like flax seeds, and chia seeds that help keep you full for longer.

Have you ever tried any quick weight loss diets? What did you change in your life while adopting a healthier lifestyle?