Received mithai and namkeen boxes as Diwali gifts? Things to know before your soan papdi, kaju katli binges

Unhealthy nutritional value

Dr Reshma Aleem, senior clinical dietitian at Rela Hospital, Chennai, told us that these sweets and namkeens should not be consumed in excess. Often, this is an instinct when one is presented with such a wide array of tasty snacks, but the dietician urged that control should be exercised.

“Popular festive sweets like soan papdi, kaju katli, ladoos, and namkeens often contain hidden sugars, fats, artificial flavourings, and preservatives. These can also be made using palm oil, which can harm your health when consumed in excess. Further, many traditional snacks that we usually bring home have high sodium, which can raise blood pressure, especially for seniors,” Dr Asleem said, shedding light on the harmful ingredients your favourite Diwali snacks are made of.

The dietician warned about health issues like sugar spikes, bloating, and indigestion. It is riskier for ailing people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

Healthier alternatives

You can mindfully enjoy snacks this festive season. The dietician reminded that moderation is the key that keeps all your consumption healthy.

Revealing some of the safe choices, Dr Aleem shared, “Choosing homemade or freshly prepared sweets with less or a moderate amount of sugar and better ingredients can reduce the risk. Eating baked snacks over fried snacks and keeping your body hydrated can support digestion.”

Not all sweets have the same quality; some may be made with low-quality ingredients. The dietician highlighted how one can spot the genuine ones, “ Pure milk solids (khoya), sweets are made with cheap, dangerous mixtures containing starch and detergents. In place of pure ghee, they may use vanaspati or even animal fats. Synthetic milk made with urea, caustic soda, and shampoo and silver foil used to decorate sweets, is replaced with a cheaper alternative made of aluminium.”

One of the reasons these snacks require caution is because of the presence of harmful ingredients and preservatives that can disrupt safe health parameters if eaten regularly.

Beware of labels

What about healthy sweets? Some sweets come with labels and tags that contain nutritious components. But how truthful are they?

Dr Saurabh Arora, PhD in Pharmaceutics, Managing Director at Auriga Research, revealed that often people don’t read labels and their choice is based on taste and value for money instead. He shared a big red flag that most of the seasonal, festive products lack proper nutritional labelling. Most importantly, gift packs flood the market this time, like Diwali, Bhai Dooj, so there’s a lack of verification regarding their content as well.

It is vital for people to exercise their discretion because ‘healthy sweets’ may contain incorrect labels. He said, “A challenge is that when so many new products and varieties are coming up, most of the companies are just blindly picking up, copying the nutritional value from someone else’s label. They are not even putting effort to get their own product tested and establish the nutritional value, or even analysing the recipe to come up with some rationale. They are just randomly publishing. I have seen the Jalebi product labelled as having 70% protein.”

This is why it is important not to trust flashy nutritional claims on seasonal sweet products during the festive season, as it may be more of a marketing hack than being actually nutritious.

How to read labels?

Dr Reshma Aleem revealed these two easy steps for checking labels:

1. Look for FSSAI certification: Always check for proper FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) certification on packaged sweets.
2. What to see: Check sugar levels, hydrogenated oils, calories, preservatives, and expiry dates.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.