Without sweets, festivals in India are hard to imagine. From laddoos and barfis to jalebis and gulab jamuns, celebrations are filled with a lot of sugary treats for the festive season in India.
And while having a sweet or two during a celebration is hardly something to worry about, the problem starts when festive eating turns into several days of overeating.
So, how many ladoos are too many?
There is no universal number that applies to everyone. The amount of sugar that can realistically be put in their diet will depend on what they eat, how healthy they are, and if they have diabetes or prediabetes.
Related Articles
Health professionals are well-known to suggest we limit added sugar and use sweets occasionally, not as a meal. Too much added sugar has been linked to weight gain, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.
One Ladoo is Not The Same As Another
How many ladoos is too many?
A small besan ladoo, a large motichoor ladoo, and a coconut ladoo can have very different recipes and portion sizes. Some are made with a lot of sugar and ghee, while others may include nuts, seeds, or gram flour.
Related Articles
That’s not to say simply counting the number of ladoos does not give you the full picture. A better way is to consider the size of the sweet, the foods you have eaten that day, and how many other sugary foods you have eaten.
For example, eating one ladoo after a balanced meal is very different from eating several large ladoos along with sweetened tea, soft drinks, and other desserts.
The Bigger Problem is Added Sugar. Sugar is not something that should be eliminated from diets. And the problem is too much added sugar.
They give you calories but little nutritional benefit when you take in added sugars. Eating so many of them, you can end up with much more calories than the body needs. That is to say, a big one.
The American Heart Association recommends that added sugar be limited to 25 grams per day for women and 36 grams per day for men as a general guideline.
That does not mean you have to calculate every gram of sugar in every festive sweet.
And that is just it: a lot of sugary treats in one sitting can quickly add up.
What happens when you eat too much sugar?
A lot of sweets at the same time can quickly cause your blood sugar to rise.
Some people will later suffer from low energy and simply feel tired or sluggish. Long-term effects of sugar consumption can include thirst, headaches and concentration problems.
The larger problem is when high-sugar eating becomes a regular habit.
Regularly eating too much added sugar is associated with weight gain and is associated with a higher risk of chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
So, the occasional festive ladoo is not the issue.
The problem is that the festive season is a period in which one can have unlimited sweet consumption for several weeks.
People With Diabetes Need To Be More Careful
People with diabetes or prediabetes should be very careful about how many sweets they eat.
Sugary foods may cause blood glucose levels to rise, and the effect may be more significant depending on a person’s condition, medication, meal pattern, and the amount of carbohydrate consumed.
This does not necessarily mean that people with diabetes can never enjoy festive sweets.
Moreover, the size of the portion does matter.
Much better to discuss individual dietary restrictions with a doctor or registered dietitian rather than a generic "safe number of ladoos."
The same goes for people who are advised to control their blood sugar, cholesterol, or weight. Don't Eat Sweets On An Empty Stomach
If you are going to have a ladoo, having it as part of or after a balanced meal might be a better approach than eating several sweets on an empty stomach.
Protein, fiber, and other nutrients in the meal will help slow digestion as opposed to eating a lot of sugary food alone.
And the more vegetables, pulses, whole grains, and protein-rich foods, you can also make a more festive meal.
So you can enjoy the event without making sweets the focus of your food.
Choose Smaller Portions
You do not have to avoid sweets during festivals. Instead, focus on portion control.
If someone gives you a big ladoo, you might have half and save the rest for later. Don’t eat a whole serving of each of the different sweets if you’ve tried them.
This is especially easy to do at family celebrations where there could be a lot of boxes of sweets available.
A small portion may allow you to enjoy the taste without consuming as much sugar and calories.
Watch What You Drink Too
Most festivals are not all about sweets. One mistake people often make at festivals is to concentrate only on sweets. Sugary drinks can add a lot of sugar to your diet as well.
Sweetened tea and coffee, soft drinks, packaged juices, and other sugary beverages can all add to your overall added-sugar intake.
So, if you already enjoyed a couple of sweets, choosing water instead of another sugary drink can be a simple way to keep your total sugar intake down.
Don't Forget Physical Activity
Festivals are often an intrusion on our routine. People travel, attend gatherings, and spend more time eating while exercising less.
You are not required to “work off” every ladoo you eat, but staying physically active is still important.
A walk after a meal, exercise, or just doing your regular day-to-day routine can help you stay on track during the festive season. The goal should be balance, not punishment.
What About Weight Gain?
Some festive meals are unlikely to change your health or body composition.
The bigger issue is what happens when overeating continues for days or weeks. Ladoos and many other Indian sweets are calorie-dense, as they can contain combinations of sugar, ghee, flour, nuts and other ingredients.
Eating several portions regularly can also add a lot of calories to your daily diet.
If your total calorie intake consistently exceeds what your body uses, weight gain can occur.
So portion control is a lot more realistic than simply not eating any festive food.
So, How Many Ladoos Are Too Many?
No medically fixed number of ladoos is safe for everyone. A few pieces of a festive sweet can fit in an otherwise balanced diet for a healthy person.
As you eat a lot of sweets regularly, and other sources of added sugar as well, the problem will be more likely to occur.
Rather than asking, "How many ladoos can we eat?" a better question is:
"How much added sugar am I consuming today?"
That includes sweets, sweetened drinks, desserts, and sugar added to tea or coffee.
A Simple Way To Enjoy Festivals Without Overdoing It. You do not need to make every festive celebration a diet exercise.
Try these simple habits:
Choose smaller portions of sweets. Avoid eating multiple sugary foods at the same time. Have sweets after a balanced meal rather than making them a meal. Drink water instead of sugary beverages. Include vegetables, protein, and fiber in your meals. Stay physically active. If you have diabetes or another health condition, follow your doctor's individual advice.
Most importantly, do not feel guilty about enjoying a ladoo during a festival.
The occasional sweet is not what makes a diet unhealthy. The problem is regularly eating more sugar than your body needs.
Festivals are meant to be enjoyed, and sweets are an important part of those celebrations. You don’t have to give up ladoos to be healthy.
Moderation. One ladoo enjoyed during a festival is very different from eating several sweets every day for weeks. Overuse of added sugar causes weight gain and increases the risk of health problems over time. So you don’t have to worry about one number, but you should be concerned about your portion sizes and total sugar consumption.
Enjoy the ladoo. Just don’t let one become five simply because the box is sitting in front of you.
Comments 0