Onam sadya season: Dietitian's tips to enjoy the feast

The majestic sadya feast is undoubtedly the highlight of Onam, wherever it is celebrated. With the festival just nine days away, sadya feasts have begun across the state and elsewhere. The meal features an array of traditional curries, aromatic red rice, and decadent payasam, all served on a fresh banana leaf. While it is hard to resist, a single traditional feast can easily derail your fitness goals if you are not mindful. Fortunately, with a few smart modifications and healthy habits, you can relish every bite of your Sadya while keeping your well-being intact. Here are a few tips from Preethi R Nair, Chief Clinical Nutritionist at SUT Hospital, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, to enjoy the sadya in a healthy way.

Keep breakfast light and simple
Since lunch will be a heavy affair, keep breakfast light. Idlis are an excellent, digestion-friendly choice. Stick to two or three idlis paired with sambar. To cut down on excess calories, skip the traditional coconut chutney and opt for fresh, low-calorie alternatives like mint, tomato, or gooseberry chutney. Alternatively, a small bowl of oats is a great way to start the day. If you struggle with bloating or gas from sambar lentils, swap them for lighter options like split green gram or black gram.

Master portion control with rice
Limit your rice portion to two ladles (approximately 100 to 150 grams), which yields about 170 calories. Adding more rice can easily push the count to 300 calories or more. It is highly recommended to use nutrient-rich Matta or unpolished red rice instead of white rice. To pace your meal and improve digestion, divide the rice into two portions. Enjoy the first half with parippu, sambar, and kaalan, and savour the second half with light, digestive-friendly rasam and buttermilk.

Mind your curries
Load up on fibre-rich preparations like thoran, avial, koottukari, pachadi, and kichadi. However, watch the oil and coconut content. A single teaspoon of oil has 45 calories, so cook with minimal grease. Reduce starchy tubers like yam and raw plantain in your curries, replacing them with water-rich vegetables. Keep highly processed or salty elements like pickles, banana chips, and sharkara varatti to an absolute minimum. Limit yourself to a single pappadam, and watch heavy coconut milk bases, which can affect cholesterol levels.

Indulge in payasam responsibly
Limit your payasam intake to less than half a glass, as a full glass can pack between 250 and 400 calories. If there are multiple varieties on offer, take tiny tasting portions instead of full servings. When making payasam at home, choose healthier bases like Bengal gram, whole wheat, or millets. Keep in mind that fully cooked wheat has a high glycaemic index, which can spike blood sugar levels; opt for semi-cooked grains instead. Use skimmed milk, minimise ghee, and try blending sweet local bananas (like Njalippoovan or Palayankodan) to naturally sweeten jaggery payasam, eliminating the need for refined sugar, which adds 20 calories per teaspoon.

A light, cleansing evening routine
After a heavy afternoon feast, swap out your usual oily tea-time snacks for a refreshing vegetable or fruit salad. Keep your dinner exceptionally light and aim to eat before 8 pm. Avoid eating heavy leftover sadya curries or rice at night. Instead, choose light wheat chapatis, oats, or millets served with a vegetable-heavy side. Alternatively, a light fruit-only dinner is an excellent way to give your digestive system a break.

Hydration and movement
Avoid sugary milk teas and coffees, which can easily add an extra 100 calories per cup. Instead, opt for digestive herbal drinks like warm chukku kaapi (dry ginger coffee with black pepper and coriander) or soothing tulsi tea. While traditional Onam games naturally provided physical exercise in the past, modern celebrations often miss this active element. Do 20 minutes of light physical activity after lunch to aid digestion, but avoid strenuous workouts that could cause abdominal cramps. A leisurely walk or a simple stair-climbing routine (climbing 15 steps up and down a few times with short rests in between) is perfect to keep your metabolism active.