Happy Onam: What is the best seating position to enjoy Onam sadya? Doctor explains

In the era of instant sadyas and pre-packed Onam meals, not everyone is thrilled about celebrating Onam the traditional way and fairly so. Take the case of simply having food in the conventional, authentic style. The time-honoured fashion of sitting on the floor to eat from a banana leaf might not appeal to everyone. To borrow a Gen Z comment from Instagram, 'Haven't we all evolved from using banana leaves to plates? Why not sit comfortably on a chair and enjoy Onam meals?' Well, let's see what doctors think.

Floor or chair?
According to Dr Manju P George, Chief Dietitian at the VPS Lakeshore Hospital, the traditional cross-legged position of sitting on the floor while having onasadya, also called sukhasana, is an excellent posture to enhance digestion. "Since there is an effort and slight physical movement involved by engaging the core muscles, it promotes natural portion control with mindful eating. This posture also promotes joint mobility by stretching the hips, knees, and ankles, thus maintaining lower body flexibility," she explains. 

Benefits of sukhasana
Renowned nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar also advocates sitting in the sukhasana posture for at least one meal a day. Here are the benefits:
a) Spine is aligned, and your shoulders also get a square position.
b) It improves focus on the act of eating and prevents overeating. 
c) The posture ensures that all of the blood flow is to the stomach, ensuring better assimilation of nutrients and digestion. 

The calorie count
A traditional Onam sadya can have more than 1,600 calories, especially with generous portions of payasams and other items. If you want to decode the calories on your banana leaf to eat mindfully, check out Onmanorama's sadya calorie calculator. The feature lets you tweak your sadya to suit your fitness goals while still enjoying the festival day.