Why are Sugar-free Indian Sweets Good for Health?
In many cultures all over the world, it is common to finish a meal with something sweet. Desserts are a mainstay in food culture, although there are many varieties of desserts. When you go to a restaurant for a meal, the last course is dessert. In Indian culture, like everywhere else in the world, it is customary to offer a sweet dish at the end of a meal as a way of completing the meal. India is also well known for the thali meals, and these traditional meals begin with a sweet in many parts of the country.
The tradition of giving sweets has deep roots in India's history. The exchange of sweets between neighbours, friends and family is an extremely common tradition and is most often associated with celebrations and auspicious occasions. India's biggest festival, Diwali, is when this is most prevalent, although sweets are exchanged for other occasions too. Sweets are also given out as 'prasad' at temples or offerings to various deities. Sweets are also used to express gratitude and respect.
In Indian culture, it is customary to offer sweets to guests as a sign of hospitality and to show respect to elders and other important figures. Overall, the tradition of giving sweets in Indian culture reflects the country's rich culinary history, as well as its emphasis on hospitality, generosity, and respect for tradition and culture. Given the significance of sweets in Indian culture, we often wonder if there could be a healthier alternative to this symbol of happiness.
Sugar-free sweets have gained popularity in recent years. Read on to find out the advantages of having sugar-free sweets.
What are the benefits of having sugar-free sweets?
While some people cannot avoid having something sweet after a meal, sugar-free sweets may be the best alternative that you can get in terms of health benefits. There are several potential benefits to eating sugar-free foods, including:
1. Managing Health Issues
Having excessive sugar could lead to a host of health issues. Some of them include obesity, diabetes, cardiac issues, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. This is because the intake of sugar results in the activation of ‘hunger hormones’, which, in turn, lead you to crave more food. In some cases, this also leads to addiction. With more cravings, we tend to eat more, and this leads to weight gain and the ailments listed. In some cases, too much sugar intake can also adversely affect the liver and kidneys. To manage these cravings, you can also look out for healthier options, such as sugarless kesar, dates laddu etc.
2. Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Sugar cravings and a high intake of sugar lead to weight gain, and the opposite is also true- less sugar could mean a healthy weight. Being sugar-free helps to regulate the body’s metabolism. Another advantage is that there are no ‘empty cravings’ for food, especially between meals, since the hormones that cause hunger are under control. In this way, eating sugar-free sweets not only satisfies your craving for sweets but it also helps you to stay off unhealthy food between meals. Sugar-free foods are way lower in calories than their sugary counterparts, which can help with weight management and weight loss goals.
3. Controls Cravings
Sugar is not only found in sweets. Sugar is in the dough in pizzas, burgers, bread and such. Consuming sugar stimulates the production of ghrelin, which is one of the ‘hunger hormones,’ or a hormone that stimulates hunger or creates a craving. When you have sugar-free sweets, there are fewer chances of having sugar cravings induced by hormones or lethargy caused by the excessive secretion of insulin. Therefore, eating less sugar helps to control cravings and makes you consume less. So, if you are someone who likes watching your weight but loves sweets, we would recommend our sugar-free range of sweets.
4. Energy-Booster
Although we have learned that sugar is rich in carbohydrates and gives us energy, eating sweets could prove to be contrary to this belief. When you eat sugar-free sweets and cut out on white sugar, your body has a controlled release of insulin and tryptophan. These hormones usually make you feel sleepy if released in excess. When you have sugar-free sweets, these hormones are released in correct quantities, making it easy for your body to remain alert. Another advantage is that there is no ‘sugar rush’ when you eat sugar-free sweets. Therefore, you are not left being hyperactive for a while and then completely drained of energy.
5. Prevents Cavities
The toothpaste advertisements have a point—consuming a lot of sugar and not maintaining a hygienic dental routine could lead to cavities. Brushing your teeth after consuming sweets is a great way to make sure that you do not develop dental caries because of the sugar content of sweets. Another way to keep your teeth healthy is to consume sugar-free sweets and rinse your mouth after you eat.
6. Increases Mental Clarity
When the sugar intake is high, there are a few problems that come with it. With increased secretion of hormones such as insulin and ghrelin, many people have reported feeling sluggish and irritable after bingeing on sweets. Having sugar-free sweets could help you stay alert and calm without the hyperactivity that excess sugar brings.
7. Better Skin
Eating sugar leads to a higher blood sugar level. This leads to stress. High-stress levels could lead to acne and dull-looking skin. Cutting down on sugar and including sugar-free sweets in your healthy diet helps to prevent some skin problems that crop up from consuming too much sugar.
Are sugar-free sweets similar in taste to sweets made with sugar?
Generally, sweets are considered a symbol of happiness, good fortune, and hospitality. However, with changing lifestyles and increasing awareness about the harmful effects of sugar, people are leaning more towards sugar-free sweets. The major reason behind this shift is that sugar-free sweets taste quite similar to the ones that are made with sugar. They do not vary much in taste. Moreover, in many cases, when alternatives such as dates and palm sugar are used in the sweets, they end up having a uniquely delicious flavour.
Sugar-free sweets are an ideal way to cut down on the calories that sugar adds and also to ensure that indulgence in sweets, especially during festivals or special occasions, does not lead to a spike in blood sugar levels or lead to health issues.
Therefore, some sugar-free sweets taste the same as their counterparts with sugar. This is because the sweet makers use sugar-free alternatives such as stevia or other low-calorie alternatives. However, some of these are artificial sweeteners and could be a less healthy option than natural alternatives to sugar.
Does Anandhaas Sweets and Snacks offer healthy, sugar-free sweets?
Anandhaas Sweets & Snacks offers a whole range of sweets that are made from palm sugar. While these may not be sugar-free, they provide a much healthier alternative to those made with white sugar. Our sugar-free line of sweets uses dates, which are a fruit of the date palm is one of the best natural sweeteners.
Anandaas Sweets & Snacks offers a variety of dry fruit sweets that use dates as a sweetener, as well as to hold it together, such as the dates laddu and sugarless khajur.
Other than dates, our sugar-free line of sweets has the choicest almonds, pistachios, figs, and cashew nuts, which all add flavour to the sweets. Karuppatti or palm sugar is another favourite alternative that we like to use. The Karupatti Mysore Pak that you can buy online from the house of Anandhaas, is delicious and healthy. It has the wonderfully rich taste of Mysore Pak, without all the worry of the calories that sugar brings with it.
You can also buy the Karupatti Laddu from Anandhaas. This is another delicacy that you can indulge in. With everyone being diet-conscious and taking care of their health to a great extent, our sugar-free sweets provide a healthier alternative to traditional sweets made using processed sugar. The sugar-free khajur from Anandhaas Sweets & Snacks is a must-try and comes highly recommended by our customers.
So go ahead, place an order for yourself, or make it your next gifting option. We guarantee your friends and family will appreciate your gesture of thinking about their health.