White sugar is one of the most commonly consumed ingredients in today’s diet and while it gives instant gratification, it would not be wrong to say that white sugar is one of the most potentially harmful ingredients in our diets. However, many who wish to cut down on their white sugar intake have not been able to do it as they think there are no other alternatives and that their food might turn tasteless. Sweet lovers often cannot stay without having their daily dose of sugar. This holiday season, here is a list of healthy alternatives to sugar that you could use as you prepare your holiday feast:

By breaking the habit of adding white sugar with other natural alternatives, you can do wonders and see your overall health improve.

Listed below are some of the best natural alternatives to satiate your taste buds while also giving you additional health benefits:

Jaggery: For many centuries before, people living in Asia and Africa have been using jaggery as a part of the diet and culinary heritage. It is one of the cheapest natural sugars. Jaggery has started to make a comeback in our diet in recent years. Sugarcane jaggery is unrefined sugar cane juice that is manually boiled, churned, filtered, and then poured into moulds sold in the stores. One of the main health benefits of jaggery is that it helps improve digestion by activating the digestive enzymes. It stimulates bowel movements and helps relieve constipation symptoms. It is a liver detoxificant and helps build immunity.

Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is extracted from the xylem sap of maple trees. A hole is drilled into the maple tree through which the sap is channeled into a container. Unlike white sugar which doesn’t offer any nutrients, maple syrup supplies minerals like manganese and zinc. Loaded with antioxidants, maple syrup contains nutrients. The syrup acts as an energy booster and compliments heart health.

Honey: Honey is considered liquid gold and is one of the oldest sweeteners dating back by 3000 years. It was an integral part of every household not only in India but globally. Honey bees extract the flower nectar which is then converted into simple sugars and stored in honeycombs. Along with the sweetness, honey provides minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. This nature’s liquid is known for its healing and antibacterial properties.

Palm jaggery: Health benefits of palm jaggery are manifold. It is prepared traditionally. An earthen pot is placed under a palm sapling which is scythed to facilitate sap oozing. The sap is boiled, churned till it thickens, and then poured into molds to obtain palm jaggery. The awareness about this natural sugar is such that many tea shops in South India have a separate fan base for beverages made with palm jaggery. Low on the glycaemic index, it is loaded with iron and is a great source of energy.

Date Sugar: We all are aware of the immense benefits of dates. The first thing people have while breaking their fasting is the dates. Ever wondered why? That’s because they are full of energy including glucose, sucrose, and fructose. Date sugar is made of dehydrated dates, which are ground to resemble sugar. They come packed with proteins, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, and many others.

Stevia: Made from the leaves of the stevia plant, this is a zero-calorie alternative to sugar and is great for those who are watching their weight and beneficial for diabetics as it does not cause glucose spikes. Stevia is also much more potent in sweetness and so a little quantity is required compared to white sugar. Fresh stevia leaves can be used to sweeten warm morning beverages like tea and can be dried, powdered, and stored for future use.

For diabetics, it is advised to have a word with the doctors before making the above natural sweeteners a part of their regular diet as they will suggest the alternative that best suits their needs and health conditions.

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It is important to stay healthy during the quarantine by practicing good nutritional habits, mindful eating and doing enough physical exercise. By reducing your portion sizes, adding a good amount of protein in your daily menu, avoiding high calorie foods and binge eating, you are more likely to avoid weight gain and prevent infection. In order to achieve a healthy and strong immune system, we need to focus on getting healthy overall. The following are some important tips to develop and sustain good immunity during the lockdown

• Be active physically: As there is not much chance to access the gym or a nearby park to do physical exercises, indoor workouts are the only option to burn out the calories. Engage yourself with indoor jogging or skipping at home. Doing house chores is also a good option in this lockdown period. Aim to get at least 40-45 minutes of physical activity per day.
• Maintain your body clock: In our normal routines our body clock is quite disturbed due to irregular eating patterns & irregular sleeping times, but we should use the quarantine time now to get our system back in order.
• Manage stress: Some types of stress are known to weaken the immune system and make us more susceptible to infection. During this pandemic please do not stress or panic as this could make you more prone to infection, hyperglycemia, hypertension or any metabolic diseases
• Limit your addictions: If you are addicted to alcohol or cigars, this is the perfect time to get rid of all these. Immunity is a major factor to fight against COVID 19, and we must avoid alcohol as it suppresses our immune system
• Take extra steps to avoid infection: Wash your hands frequently and use sanitizer if required. Pay extra attention to food safety while you prepare meals in order to reduce bacteria spread. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating. Thaw food in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. Cook fish or chicken thoroughly and keep raw and cooked foods separate. Avoid cross contamination by using separate chopping boards or knives for vegetables and nonveg items.
• Stay hydrated: Make sure to drink around 10-12 glasses of water/day, you can especially focus on drinking warm water during this situation as it is helpful to fight against COVID 19.

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Diet is the key part not only during cancer treatment, in fact, but it is also important during pre & post-treatment as well. When you have cancer, you need to eat to keep up your strength to deal with the side effects of treatment. Treatments can result in appetite loss as well as weight loss. Before starting the treatment, it is important to maintain weight or prevent sudden weight loss. Eating a healthy diet & maintaining weight before treatment helps to stay strong, reduce the risk of infection and cope with side effects better & improve the chances of receiving treatments. Generally, a high protein high-calorie diet is recommended before the treatment starts which helps in improving the sleep pattern also.

Before treatment, one should start focusing on healthy food habits which may help to increase your energy. To prepare yourself and your home for your nutritional needs during cancer therapy, think about the following suggestions:

Suggestions

• Need to maintain a good stock of foods
• Fill your fridge and pantry with healthy foods, especially those that need very little or no cooking.
• Stock up foods which need less or no cooking, which can be used for emergency purpose.
• Always choose small, frequent meals.
• Choose healthy protein-rich snacks to eat in-between i.e. peanuts, sprouts, oats, etc.
• Nuts, yogurt, pre-chopped veggies, and microwaveable brown rice or other whole grains are easy options.
• If nausea/vomiting present avoid milk
• Plan a grocery list for a week.

During treatment

Prepare yourself to follow the diet regime throughout the treatment. In the course of cancer treatment, the immune system becomes weak and the patient may fall sick easily. Reduced immunity results in many side effects and foodborne illnesses too. You may have days when you feel hungry, and others when food is the last thing you want. Eat lots of protein and healthy calories. That will keep your body strong and help repair damage from the treatment. To strengthen immunity, it is important to consume antioxidants rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains including whole wheat flour, millets, beans, eggs, fish, chicken, etc.

Food safety during treatment is very crucial to avoid foodborne illness.

Cancer and cancer treatment can weaken your immune system and make you more prone to infection. This includes infection from foods. The following are the tips to keep your food safe.

• Selection of food qualitywise
• Choose food from a genuine source
• Avoid raw food
• Cook food at the proper temperature
• Check expiry date
• Cook food until it’s cooked completely or well done
• Avoid any leftover food or food from any open packet
• Keep perishable and healthy foods in the fridge
• Make sure to include items you can eat even when you feel sick
• Wash vegetables or any raw foods thoroughly
• Food preparation area or chopping board should be washed thoroughly to avoid contamination
• Maintain hand hygiene. Wash hand before and after eating.

High protein and high-calorie food

During cancer, our body’s metabolism called hypermetabolism increases that affect the requirement for high carbohydrate, protein and fat food. High-calorie food includesPudding, Egg nog, Milkshakes, Avocado, porridge Pulses and legumes, Curd, Milk, Beans, Mushroom, Chicken, Fish, and Eggs, etc.

Management of Side effects

Sometimes it becomes very difficult to manage the side effects. The side effects are like Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea, swallowing difficulty, Gastritis, taste alterations, and Appetite loss.

Constipation can be avoided by adding more fluids or just plain water. High fiber foods such as vegetables, whole grains also help to prevent constipation.

Diarrhea can be avoided by staying away from dehydration. Eat food always from a known source.

Swallowing difficulty can be solved by including liquid foods in daily diets. you can always choose shakes, soups or any other liquids.

Nausea can be reduced by avoiding strong odor and spicy foods. Drink plenty of water.

Taste alterations and Appetite loss can be replenished by adding high-calorie nutrient-rich foods.

• Add small, frequent meals.
• Eat 6-7 meals per day.

To conclude we can always say though you are not hungry, you have to eat before and during your cancer treatment. Eating well with high protein and high-calorie diet is important throughout the treatment to maintain the weight. Talk with your doctor, nurse, or dietitian about any eating problems that might affect you during cancer treatment. They can advise you about how to follow your special diet while coping with eating problems caused by cancer treatment.

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