Integritus Prime

Traditional sweet treats are used by people all over the world for celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, festivals, religious rituals and many more occasions. In the past, these festivities and the availability of traditional sweets may not have been so abundant as it is now. It used to be a pleasure to gather once in a while as a family to make sweets for special occasions. Sweets are generally associated with happiness, good omens, prosperity and celebration in most countries.

However, due to commercialization, migration (being away from families), and demand, many varieties of sweets are easily available at just about every corner shop. And, with increasing multiculturalism in our societies, we are celebrating many more occasions during the year with sweets or eating sweets whenever we want. Some commonly consumed sweets include Indian sweets (like gulab jamun, laddoo, barfi, jalebi), chocolates, ice cream, lollies, cakes, sweet pies and many other varieties of sweets all over the world.

Sweets may be very soothing to consume but if we look at the harm they are causing to our health, we need to pause and reevaluate the situation. Treats are generally high in refined sugar and flour as well as dairy products (such as butter, ghee, and milk). These not only increase the cholesterol level in our bodies but are also linked to increasing body weight, blood sugar levels and addiction (especially to refined sugar and flour). Lifestyle diseases are very common and nutrition plays a big role in determining whether we suffer from these Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) or not.

Being overweight or obese is one of the major risk factors for NCDs such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, strokes and kidney problems. In addition, not being active, taking too much salt, not dealing with stress or indulging in alcohol or smoking to relieve stress definitely leads to deteriorating health and early death.

5 tips to keep in mind when considering traditional sweets are:

1. Eat fewer pieces of the sweets at any one occasion, or limit to just one
2. Eat sweets less often and in smaller amounts in general throughout the year
3. Substitute dairy products with non-dairy items, e.g. use plant based milk instead of cow’s milk, and oil instead of butter or ghee
4. Use fruits or fruit sugar instead of refined sugars
5. Try whole wheat or oat flour or minimally processed starchy vegetable/root flour (such as breadfruit, cassava), ground nut or lentil flour instead of refined white flour

Making these changes may not only be a mindset change but also require willingness to adjust your tastebuds for your better health and wellness. The most important decision is to want to change your habits for a healthier body and mind. No change is possible unless you decide.

We at Alchemus Prime decided that we will not use any animal products or refined sugar or flour in our sweets and for the last few years have been making delicious sweet treats using alternative ingredients. Check out our wellness page to see what we have made so far, including our TreatBox and Flourishing Foods catering service. Don’t forget to check out our cookbooks as well.

The next blog in this series will discuss the tradition of consuming sugar-loaded and fatty snacks.

Share with us your challenges with sweet treats and how you are coping.

This blog is penned by our fearless wellness advisor, Dr. Margaret Cornelius.