Sugar-free sweets for this Diwali

KOZHIKODE: The health-conscious and those who have been advised to keep off sugar can still enjoy a sweet Diwali with the  sugar-free items available now in the shops here. “Festive delicacies are high in sugar, cholesterol and trans-fat,” said N. Raghava, owner of MC Bakery. “These are risky for a diabetic. But they can  safely use sugar-free sweets in small quantities,” he  said. They have high content of extra dietary fibres and complex carbohydrates which can satisfy the sweet tooth and keep a check on health, he added.

“We mainly use dry fruits to make Anjeer Sugarfree, Anjeer Katli and Kaju Khajur without using any substitute of sugar to keep their natural sweetness intact,”  said Ansar Ali, a vendor. “The dry fruits are  healthy and tasty and have a greater shelf life than normal sweets.  Doctors also say sugar-free sweets or sugarless sweets are safe for consumption as they are made with low calorie or zero calorie sweeteners,” he said.

A variety of Diwali sweets are sold at Punjab di Rasoi  and its owner Kushal Agarwal said, “this year we have a wide range of Diwali sweets like kaju kasata, kaju katle, pista burfi, ek badam burfi, ladoo, sonpapadi, milk peda, kesari and Mathura peda. Karachi halwa is the latest add-on to our  sweet options,”  he added.