Diwali, the grand Indian festival of lights, is celebrated all over the world and is known as an occasion for feasting. In olden times, fasting or eating in moderation was observed during Diwali to do self- reflection and attain spiritual purification. This sacred time encourages us to contemplate our thoughts and actions. Fasting and eating in moderation is important in our traditions as a personal act of devotion and introspection.

Common fasting practices during Diwali

• Fasting Days: Some fast for a single day, while others observe fasting for multiple days, often linked to specific deities and cultural significance.
• Partial Fasting: Involves abstaining from grains while consuming water, milk, fruits, and vegetables.
• Waterless Fast: The most intense form of fasting which involves abstaining from both food and water from sunrise to sunset.
• No Onion and Garlic: Avoiding onion and garlic, to maintain a pure state of mind.

The Yogic Diet

The practice of fasting during Diwali is connected to the concept of Ahara or food in yoga.

Ahara, or diet, is one of the four tenets of yoga and reflects our Swadharma or duty to ourselves and therefore, rigorous fasting such as waterless fasting is not advised in yoga.

Yogis emphasize the importance of being mindful about the food we consume—whether we overindulge, eat too little, or choose the wrong types of food.

Mitahara or Moderation in Eating

Following is the yogic concept of Mitahara or the practice of eating in moderation, which is akin to the principles of fasting during Diwali.

• Fill half the stomach with solid food.
• One-quarter should be reserved for water.
• Leave the remaining quarter empty for the movement of air and gases.
• This method allows for efficient digestion and prevents overburdening the digestive system.

The Three Types of Food

In yoga, food is classified into three categories, based on the three gunas or qualities of nature:

Sattvic: Fresh, light, and natural foods that are easily digestible and bring clarity and balance. Examples include milk, seasonal vegetables, fruits, cereals (wheat, unpolished rice), pulses (moong dal), honey, jaggery, and herbs like ginger and cumin.

Rajasic: Foods that are stimulating and increase activity but can lead to restlessness if consumed in excess.

Tamasic: Heavy, stale, or processed foods that promote lethargy and dullness.

Eating sattvic foods and staying hydrated are the basic rules for fasting on Diwali.

Eating with Awareness: A very important aspect of the yogic diet is the state of mind while eating.

Mauna: Practicing mauna or silence while eating brings awareness, encouraging one to be present and fully aware of the process of eating.

Distractions like watching television while eating can lead to overeating and negative emotions, which disrupt digestion.

Creating a Positive Atmosphere: It’s important to consciously generate a happy and peaceful environment during meals. Avoid focusing on likes and dislikes. Instead, approach food with gratitude and a calm mind.

Fasting and eating in moderation during Diwali has more than just physical benefits. It is a practice that aligns with the yogic traditions that encourage us to purify our bodies and to grow spiritually. Diwali is a festival that leads us from darkness to light and eating lightly helps us to walk on this illuminated path with ease and grace.

In a world where food fads, “clean eating” trends, and #wellness culture dominate our social feeds, the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle can sometimes take a dangerous turn. Experts are raising concerns about the rise of orthorexia nervosa—an eating disorder that disguises itself as healthy eating but quickly spirals into obsessive and restrictive behavior. First named by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1997, orthorexia nervosa combines the Greek words “ortho” (correct) and “orexi” (appetite), and while it is not officially recognized as a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5, it is acknowledged as an unspecified feeding and eating disorder.

A Hypothetical Case: When Healthy Turns Harmful

Consider “Mr. P,” a 30-year-old man whose life once revolved around balanced nutrition and fitness. What began as a quest to feel healthy evolved into rigid dietary restrictions. He progressively eliminated entire food groups and eventually prided himself on only consuming organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, and juices. He spent hours planning meals, refused to eat at restaurants, and judged others’ eating habits. Slip-ups led to shame and fasting.

Despite no alarming lab results or medical history, his mental state—marked by anxiety, guilt, and social withdrawal—indicated something deeper. He wasn’t just eating clean; he was consumed by the idea of eating “right.” This is where orthorexia differs from simply being health-conscious—it’s about control, anxiety, and moral judgment tied to food.

The Language of Clean Eating—and Its Pitfalls

The modern obsession with clean eating is more than just a wellness trend. It’s filled with rules, recipe swaps, and approved grocery lists, often seen on influencer pages or even reputable medical websites. While raising awareness about food sourcing and sustainability is valuable, the phrase “clean eating” is inherently problematic. It creates a dichotomy—foods are either “clean” or “dirty.” That moral value system fuels guilt, shame, and rigidity.

Harriet Brown, author of Brave Girl Eating, emphasizes that “language shapes the way we view the world.” Once food is tied to morality, any deviation from these rules can feel like a personal failure. Diet culture, amplified by social media and health influencers, reinforces this mindset, normalizing disordered behaviors.

Orthorexia Is Not Just a Diet Gone Too Far

While diets like clean eating might appear harmless, orthorexia is a severe mental health condition. According to experts, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among mental illnesses. The key difference lies in flexibility and intention. Healthy eating supports overall wellbeing and allows room for variety, spontaneity, and enjoyment. Orthorexia, on the other hand, involves rigid thinking, fear, and anxiety around food choices.

Registered dietitian Jessica Setnick highlights this distinction through her model contrasting positive and pathological nutrition. When food choices are driven by fear, shame, or rigid rules—rather than nourishing your body and lifestyle—it may signal disordered eating.

So, How Can You Tell the Difference?

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel anxious or guilty when I eat certain foods?
• Do I avoid social events because of food?
• Do I spend an excessive amount of time planning or thinking about my meals?
• Do I judge others (or myself) for eating differently?

If the answer is yes, it may be time to reflect on your relationship with food.

There’s Help—and Hope

Orthorexia, like other eating disorders, is treatable. A clinical interview with a mental health professional is key to diagnosis, often supported by input from family or friends. If you’re experiencing distress, guilt, or rigidity around food, know that you're not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it without support. Eating should nourish both your body and your life.

Everything Korean today is a trend. Among all these trends, there is a Korean diet which is going viral because it claims for a rapid weight loss, that too in just 4 weeks!

The diet came on the program called "Switch On Diet", which is created by Dr Yong-Woo Park, known for treating obesity for the last 33 years. The diet "aims to return metabolic abnormalities to normal weight through 4 weeks of practice". The diet claims to promote fat loss and muscle mass retention.

So, What Is This Switch On Diet?

This diet focuses on intermittent fasting and gut health optimization. The diet mainly comprises of protein-heavy meals and also emphasizes on hydration, notes New York Post.

Rule Of Thumb For Switch On Diet

The basic rules include:

• Drink eight glasses of water or two litres of water
• Get at least six hours of sleep
• Consume nutritional supplements
• Practise 10-14 hours of intermittent fasting
• Perform high-intensity workouts at least four times a week
• Have dinner at least 4 hours before bedtime

The program also advises against coffee intake and suggests that one must limit caffeine and alcohol consumption, along with processed food and sugar. The diet also restricts carbohydrates to allow the body to enter a state of ketosis, which is a metabolic state characterized by rapid levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues, which are pathological in conditions, such as diabetes, or the consequence of diet which is very low in carbohydrates. This is when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose.

How Can You Follow This Diet, Weekly?

Here's a weekly overview of how this diet could be followed:

Week 1 - Detox And Gut Cleansing

The first week focuses mainly on detoxing your body and cleansing your gut. Participants in this phase thus consume protein shake four times a day, for three days. Probiotics too play an essential role by emptying stomach. This is also followed by at least an hour of walking.

What Is Allowed: Cabbage, cucumbers, broccoli, tofu, and unsweetened yogurt. Participants can also consume fish, chicken, pork, eggs, low-fat meat. However, flour, dairy and coffee are not allowed.

Week 2 - Intermittent Fasting

During the second week, participants start fasting for one day, for a total of 24 hours. This fast is broken with a high-protein dinner.

The meal afterwards include a daily lineup of two protein shakes, low-carbs meal, which also includes rice, vegetables, and a no-carb dinner, which is high in protein.

What Is Allowed: White rice, legumes, and a cup of black coffee.

This phase mainly focuses on muscle recovery, and so high-intensity workouts are avoided during this time.

Week 3 and 4 - Fat Burn

In the last two weeks is when the diet goes in its full fledged mode. This is when the focus is solely on the fat-burning process. The week 3 is started with two non-consecutive 24-hour fasting periods. In week 4, these fasting days are up by one extra.

What Is Allowed: Two shakes a day and two low-carbs meal. You can have pumpkins, cherry tomatoes, chestnuts, and berries.

Post-exercise, carb-dense foods like sweet potatoes and bananas are encouraged.

Maintenance is the key

Even after the program is finished, it is important that people maintain their results with a 24-hour fast and a 14-hour fast window once a week.

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. On an average an American drinks about 240 milliliter of coffee in a day and a cup of it generally has about 120-180 milligrams of caffeine. The relationship between caffeine intake and people with diabetes has always been up for debate. According to Mayo clinic, caffeine can affect the way your body uses insulin, which could lead to higher or lower blood sugar. While some experts say that it is safe for them to drink coffee in moderation, it depends on each person differently.

If you are a regular coffee drinker, and do not know how to get rid of the habit, this suggestion by Diabetes UK may be of use to you. As there is a common belief that the risk of a person developing type 2 diabetes is based on what kind of diet and lifestyle they follow. When you are at risk of it, you have to make some necessary changes in order to lead a relatively healthy life.

Diabetes UK suggests a surprising switch: choose tea or coffee instead of fruit juice. If you can drink these hot drinks without adding extra sugar, it could be a simple way to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.

How Is Coffee Better For Type 2 Diabetes Than Fruit Juice

People with type 2 diabetes have to avoid many things including foods that are perceived to be healthy but tend to have lot of natural sugar. Fruit juices might seem healthy compared to coffee, but many popular brands have a lot of added sugar. Even juices made only from fruit can still have a lot of natural sugars. Experts on diabetes say it's better to eat whole fruits like apples, grapes, and berries instead of drinking their juice. Whole fruits have fiber, which helps your body absorb sugar slowly and stops the quick sugar rushes you get from juice.

We know that fizzy drinks and energy drinks with lots of sugar are linked to problems like type 2 diabetes. Giving up caffeine from these drinks can be hard. If plain tea or coffee doesn't appeal to you, try versions with fewer calories or no added sugar. This can help satisfy your cravings without increasing your diabetes risk. Diabetes UK also points out that even losing a small amount of weight, like 1kg, can help lower your risk.

Important Point To Keep In Mind

It's important to remember that some things that increase your risk of type 2 diabetes are out of your control. Diabetes UK explains that people with African Caribbean, Black African, or South Asian family backgrounds, as well as those who have family members with type 2 diabetes, tend to have a higher chance of developing the condition.

How you make your coffee can also be a game changer. A study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that filtering coffee, like with a paper filter, is better for your health than just boiling the ground and drinking the water. This was especially true for older adults.

However, the Harvard Health Publishing states that “the study is observational and doesn't prove that filtered coffee is healthier than unfiltered coffee, but it makes sense.”. However, it makes sense because unfiltered coffee has things called diterpenes that can raise your cholesterol.