The mithai boxes have started arriving, and somehow every relative's kaju katli is "just one piece, beta". Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November this year, so here's a plan that keeps the sweets and loses the slump.
You don't need to skip mithai this Diwali. Enjoy one piece at a time, after a proper meal rather than on an empty stomach, favour besan, nut or chana-based sweets over syrup-soaked ones, and take a short walk afterwards. These simple habits can soften the glucose rise without taking the joy out of the festival.
Last updated: November 2026
The problem
Diwali week is a sweet marathon. Boxes at work, a plate at every visit, a little extra prasad, and kheer after dinner. It adds up fast.
India's dietary guidelines suggest keeping sugar to about 20–25 g a day for adults (ICMR-NIN, 2024). WHO puts its extra-benefit line at roughly 25 g, or 6 teaspoons (WHO, 2015). One generous festive evening can cross that before the phuljhadis are out.
Why it happens
Most mithai is sugar plus refined flour, milk solids or ghee. Sugar-syrup sweets like gulab jamun, jalebi and rasgulla deliver a lot of quickly absorbed sugar with little protein or fibre to slow it down.
It isn't the sugar alone. It's the speed. When sweets land on an empty stomach, glucose has nothing to queue behind.
Order and movement help
In a small study of 11 adults with type 2 diabetes, eating vegetables and protein before carbohydrates led to glucose that was 28.6%, 36.7% and 16.8% lower at 30, 60 and 120 minutes than eating the carbs first (Shukla et al., 2015). Dessert after a full plate follows the same logic.
Movement helps too. A 10-minute walk after meals lowered post-meal glucose by 12% in adults with type 2 diabetes, and by 22% after the evening meal (Reynolds et al., 2016).
What to do
- Eat mithai after a meal, not instead of one. Dal, sabzi, paneer or a salad first; the sweet comes last.
- One piece, then pause. Take one piece, enjoy it properly, and wait ten minutes before deciding on a second. Halve a big piece with someone you love.
- Pick sweets with some substance. Besan ladoo, dry-fruit barfi, chikki or roasted chana-based sweets bring protein, fat and a little fibre. Syrup-soaked sweets are mostly sugar; keep them for the one you truly love.
- Walk after the big dinner. A 10-minute stroll to see the neighbourhood lights counts.
- Drink water, not sherbet. Sweetened drinks and colas add sugar without filling you up.
- Making mithai at home? Cut the sugar in the recipe by a quarter; most families never notice, especially with cardamom, saffron and nuts doing the talking.
Did you know? In the 2016 walking study, the walk after dinner did almost twice as much as the average across meals: a 22% drop in post-meal glucose (Reynolds et al., 2016). Diwali dinners are the perfect excuse.
FAQ
Which Indian sweet is best for blood sugar?
No mithai is "good" for blood sugar, but sweets made with besan, nuts or chana bring some protein and fat. Eaten in small portions after a meal, they're usually a gentler choice than syrup-soaked sweets.
Can people with diabetes eat mithai at Diwali?
Many can enjoy a small portion as part of a planned meal. Talk to your doctor about what fits your medicines and targets, and check your sugar if you use a meter.
Is it better to eat sweets before or after a meal?
After. Research on food order shows glucose rises less when carbohydrates come after vegetables and protein.
Have a happy, bright and balanced Diwali. Save this for the week ahead, and read how food order lowers glucose spikes, why walking after meals helps and our jaggery vs sugar myth buster.
This article is for information, not medical advice. If you have diabetes or take medication, talk to your doctor before changing your diet.
Research & References
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Dietary Guidelines for Indians. ICMR-NIN, 2024. — Supports: adult sugar limit of 20–25 g a day.
- World Health Organization. WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children. WHO, 2015. — Supports: free sugars below 10% of energy, with further benefit below 5% (about 25 g, 6 teaspoons).
- Shukla AP, et al. Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Diabetes Care, 2015. — Supports: lower post-meal glucose when carbohydrates are eaten last.
- Reynolds AN, et al. Advice to walk after meals is more effective for lowering postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus than advice that does not specify timing: a randomised crossover study. Diabetologia, 2016. — Supports: 12% lower post-meal glucose with 10-minute post-meal walks; 22% after dinner.
