The wedding bells are ringing!
You have found your soulmate, and you can’t wait for the D-day to arrive. You wish to look like a ravishing, beautiful, and stunning bride, and why not? A bride is a showstopper that evening! Follow healthy tips, suggestions, and a wedding diet plan to look and feel radiant on your big day!
The planning and the wedding-blues!
While this is the happiest phase of your life, planning for the wedding takes a toll on the family members and the bride-to-be.
Let’s not deny it! Planning a wedding of your dreams is hard work, and the months before the big day may pose a whirlpool of tasks like shopping, salon visits, family get-togethers, preparations, dress and dance rehearsals, invitations, and the list goes on.
Amidst all this, healthy eating takes a back seat with all the visitors at home and such action-packed days. It is best for the bride-to-be to maintain an easy, simple and sustainable diet plan with all the chaotic and hectic days.
Crash- diet? A big NO!
Many brides-to-be go on a crash diet for quick results to fit perfectly in their wedding ensemble. A pre-wedding diet is not a crash diet. This is not healthy, and you are prone to regain the lost weight in no time. Also, the motivation behind this should be to maintain a healthy lifestyle as you enter the most beautiful and exciting phase of being a woman.
The seven non-negotiable tips for a bride-to-be:
- Finish your dinner every day before 7.30 pm.
- Exercise every day for at least 45 minutes. Include a 30-minute brisk walk in your daily schedule.
- Mini-meal policy—Eat small meals every 3 hours.
- You are allowed cheat meals, now and then, till the third month, but NO cheat meals one month before the wedding day.
- Keep a target of 8-10 glasses of water every day.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Stay happy!
Here are a few suggestions for an easy to maintain pre-wedding diet:
1 Stay Hydrated—‘Hydration Hydration Hydration’
We all know the simple mantra. Drink at least two to three litres of water every day. It is best to carry a sipper or a water bottle and keep it handy at all times. Why not add a label ‘Bride-to-be’ on your water bottle for that extra motivation!
You can also drink lemon water without sugar, coconut water, fruits with more water content, vegetable juice to keep your body hydrated at all times.
The good thing about keeping your body hydrated is it helps to flush out all the toxins from the body, which gives you flawless skin, beautiful nails, shiny hair and also helps in losing weight.
2 A full colourful plate of nutrition
One should not avoid carbs. Avoid simple carbs and include complex carbs in your diet like whole grain wheat, ragi, oats, brown bread, brown pasta, etc. Add salads, protein, and green vegetables to your plate. Include lentils like kidney beans, chickpeas, kala chana, etc. Lentils are an excellent source of protein and also have a lot of minerals.
3 Avoid ‘Whites’
Avoid white flour or maida, white sugar, white rice, etc.
4 Include healthy fats
Include healthy fats like avocados, nuts and seeds in your diet. These nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds have Omega 3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which are considered the right kind of fats to improve skin and hair health.
5 Don’t forget your greens
Eat leafy green vegetables packed with antioxidants as a part of your meal.
6 The raw angle
Include raw vegetables like carrot, cucumber, tomato in the form of salad. You can eat a salad with your meals or eat them separately. These vegetables are loaded with antioxidants to fight against free radical damage.
7 Fruits for glowing bridal skin
Having a fruit, first thing in the morning (within 5-10 minutes of waking up), does wonder! One should eat fruits in-between meals.
The five foods to eat before your wedding for glowing skin:
- Beetroots– The anti-inflammatory properties, vitamins and minerals in beetroot prevent acne and make your skin glow. A tall glass of beetroot juice every other day is sure to get your body rid of toxins and purify the blood.
- Pomegranates– Gives you supple and baby soft skin.
- Almonds– This tiny nut is packed with Vitamin E and keeps your skin youthful.
- Tomato– The antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes prevents the skin’s aging and gives it a natural glow. The acidic nature of tomatoes also helps in keeping dark spots, pimples and acne at bay.
- Strawberries– Improves skin complexion, reduces skin wrinkles and fine lines.
8 Eating out and the bachelorette party
Following a pre-wedding diet should not stop you from having fun. Enjoy these ‘single girl status’ carefree days. Be it your bachelorette party to honour your singlehood or hanging out with your friends at your favourite restaurant; you can always keep a watch on your diet.
Plan a healthy menu, and lest you forget, a healthy menu need not be boring. You and your friends can pre-plan healthy meals and snacks and dance the night away. Opt for healthy eating options at the restaurant; for example, an alternative to pizza could be a whole wheat base or choose wholewheat pita bread with hummus.
9 What should you avoid?
- Stay away from sweetened and processed food
- Avoid trans fats like cakes, pastries, biscuits, and canned juice
- Avoid alcohol—It affects your skin and also hinders weight loss
Pre-wedding diet plan
The earlier you start the pre-wedding diet, the better.
Here is a sample of the pre-wedding Indian diet plan with a variety of choices. The servings need to be carefully planned as per the individual. At HealthifyMe, we have trained nutritionists who can chalk out the pre-wedding diet plan customized just for you, as per your body requirements and health goals.
Early morning: 1 glass of lukewarm water as soon as you wake up.
Morning: 4-5 soaked almonds/one banana/lemon water infused with ginger/water infused with a pinch of cinnamon/jeera water/green tea.
Breakfast: Pick any one from Idli sambhar/oats with added vegetables/egg white omelette with a glass of orange juice/poha/upma/whole-wheat toast with egg whites/oats cheela/papaya or banana or spinach smoothie/boiled eggs.
Snack: Salad as per your choice—salads made of chickpea/peanuts/sprouts. You can add onions, tomatoes, cucumber and a dash of chat masala or just simple dressing of lemon juice, pink salt and pepper powder to the same. Flavoured yoghurt/lettuce salad/fruit salad/2 boiled eggs/vegetable salad.
Lunch: Roti or rice, leafy vegetable Dal (palak, dill leaves, moringa leaves, methi, etc.), sabzi, curd. Dahi rice or curd rice is your best bet when you have an evening party to attend.
Snack: Fruit salad/handful of nuts and seeds/roasted makhanas for snacks/one glass of buttermilk/Peanut salad or hummus with vegetable croutons.
Dinner (Before 7.30 pm strictly): For dinner, you can have roasted or grilled chicken/methi roti with dal and sabzi/Baked chicken with salad/Sauteed vegetables with or without chicken/a bowl of dal with sabji and vegetable salad/Rotis made of multigrain atta with sabji and dal.
Consistency is always the key to a successful diet plan. It is all about making healthy food choices. A well-balanced nutrition plan is always the best bet to reduce weight variability. A well-balanced diet and regular exercise will also help you maintain your weight even after the wedding.
Above all, stay happy. Smile often and don’t stress. Weddings are stressful with all the planning and the last minute errands. You are sure to look back and laugh-off at these chaotic, anxious, and at the same time, fun-filled days. It is advisable to join a health club or a gym. If going out for work-outs is the last thing on your mind, hire an online personal fitness-instructor along with a nutritionist or a registered dietitian who can help you get in shape from the comforts of your home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What should I eat before my wedding?
Eat balanced meals with proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Drink a lot of water. Aim for at least 8-10 glasses of water.
Q. What are the foods that burn belly fat?
Fruits like avocados, bananas and berries, yoghurt, green tea, citrus fruits are foods along with regular exercises are helpful in cutting down that stubborn fat you wish to get rid of.
Q. How can I slim down before my wedding?
Eat smaller portions at regular intervals, avoid empty calories in your diet. Include a lot of fruits and vegetables in your diet; choose low-fat milk and low-fat lean meat.
Q. What food makes your face glow?
Apart from the five foods (almonds, tomatoes, strawberry, beetroot, pomegranates) mentioned above in the article, walnuts, sunflower seeds, red or yellow bell peppers, and fatty fish (salmon and herring) are sure to give you that glow.
Q. Which foods should a bride-to-be avoid?
Stay away from sweetened and processed food. Avoid trans fats like cakes, pastries, biscuits and canned juice. Avoid alcohol—It affects your skin and also hinders weight loss.
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