Click here to view Petha recipe.The Petha is a special north Indian mithai that is especially famous in some regions like Agra and Mathura. The moment you have a look at the ingredients list you will realise that this sweet is very unlike other sweets you might have cooked or tasted before. Simply put, the Petha is a sweetened cube of ash gourd, but the use of ingredients like lime and alum, as well as the special preparation procedure, give it a off-beat texture that is crisp, juicy, chewy and kind of melt-in-the-mouth too!

It is quite difficult to explain the fabulous experience, which has to be tried first-hand to understand. The Petha can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks, so you can comfortably make a large batch and enjoy it whenever you wish. The Rajasthanis especially like to pop a Petha into their mouth after meals, so you could try doing that too.

Is Petha healthy?

No, this is not healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

Ash Gourd :  Due to its diuretic action, it increases the output of urine and washes out waste products from the body. Ash gourd juice when combined with water can be given to people who have peptic ulcers. Cooked and sweetened ash gourd can help people suffering from heart ailments, anemia, body heat etc.

What's the problem?

1. Sugar : Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Can diabetics, heart patients and over weight individuals have Petha?

No, this recipe is not good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. 

Can healthy individuals have Petha?

No, too much sugar used in the recipe. 

What is a healthier Indian dessert option ?

We suggest you try low fat gajjar halwa recipe which uses dates as a sweetener and low fat milk which works well for diabetics. Also Dry fruits stuffed dates is healthy. Make oats and mixed nuts ladoo recipe which is sweetened by jaggery,  oats and dates kheer and anjeer and mixed nuts barfi, dates and nut coconut balls sweetened by dates and zero sugar used.

Anjeer and Mixed Nut Barfi

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet.

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss. 

How to burn 74 calories that come from one piece of Petha?

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.