Healthy fasting tips during Navratri
Navratri begins today and the next nine days and nights will be full of fun, festivity and devotion. Many people fast during these nine days. Fasting is a kind of detox for the body. But it is beneficial if one the right way. So here are a few tips to fast the healthy way.
- Hydrate: October heat is quite harsh in many parts of India. The heat plus the fasting increases your body’s need for hydration. Sip on healthy drinks like chaas, coconut water, lemon water, kokum sharbat etc. These liquids also ensure that you get your nutrients. Stay away from too much tea and coffee.
- Grains: Have a variety of grains like kuttu (buckwheat), rajgira (amaranth), singhara (water chestnut), sama rice and sabudana (sago).
- Vegetables: Have a variety of vegetables like potato, yam, sweet potato and pumpkin which are allowed during fasts. You can make potato or sweet potato chaats and have them as a snack. Avoid frying potatoes as they add extra calories.
- Fruits: Consume seasonal fruits throughout the day. They fill you up, keep your blood glucose in check, provide nutrients and they also provide essential fibre.
- Fat: Avoid too much ghee during the fast. Instead, have nuts as a source of good fat.
- Dairy: Milk and curd are good to consume during fast. A glass of milk with fruits or dry fruits can make a good breakfast.
- While breaking the fast at the end of the day avoid a very heavy meal.
A sample diet during fasting can look like this:
Breakfast: 1 glass milkshake/smoothie OR fruits +milk
Midmorning: coconut water with malai
Lunch: Sabudana khichadi with peanut+curd
Evening: Boiled sweet potato chaat/makhana/trail mix
Dinner: 2 kuttu/rajgira roti+sabji+curd OR sama rice+sabji+curd
With the help of this above sample plan, I am sure the nine days of Navratri will pass as a song 🙂
