Navratri Fasts- Make it Healthy!!

The festival season is here again starting with Navratri beginning today! Navratri literally translated means nine nights. Navratri is the time when Hindus pray to Goddess Durga and observe 9 days fast to seek her blessings. This is also a time when the weather changes, a time marked by the transition from summer to winter. This change in season may cause digestive problems and other health related issues.

The fast during this period can be helpful in many ways, if fasting is done in a healthy manner. So, here is a list of the dos and benefits of the fasting, which will be helpful in keeping you satisfied and also help to shed some weight, bring sugar levels in control and even help in controlling the blood pressure. This is because the foods eaten during fasting are gluten-free, high in fibre, rich in many vitamins and minerals these can help to detoxify the system.

1. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of liquids such as water, milk, coconut water and even fresh fruit juices. This will help in detoxifying the system, that is flushing out the toxins from the body.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, as these provide less calories and lots of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre. Fruits and vegetable also provide hydration. This helps to detoxify and rejuvenate the system.
3. Include nuts and dry fruits as these are rich in vitamins, minerals, good quality fats and fibre. These help to keep one satiated for long. These also provide some protein.
4. As this is a transition time from summer to winter, eating light foods will help in improving the digestive system.
5. Add milk and milk products like curd, to the daily fat diet to improve the protein content of the diet along with calcium and other important vitamins.
6. Use of rock salt or “sendha namak” should be done judiciously and only in cooking foods.
7. Incorporation of Buckwheat flour or “kuttu ka atta” and “sama rice” or barnyard millet help  in making the diet gluten free and easily digestible.
8. Buckwheat can be made into chapaties or shallow fry “tikkis” with thaddition of vagetables along with potatoes. It is high in fibre and protein, many important vitamins and minerals.
9. Barnyard millet used during this fast is actually a seed and not a grain. It can steamed or made with vegetables as in vegetable rice, or with milk as a dessert. It is rich in calcium and other minerals.
10. Using of less quantities of fat and spices while preparing fast food will help to keep the weight loss journey on track, help better control of sugar and blood pressure.
11. It is best to eat home made food and not include too many packaged foods or sweetened packaged derinks, so as to keep away from inclusion of trans fats, extra sugar, salt and calories.

Take proper rest, do not exert too much and avoid doing very strict fasting, that is, going without eating or drinking food as it is harmful to the system.

“HEALTH AND HEALING WILL FOLLOW FASTING, AS FASTING IS THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF MEDICINE” (Unknown)

HAPPY NAVRATRI!!!