Tips for Navratra Fasts

Hello everyone,

From today starts the auspicious festival of navratras. This is the time when everyone soaks into spirituality and the whole atmosphere is so serene.

During this time many people also fret about their weight loss.Today I am going to talk about healthy eating during navratra fasts.

How to go about navratra fasts

• First of all eat small frequent meals, this will not only give you energy for the day but will also keep your blood sugar levels stable and we all very well understand the importance of maintaining stable blood sugar levels in weight loss.

• It is essential to keep the body well hydrated. You can opt for various low calorie beverages such as water, lemon water, green tea, coconut water and chach etc.

• Instead of using frying as a cooking method opt for grilling, dry frying, roasting, baking or shallow frying to keep a watch on calorie intake.

• Meet your daily protein demand by including low fat homemade paner, low fat curd or milk.

• Certain people choose to eat one whole meal during fasting but if this meal if planned wisely may take care of most nutrients required by the body. Make use of vegetables like sweet potatoes and potatoes along with main meals. Some people also add tomatoes, bottle gourd, cucumber and leafy vegetables like spinach. Do not miss out on them if they are allowed in your fast. 

• Focus on concentrated sources of energy like nuts and dry fruits to keep getting the energy throughout the day. Eating whole fruit is always better than juice as it will give you the required fibre and make you feel full. 

• Treat you sweet tooth with fruit raita, fruit shakes, dried kajur or apple kheer.

• Avoid fried food items like potato chips and sabudana wadas. They are not a healthy way to fast and would lead to unnecessary acidity and weight gain.

• Include low calorie soups made out tomatoes and pumpkin in your meals to fill your stomach.

• Make better snack choices. Instead of munching on fried potato chips opt for healthier options like roasted makhana, 5-6 almonds, fruits (like apple, guava, pomegranate and mausami) and vegetables soup.

Expert mantra – Keep your portion control. Include any one cereal in your meal at a given time and accompany it with cooked or sauté vegetables and raita/ chach.

Have a happy navratras.Stay Healthy