Nutritious Navratri Diet Plan
Reduce Fat While Fasting – Navratri Edition
Many people observe fast during this nine-day-long celebration where nine avatars of Goddess Durga are worshipped. The nine-day fasting does not only have religious purposes but scientific backing too. The restriction of food is a way of disciplining the senses. It empowers an individual with nutrients that make them not just physically stronger but helps bring about a balance at the hormonal level too. This is because of the diversity of foods that are traditionally eaten during this time.
Navratri fasts have many variations too. Some people take only water while some take fruits, others also take one meal a day. Either way, it is a great opportunity to get rid of the body’s toxins and boost your metabolism and immunity. We get a variety of vrat snacks and dishes in the market which makes us skip homemade healthy food. This in turn makes us gain a few extra pounds instead of cleansing our bodies. Therefore, it is very important to keep the gut light and healthy, to eat fruits and vegetables, and stay hydrated throughout the day. Also, it is worth mentioning that Navratri marks the change of seasons and so it is comparatively easy to attract seasonal infections during this period.
Health benefits of fasting during Navratri
- Reduces bloating
- A complete gluten-free diet is followed
- Boosts immunity through detoxification
- Food taken during this period promotes gut health and bowel movement
- Navratri diet if followed as per the Sattvik lifestyle can lead to fat as well as weight loss
- Since people eat a restricted diet once a day, our digestive system gets the much-needed break
- Food taken during Navratri include lots of fruits, green vegetables, healthy spices, fruits and fruit juice, and buttermilk
- Navratri diet is a good way of stepping into intermittent fasting which has endless benefits such as regulating blood cholesterol levels and improving overall health
- Starving during Navratri leads to autophagy, the body’s way of cleansing damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells
- According to Ayurveda, fasting recharges the digestive fibres thereby reducing dullness and lethargy
Permitted food items
- Buckwheat/Kuttu
- Shamak Rice/Barnyard millet
- Sabudana
- Arrowroot flour
- Foxnut
- Boiled sweet potatoes
- Ghee, milk, buttermilk
- Tender coconut water, juices and vegetable soup
- Fruits like papaya, pear, apple, raw banana
Restricted food items
- Sunflower oil
- Onion and garlic
- Coffee and ice creams
- Lentils and legumes
- Alcohol and smoking
- Eggs and non-veg food
- Rice, wheat, maida, besan and sooji
- Spices like haldi, hing, mustard, methi, garam masala and dhaniya powder
Easy Recipes
If you are fasting on this Navratri for religious reasons or to lose some weight, I have the perfect meal options for you that will not only help you detox but also keep you fresh and energetic these nine days while also treating your taste buds! Let’s see how.
APPLE CRISP BARS
Calorie Per Serving – 296 kcal
Per serving*
- Protein – 5 g
- CHO – 38 g
- Healthy fat – 15 g
- Sugar – 27 g
- Potassium – 210 mg
- Calcium – 4%
- Vitamin A – 4%
- Vitamin C – 3.5%
- Iron – 2.7%
- Sodium – 44.5 mg
- Fibre – 4.3 g
Ingredients
Crust
- 120 gms Honey
- 12 gms Brown sugar or jaggery
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon powder
- 15 gms Roasted walnuts
- 150 gms of Coconut or almond flour
Apple filling
- 400 gms of thinly sliced apples
- 2 tbsp almond/coconut flour
- 24 gms jaggery/brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tbsp nutmeg powder
Crumble topping
- 45 gms white butter
- 72 gms brown sugar
- 60 gms arrowroot/water chestnut flour
Crust – Blend all the ingredients of the shortbread crust except for the walnuts, evenly layer it on the base of your baking dish and bake for 10 minutes.
Apple filling – Add the thinly sliced apples to a medium-sized bowl and coat the apples in all the dry ingredients.
Crumble – Mix butter and sugar with a hand blender and add flour and bind until the crumble is combined.
Assemble – Layer the crumble and apple filling on top of your crust, repeat it to form as many layers as you like. Sprinkle the remaining crumb on top and bake it for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 2 hours once it cools down and cut it into desired pieces.
Keep it overnight for best results. Enjoy it chilled or warm!
RAINBOW SALAD
Calorie Per Serving – 262 kcal
Per serving*
- CHO – 35 g
- Protein – 12.4 g
- Fat – 10 g
- Sodium – 281 mg
- Potassium – 577.6 mg
- Fibre – 5.2 g
- Sugar – 24.8 g
- Vitamin A – 5.9%
- Vitamin C – 34.8%
- Calcium – 19.7%
- Iron – 10.7%
Ingredients
- 200 g Red grapes
- 200 g Torn organic baby spinach
- 30 g Roasted walnuts
- 200 g Cubed green apples
- 200 g Pomegranate
- 250 g Homemade cottage cheese
Dressing
- 15 ml Honey
- A pinch of rock salt
- 1 tbsp Chaat masala
- 150 g Homemade hung curd
Assemble – Add all the ingredients into a big bowl, prepare the dressing in a separate bowl and pour it just before eating for that crunch.
GREEN GODDESS SMOOTHIE
Calorie per serving – 260 kcal
Per serving*
- CHO – 45.2 g
- Protein – 6.8 g
- Fat – 6.4 g
- Sodium – 312.5 mg
- Cholesterol – 0
- Fibre – 11.8 g
- Potassium – 1325.4 mg
- Vitamin A – 43%
- Vitamin C – 386.2%
- Calcium – 10.5%
- Iron – 24.8%
Ingredients
- 300 ml Coconut water
- A handful of spinach leaves
- 100 g Ripe guava
- A pinch of rock salt
- 5g Grated ginger
- A pinch of cinnamon powder
- 5 g Pumpkin seeds
- 100 g Cucumber
- 5 g Pistacchio
- 20 g Dates
Assemble – Blend all together and your thick Green Goddess smoothie is ready to be served.
SWEET POTATO CHAAT
Calorie per serving – 323 kcal
Per serving*
- CHO – 51 g
- Fat – 12 g
- Protein – 7 g
Ingredients
- 50 g cubed apples
- Brown sugar
- 50 g ripe papaya
- 6 tbsp homemade curd
- 50 g pomegranate
- A pinch of rock salt
- 1 tbsp chaat masala
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 5 g pumpkin seeds
Assemble – Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mix well and garnish with pumpkin seeds. Enjoy a nutritious evening snack!
Stretching and Asanas
Sattvic diet taken during Navratri improves our physical health, pairing it with pranayama will help us in attaining a calm state of mind. Pranayama is the practice of regulating our breath. An exercise for physical and mental wellness involves inhaling, exhaling and holding our breath in specific sequences giving us better concentration.
Warm-up
- Neck movement
- Arm rotation
- Waist rotation
- Squats – 10
- Lunges – 10
- Surya Namaskar 5-10
Pranayama Schedule
Start with your Pranayamas after completing your stretches and warm-up exercises
- Start your day with Jal Neti for proper cleansing of your body
- Kapal Randhra Dhouti and Kapal Bhati Kriya are mandatory after Jal Neti
- In order to increase your gastric fire, perform 3 rounds of Bhastrika Pranayama with 10 reps of forceful inhalation and exhalation.
- Next, practice 3 rounds of 10 Agnisara each. If possible, pair it with Uddiyan Bandha and (throat lock) Jalandhara Bandha
- Perform 10 rounds of Nadi Shodhana
- Practice belly breathing with complete mindfulness for at least 5 minutes.
- Sit up and practice 5 rounds of Anulom Vilom and end your pranayamas with 5 minutes of Bhramari