Navratri Fasting: What, When and How Many Times Should You Eat? – News18

Sharadiya Navratri began on October 3, during which some people observe fasts for the entire nine days to please the Goddess, while others fast only on the first and last days of Navratri. There are various approaches to a fruit diet and consuming food during fasting.

Some individuals remain hungry and thirsty for all nine days, while others prefer a fruit diet or have food once a day, and some do so two to three times a day. Some believe that fasting will help them lose weight and they tend to drastically reduce their food intake.

According to health experts, fasting is not only about religious sentiments, it also has a significant impact on health. Therefore, it is essential to adopt the right approach to eating during fasting to ensure that both the mind and body benefit adequately.

Dietician Manisha Verma from Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital explains the proper way to eat fruits and maintain nutrition during fasting. She says that fasting helps purify the body by removing toxins, calming the mind, and providing relief to the body.

However, it is important to understand that instead of fasting by remaining hungry for the entire day or all nine days, one should consume something or eat fruits.

“The body requires nutrition every day. If you refrain from eating for an extended period, the energy and nutrients already present in the body can only compensate for a short time. Therefore, it’s important to consume fruits, dry fruits, and beverages on fasting days to stay hydrated,” she says.

For good health, it is advisable to eat small amounts several times throughout the day — at least three times. If you are consuming fruits only twice, be sure to drink juice, buttermilk, or any other beverage in between, and stay hydrated with plenty of water. Eating some dry fruits like cashews, almonds, peanuts, or walnuts is also good for health.

Verma also says that fasting all day and then consuming a large meal in the evening is bad for health. If you intend to eat after a long fast, remember to start with only a small portion of food or fruits. Overindulging in potatoes, fried foods, or sweets can lead to health issues.

After the fast, aim for a simple diet. Food options like curd, cucumber, apples, lightly cooked potatoes with minimal ghee, sago khichdi, kheer, khichdi made from sawan rice, buckwheat flour rotis, or simple sweets made from bottle gourd. It’s important to maintain a 50-50 ratio of liquid to solid foods during the fast, and if you eat something fried, ensure that the other items are simple.

Does staying hungry the whole day reduce weight?

Dietician Manisha Verma explains that people who remain hungry all day and then consume large quantities of fried and roasted foods in the evening often find that their weight increases instead of decreasing.

Eating small amounts of food several times a day requires energy for digestion, helping to prevent fat accumulation. Conversely, consuming excessive food at night and then going to sleep can burden the liver, leading to fat accumulation.