Fasting During Navratri That also helps in healthy weight loss

Fasting during Navratri is a common practice in Indian households. Indians follow Navratri with deep devotion, belief, and values. You will find many women and men who observe fasting during this period. Here is a quick guide on how you can use fasting during Navratri for a double purpose. Yes! Find your guide to fasting during Navratri that also helps in healthy weight loss.

Navratri is a Hindu festival of worship and dance, celebrated in different ways across India. The word Navaratri literally means “nine nights” in Sanskrit; nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi, i.e., female divinity, are worshipped. The festival is observed twice a year—once at the beginning of summer and once as winter is about to begin.

Fasting During Navratri

Fasting during Navratri is a common tradition. If these 9-day fasts are observed correctly, they not only help in detoxification but also provide much-needed rest to your body’s organs. The correct way of fasting during Navratri also supports healthy weight loss along with other benefits. The type of benefit each person receives varies based on their eating patterns.

People who are vegetarians only during Navratas

Vegetable Juice

Ingredients: Bottle gourd, tomato, ginger (to taste), and an apple.
Procedure: Blend all the ingredients.
Benefits: This juice is a powerhouse of micronutrients. It is rich in Vitamins A, B, and C. It boosts immunity, lowers the risk of heart disease, and is anti-cancer.

Fruits

Apple, pear, guava:
contains pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower blood cholesterol levels and cleanse the blood vessels.

Pineapple, mosambi, orange, amla, lemon, kiwi:
These fruits are rich in Vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant. It helps remove waste from the bloodstream, organs, and gut, cleansing the body overall and improving immunity.

Note: If you are observing a strict fast, avoid consuming citrus fruits or juices on an empty stomach to prevent acidity.

Weight loss Diet plan for fasting during Navratri

Here is a diet plan for Navratri fasting that also supports weight loss.

Note: This chart assumes that most of the Indian population takes a cereal-free and pulse-free diet during Navratri (Fal-ahaar only).

Early Morning –  Start your day with soaked almonds ( 5-6 pcs ) and Munakka (2 big) with a glass of warm water and 1/4th to 1/2 tsp of lemon juice.

Breakfast –  1 bowl curd  +   vegetable griddle cake and mint chutney .

1 bowl curd + vegetable griddle cake (tikki) with mint chutney.

Tikki Recipe:
Use 2 small potatoes, grated carrot, chopped beans, beetroot, 1–2 spinach leaves, grated ginger, green chilli, coriander leaves, and sendha namak. Shape into tikkis and roast on a tawa with minimal oil. Serve with mint chutney.

Mid-meal –  Coconut water

Lunch –  Buckwheat flour chilla / dosa + mint chutney

Chilla Recipe:
Mix 1 cup buckwheat flour with grated cucumber/bottle gourd and carrots, ginger, coriander, green chilli, and sendha namak. Add water to make a thick batter and prepare dosas/chillas.

Post lunch – walk for 15 – 20 mins at home 

After 2 hours – Take 1 glass of thin buttermilk with a little roasted jeera powder and mint leaves.

Evening – Take green tea without sugar or Lemon tea without sugar. You can add cinnamon/ginger for taste if you wish.  +  fruits like papaya , apple , pear , watermelon

Dinner – Take Milk and walnut shake or hot milk and 2 walnuts OR  fox nut and skimmed milk kheer  (1 bowl without sugar, add artificial sweetener) OR  Bottle gourd kheer (1 bowl without sugar, add artificial sweetener)

+ 2 small banana OR 1/2 kg papaya .

Bedtime – You can take milk if you feel hungry.

This simple plan will help you lose weight while fasting during Navratri. Remember, going completely without food will only lead you to malnutrition. You will lose weight initially, but you will gain back everything within a week.

Weight loss Tips for People who are Fasting During Navratri

• Start your day with soaked almonds and raisins. They boost metabolism and increase mineral intake.

• You can also take lukewarm water with a little lemon. It increases immunity and aids detoxification.

• Avoid fried foods like potato chips and fried groundnuts.

• Choose healthier options like buckwheat rotis/chillas with added vegetables for fiber.

• Eat dry-roasted or microwaved fox nuts—they are fat-free and great for snacking.

• Include fruits like papaya, apple, pear, pomegranate, kiwi, and watermelon. Their high water content prevents dehydration and supports weight loss.

• Choose light sweets like rasgulla instead of heavy Bengali mithai. You can squeeze or rinse out the syrup to reduce calories.

• Include vegetables like pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, and carrots.

• Add fiber to high-carb foods like sabudana by mixing in grated carrots. Avoid potato and groundnut to keep calories low.

• Drink plenty of water. Dehydration causes headaches, weakness, and fatigue.

Diet Tips for those who are Diabetic and Fasting During Navratri

• Avoid long gaps between meals.

• Do not stop your medicines during the fast.

• Avoid fasting if your blood sugar levels are not under control.

• Have proper meals (in controlled quantities) while fasting.

• Start your day with soaked almonds and a glass of milk.

• Fruits like papaya, cucumber, and tomatoes are ideal for breakfast.

• You can make bottle gourd kheer/porridge with skim milk and artificial sweetener.

• Have roasted almonds or a handful of fox nuts as snacks.

• Drink milk with rajgeera and sweetener if needed.

• Lunch/dinner: 1 medium or 2 small buckwheat rotis + ridge gourd/bottle gourd/bhindi + curd + cucumber/tomato salad.

• Check your blood sugar at home daily.

EndNote

Hope these tips help you lose weight while fasting during Navratri. If you have any questions or follow a different type of fasting, feel free to leave a comment—we’ll be happy to help you make the most of your Navratri fasts.