Sharad Navratri 2022: Foods To Eat And Avoid While Fasting During Navratri

Sharad Navratri 2022: The festival of Navratri holds special significance among Indians. The nine-day festival is observed by worshipping Goddess Durga and her nine avatars throughout the nine-day festival; each day is dedicated to one incarnation of the Goddess. Most of the devotees give up non-vegetarian foods and alcohol and follow a light sattvik diet. Some people fast for all nine days and only eat vrat-friendly foods. However people choose to observe the pious festival, there are certain foods that are consumed and some foods that people abstain from during these nine days. If you are always left confused about the diet restrictions or are following them for the first time, we have listed down some foods that are commonly eaten and foods that are said to be prohibited during Navratri.

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Sharad Navratri 2022: Vrat-Friendly Foods You Can Eat

1. Flour:

Regular refined flours are avoided during Navratri fasting. Instead, pseudo flours like buckwheat flour (kuttu) and water chestnut flour (singhara) are used to make vrat-friendly poori, roti, tikki and cheela. Here are some kuttu recipes you can try.

2. Fruits

One can have all kinds of fruits during Navratri. You can consume whole fruits, blend them with milk to make shakes, juice them or add chopped fruits to desserts or hung curd to make smoothie bowls.

3. Grains And cereals

Just like flour, pseudo-grains can be consumed even if you are fasting. So instead of regular rice, vrat-special samak (barnyard millet) rice is used. Amarnath and buckwheat are also used commonly to make Navratri-special meals like khichdi, tikki and ladoo.

4. Salt

Sendha namak is used instead of table salt. Sendha namak is a highly crystalline salt and does not contain high amounts of sodium chloride. Since it is not processed, it is considered purer than table salt.

5. Vegetables

During Navratri fasting, sattvik vegetables, which don't produce heat in the body, are preferred. Potatoes pumpkin, tomato, bottle gourd, carrots, lemons, yam, arbi and spinach are some of the vegetables that are commonly eaten. Here is a complete list of vegetables eaten and avoided during Navratri.

6. Milk and Milk Products

Milk and all products made with milk, like curd, cottage cheese, and vrat-friendly desserts, can be had during the festival period.

(Also Read: Navratri 2022: How To Make Instant Sabudana Dosa For Vrat)

Here're Foods That Are Avoided During Navratri Fasting:

1. All kind of pulses and legumes, including all dals are avoided during the Navratri festival.
2. Consumption of alcohol and all non-vegetarian foods is also discouraged.
3. Regular flours like wheat, maida, rice flour, corn flour and sooji are not consumed by devotees.
4. Meals are prepared without onion and garlic as they are known to produce heat.
5. Likewise, spices that generate heat are avoided. These include heeng, methi dana, dhaniya and garam masala.

Observance of fasting rituals largely depends on individual beliefs. This list is formed based on common practices.

Happy Sharad Navratri 2022!