<strong>Don’t Make These Mistakes While Fasting! Be Aware Of What To Eat And What To Not:</strong>

Navratri is here and what else this festival is mostly known for is its fasting ritual. There are some strictly avoidable foods which should not be eaten while fasting during any festival. Well, whether it is a festival or not there are some food items which you should not consume during the days of fasting.

Navratri is known to be one of the biggest Hindu festivals, which marks the beginning of a string of festivities, too. The devotees of Goddess Durga have started their nine day fasting ritual as well. While some may observe fast for all nine days or some choose to keep it in pairs, either on the first and the last day or the last two days.

There are certain fasting dos and don’ts that you need to follow when it comes to the daily diet while fasting. There are some vrat ingredients such as – samak ke chawal, singhare ka atta, kuttu ka atta, fruits and vegetables, that you can add in your diet during fasting. Still, it may depend on the rituals and fasting practices followed by different households and regions.

To enlighten ourselves on this, we searched on the same and came to know that, our goal as spiritual seekers should be to understand our true identity. Besides what we do i.e. karma, food also plays a, major role in helping us attain this goal because we are what we eat. The holy book Bhagvad Gita and Vedic Scriptures have categorized foods under Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik type and only those vegetables that are Sattvik in nature should be consumed during Navratri fasts.”

Sattvik food refers to the ones that have prana or a life – like force that may include fresh fruits and vegetables. Rajasik or Tamasik foods that are generally bitter, sour, pungent, salty or dry should be avoided as they are known to induce negativity, dullness and restlessness. During Navratri fasting period, we turn to Sattvik Bhojan and adopt a simple lifestyle.

WHAT TO EAT?

We can have anything made of Potatoes, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin, Raw Banana, Raw Papaya, Bottle Gourd, Tomatoes, Ginger, Lemon, Cucumber, Carrots… the ones that provide lots of energy, keep you hydrated and have mild flavours.

Basically, one can consume any root vegetable or tubers during these fasts.

WHAT TO AVOID?

As Onions and Garlic falls in Tamasik nature so they are avoided. Other vegetables like – leeks, shallots and mushrooms are also avoided.

Most importantly take care of your health, observe the fasts sticking to the basics. Drink water as there is no barrier on that. Water is an all time good food.