Navratri is a nine-day
long festival celebrated mostly by Hindus across the country. The festivities
include people preparing for the celebrations through fasting and feasting. The
devotees observe a nine-day-long fast during this time and consume only
select ingredients such as kuttu atta, singhara atta, fresh vegetables,
milk, yogurt and makhanas.
Navratri meals might
sound simple, but they are so rich in nutrients that they have a lot of health
benefits, which includes weight loss and detoxification of the body.
Moreover, these foods are light on the stomach and can be digested easily. This
is important, since this is one of the reasons that people are advised to refrain
from eating meat, alcohol and grains and pulses during this time.
Heavy to digest, high-gluten flours like wheat, barley, oats,
etc., are not allowed during a Navratri fast. Instead, light cereals like
rajgira (amaranth), singhara (water chestnut flour), and sabudana are consumed.
Here’s a look at the health benefits of each of those ingredients.
Amaranth or rajgira: The flour contains
high amounts of lysine that helps in the absorption of calcium. This ingredient
contains high fibre and its phytosterols and oils help reduce cholesterol,
inflammation and hypertension.
Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour): Predominantly simple
carbohydrates, contains vitamin B and E, and nutrients like potassium, zinc,
etc. The ingredient is an excellent coolant and detoxifies the body system. It
is used to prepare rotis or puris along with dishes made of sabudana (sago) and
potato during Navratri.
Kuttu atta (buckwheat flour): This ingredient is
very nutritious and contains body detoxifying properties. Though typical Navratri
food is fattening — because of fried potatoes, sabudana ki tikki,
sabudana papad, kheer, pakodas are all high-calorie foods — these foods
can only lead to an increase in weight and create even worse health conditions
for people with hypertension, diabetes, etc. Kuttu atta, as compared to wheat
and barley flour contains lesser calories and is high in carbohydrates. The
flour is free of saturated fats and is known to help curb appetite and
facilitate digestion.
Sendha salt (rock salt) is used in place of common salt to prepare food during
Navratris. It had detoxifying properties and is healthier than the refined
salt. The unrefined rock salt retains many nutrients like magnesium and calcium
that are lost during the refining of the salt.
Increased consumption
of fruits and vegetables, with
the exclusion of wheat and rice, provides the body with all the required
minerals and vitamins, thus, keeping the body active and giving the face a
natural glow. Roots and tubers like sweet potatoes, tapioca and potatoes, are
consumed more during Navratris. These foods provide the body with more energy
to the body and do not pressurise the digestive system much.
Navratri is celebrated
at the onset of the winters and many of the ingredients in a Navratri meal
help build immunity in the body, preparing it for cold weather conditions (of
course, this was before global warming messed up our planet). Fasting with
consumption of light foods is the most effective means of preparing the body
for the sudden climate change. In addition to fruits and vegetables, juices, lemonade and coconut water must be consumed to increase the
amount of antioxidants in your body. The antioxidants help in detoxification
and boost the immunity.
Extreme heat-producing
foods like garlic, flaxseeds, fenugreek seeds, garam masala, non-veg foods,
etc., are avoided and so are extreme coolants like onions, dhania powder, chia
seeds, basil seeds, etc. Hence, the body temperature acquires a balance from
the foods consumed.
Protein is the nutrient
required for the wear and tear of the body. Milk and milk products, dry fruits and nuts like peanuts, almonds and
walnuts, etc., are good sources of protein sources and are consumed in
abundance during Navratri fasting. Proteins in these foods help in forming
new cells and repairing old damaged body cells, thus, maintaining better health
and an active life.
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