Navratri Diet Plan For Weight Loss: A Healthy and Nutritious Fasting Guide for All Nine Days

WHAT IS NAVRATRI?

Navratri is one of the most celebrated Hindu festival in the Indian subcontinent, and even other parts of the world. In Navratri, goddess Durga is worshipped along with her nine forms. The word Navratri, literally means “nine nights”, signifying the nine nights, when Goddess Durga is worshipped. According to mythology, goddess Durga descends from the heaven along with her children, to end all the problems and evil powers prevailing in the Earth. During this period of nine nights, the devotees, irrespective of their religion, caste and race, undergo fasting, prayers and colourful celebrations.

It is very difficult to maintain a strict diet during Navratri, considering the huge assortment of Indian cuisine available during these nine day’s along with delicious sweets. Such food, enjoyed by lakhs of people across India, eventhough are great to taste, are high in calories. Hence, it is difficult to stick to one’s calorie deficient diet, for those who are aiming for a weight loss. However, for all those who are trying to lose weight, DIET4UWELLNESS has listed a Navratri diet plan for weight loss, keeping in mind all the calories and health aspects, in mind.

HOW TO MAINTAIN  NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

A diet plan for weight loss, during Navratri is extremely difficult. However, this article, along with Dietician Rukhsana Azhar, has curated some of the key principles, in order to follow a Navratri diet plan for weight loss.

1. Including protein and dietary fibres

A nine day’s long diet during Navratri generally includes mostly sweets, baked and fried items loaded with calories, which are not that great for one’s weight loss journey. To limit the damage, one can include sweets which have additional proteins and fibers in them like protein laddoo and pedha. Also, mixed dry fruit laddu are also great for the added dietary fibres in their Navratri diet for weight loss.

2. Ample hydration

Throughout these nine day’s, one of the important aspect is to include excess hydration, by drinking water, fresh fruit juices regularly. Especially, for those who are fasting during these nine day’s of Navratri diet, even though one cannot consume solids, they should keep on having fluids in the form of water, mineral-infused water and even soups.

3. Consuming small portions

This is one of the efficient ways of maintaining one’s daily calories. Often people, after fasting, end up eating excess food, than that needed. In such cases, one could either avoid fasting altogether or drink water in frequent intervals, to prevent any hunger or hunger cravings. One should keep in mind to eat small portions of food, to maintain the needed calorie deficit. This is an important way of maintaining a Navratri diet plan for weight loss.

4. Avoiding excess calories

Avoiding excess calories, is not as difficult as it might sound. If one is determined enough to avoid food items like deep-fried, baked, roasted and high sugary items in the weight loss food diet plan during Navratri.

FOODS ALLOWED IN A NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Most of the people in India, prefer fasting and some even consume vegetarian food, on the days of Navratri puja. But, even for those who fast during the nine days of fasting, they are allowed to eat one meal per day. For those who want to follow a Navratri diet plan for weight loss, they can consume some of the foods listed below. This list of food items, has been curated with the help of Dt. Rukhsana Azhar.

1. Fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, singhara etc. which are rich in dietary fibers and even antioxidants. For a weight loss diet plan during Navratri, one of the important components to be included is dietary fibers. Fibres in the Navratri diet plan, would help maintaining a good bowel health.
2. Non-root vegetables like tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, spinach, cucumbers etc. These vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants in a weight loss diet, would help neutralizing the harmful free-radicals, accumulating in the body, due to normal metabolic reactions in the body.
3. Sabudana is considered a super-food for the Indian diet, especially as a Navratri diet plan for Indians. Sabudana can be cooked into sabudana khichdi, which is much lower in calories hence great lunch option as a Navratri diet plan for weight loss. Sabudana is rich in carbohydrates with some amounts of proteins and fibers. It is a better option, to combine sabudana khichdi with some seasonal vegetables to enhance its nutritional benefits.
4. South Indian dishes like Dosa and Idli made out of Kuttu flour, is a great option for a Navratri diet plan, especially during Navratri diet when all kinds of food items cannot be consumed. Kuttu flour is low in calories and high in protein, thus is definitely an alternative for items like protein bars and pancakes, during these nine day’s diet plans of Navratri.
5. Dairy options like yoghurt and curd can be a substitute for meat and pulses. It is known, that meat and pulses are great protein reserves, which is important for maintaining proper health and also good for a weight loss diet, but as non-vegetarian food is generally avoided during these auspicious nine days, people could substitute those protein components with yoghurt, tofu, soybeans and curd.
6. Evening Snacks options are also there. Like roasted makhanas (fox nuts), peanuts and almonds are great snacking options, while on a Navratri diet plan. These are rich in healthy fats and proteins, important for a healthy weight loss.

NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR 9 DAYS

DETAILED NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR 9 DAYS

DAY 1- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 2- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 3- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 4- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 5- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 6- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 7- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 8- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

DAY 9- NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

 SUPERFOODS FOR NAVRATRI DIET

Buckwheat (Kuttu)
A popular grain alternative during fasting, buckwheat is packed with fiber and protein. It helps in maintaining energy levels while keeping you full for longer.

Amaranth (Rajgira)
This gluten-free grain is rich in iron, calcium, and protein. Amaranth flour can be used to make flatbreads or porridge during fasting.

Sabudana (Tapioca Pearls)
Sabudana is a powerhouse of carbohydrates, making it a perfect energy source. It’s commonly used in dishes like sabudana khichdi or sabudana vada.

Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. They are an excellent fasting food that keeps you full and nourished.

 RECIPE OF SABUDANA KHICHDI FOR NAVRATRI DIET

Ingredients

1. Sabudana (Tapioca pearls)
2. Roasted peanuts
3. Spices like cumin seeds, fenugreek etc
4. Green chillies
5. Grated ginger
6. Ghee/Butter
7. Salt and sugar, as per taste

Instructions

1. At first, the sabudana is washed and rinsed properly, to get rid of any diert and impurities. It is to be rinsed in running water, until the water runs clear. Then, the pearls are to be soaked overnight, in water.
2. Next day, the water is drained. And the sabudana is carefully strained out and kept in the open to dry a bit.
3. The peanuts are the roasted under low flame until they turn golden brown. One could also use ready-made roasted peanuts, to avoid this step. The roasted peanuts are then allowed to cool down and then coarsely broken and grounded.
4. Ghee or butter is taken and added into the pan. To the ghee, cumin seeds are added.
5. Then, the chopped green chillies and the other vegetables (optional) are also added and sautéed for a 1-2 minutes. Potatoes can be added, but to be avoided during a Navratri meal.
6. To the pan, the soaked sabudana is added along with the ground peanuts, sugar and salt is also added.
7. Everything is mixed properly, making sure that the sabudana grains do not stick to the pan.
8. When fully cooked, the sabudana will turn translucent.
9. Coriander and curry leaves can be added as a part of garnishing.

RECIPE OF KUTTI KI PURI FOR NAVRATRI DIET

• Ingredients: Buckwheat flour, boiled potatoes, ghee.
• Instructions: Mix buckwheat flour with boiled potatoes and water to make a dough. Roll into small puris and fry in ghee until golden brown.

RECIPE OF VRAT K CHAWAL FOR NAVRATRI DIET

This is a light and fluffy dish made from Samak rice, which is allowed during fasting.

RECIPE OF FRUIT AND NUT SMOOTHIE FOR NAVRATRI DIET

Blend bananas, apples, and soaked almonds with some yogurt for a filling and nutritious smoothie.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING NAVRATRI DIET PLAN FOR WEIGHT LOSS

• Is it possible to lose weight by fasting during Navratri?

No, it is not possible to lose weight only by fasting during the nine days of Navratri. Fasting for long durations, will lead to depletion of all the stored carbohydrate reserves in the body, leading to weakness then followed by the urge of over-eating. It is best to fats for a specific period of time, then consume something light and healthy, in order to break the fast. To lose weight during the celebrations of Navratri, one could refer to this article for the diet plan or one could also consider consulting the board-certified dietician Dt. Rukhsana Azhar for a weight loss diet chart during Navratri. Best results are seen for those who complement their diet along with light to medium, regular exercises.

• What are the food items allowed during Navratri to lose weight?

All the food items allowed during the Navratri fasting, has been mentioned above in this article by DIET4UWELLNESS.

• What is a healthy weight loss meal option during fasting in Navratri?

Eventhough difficult to stick to a healthy meal during Navratri celebrations, but when on a weight loss diet plan during Navratri, one could consume no-oil chapatti made of kuttu flour along with a bowl full of greek yoghurt.

• Is it okay to have sweets during Navratri diet for weight loss?

Navratri means celebration, and for Indians, celebrations runs in parallel with consumption of delicious sweet dishes. However, when on a weight loss diet during Navratri, one should not consume too many sweets. One piece of sweet in a week long Navratri celebrations, is perfectly fine and can be counted in as a cheat meal. However, to support this weight loss diet plan in Navratri, one should definitely work-out, to burn the calories gained from the sweets. It is also better to switch to sweets made of jaggery and stevia, when on a weight loss diet plan during Navratri.

Dietitian Rukhsana Azhar

Hello My Name is Dt. Ruksana Azhar and I am a certified dietician and providing online & offline services for Weight Management, PCOS/PCOD Management, Diabetes Management ,  etc. I have 12+ years of experience in the Apollo Hospital Delhi , Max Super Specialty Hospital Delhi, Lilavati Hospital Mumbai and VLCC healthcare Mumbai. I  loves to write healthcare and lifestyle related blog. My favorite part of being a doctor is the opportunity to directly improve the health and wellbeing of my patients and to develop professional and personal relationships with them.