Supplements and Diet Plan for Intermittent Fasting in Navratri 2023

Navratri or the nine sacred days is the most auspicious day of the lunar calendar, according to Hinduism. Navaratri is celebrated with fervor and festivity all over India and in every Hindu community all over the world. These nine days are solely dedicated to Maa Durga (goddess Durga) and her nine avatars. 

During Navratri, many of us might want to do serious fasting for nine days, but due to hectic work schedules, many of us can only fast for two days. We can do intermittent fasting in these 9 days which can help us to lose weight and make us fit into our Navratri clothes!

An intermittent fasting diet plan allows us to eat within the fasting principles of Navratras, and also take care of our nutritional needs during this time.

Health benefits of fasting during Navaratri: 

1. Weight Loss

Fasting can help to lose weight but there are some rules that need to be followed. Don’t overeat when you end the fasting phase. Navratri fasting is different, but you can get all the essential benefits to lose weight. Certain types of food need to be consumed in limited amounts.

Make sure you choose foods that are nutritious and easy to digest. Drink 3-4 liters of water as water keeps you hydrated and water can help in weight loss. Increased hydration can speed up your metabolism and it can help to burn fat. Drink plenty of water while you are fasting. You can improve the nutrient content of the water by infusing mint or cucumber.

2. Detox

Junk food and processed food items are toxic to our health. They have ill effects on the body. Fasting gives us a good opportunity to detox. Fasting during Navaratri undoubtedly has the best health benefits. It can help you process everything you ate during the year. 

3. Cell Repair

There is a common belief that fasting can make us weak, but that is not completely right. Right nourishment and a healthy fasting diet plan can help us to build muscles and strengthen our immunity. A good diet supports muscle-building during Navratri which consists of the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients. It is very effective for repairing cells in muscles.

4. Insulin Resistance Reduction

Fasting can be good news for those who are facing lower blood sugar levels or high insulin in the body.  A Navratri fast benefits people through the reduction of insulin resistance, which is especially good for diabetic patients.

5. Oxidative Stress Reduction

Fasting can help you reduc oxidative stress levels. Fasting can increase the resistance to free radical releases that cause damage to cells ,DNA, protein and other molecules in the body. It combats inflammation induced by the increased oxidative stress level.

6. Heart Health

Fasting works wonders for heart health. It reduces many risk factors pertaining to blood triglycerides, blood sugar level, LDL, and many others that are harmful to our heart. Navratri fasting diet helps us to improve the health of our heart.

7. Mental Health

Along with heart and liver health, fasting plays an important role in improving your brain health. It reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, and it increases the production of nerve cells in the brain. Fasting can protect our brain cells against stroke.

9 tips to prepare meals for Navratri fasting:

1. Fasting window

You should maintain a 14 to 16-hour fasting window every day and eat in the remaining hours. The most popular intermittent fasting example is the 16/8 method. It has a daily 16-hour fast and an 8-hour eating window wherein you can fit in 2, 3, or more meals. You can also do a 14-hour fasting window for 6 days & 16-hour fasting window for 3 days.

2. Eating window

It will be simple, safe, and sustainable to do 16/8. Once you enter in your eating window, keep a gap of not more than 2.5 hours between 2 meals, irrespective of the meal size.

3. Eat healthy

When you start eating in the morning after a 14 or 16-hour window, make sure you eat a good meal, for example, kuttu atta paratha made with potato or sabudana khichdi with a glass of buttermilk. You can also have fruits that will help detoxify your body. Try to avoid sugar at this meal.

4. Keep yourself hydrated

Drink water or any fluid while fasting as it could reduce hunger pangs significantly. Drinking water can help reduce fatigue and even fainting due to fast. Always keep a bottle with yourself and keep sipping in timely intervals, such as during every hour. In fact, buying a water bottle with time markers can help you hydrate on the hour, every hour! 

5. Drink cold milk for acidity

Nine days of fasting will help to detoxify the body but diet changes while fasting can cause acidity or constipation in some people. To deal with this, we suggest you drink cold milk as it keeps acidity at bay. You can drink it at around 4 pm or at night to help soothe the stomach. You can also add lemonade or curd to the diet to deal with this problem.

6. Fruits for fibre

During fasting, we tend to eat more snacks. You can choose healthy snacks only such as fruits. 2-3 servings of fruit not only keep you hydrated but also give fiber which helps bowel movements. You can include fruits like bananas, apples, papaya, and citrus fruits like oranges. You can drink lemon juice throughout the day as it helps in the absorption of iron from foods.

7. Limit sugar intake

Once every 2-3 days a bowl or a serving of something sweet will satisfy your taste buds.It also helps improve poor energy due to dipping sugar levels. A bowl of makhana kheer or sabudana kheer can be consumed. Do remember to consume it in moderation.

8. Choose nuts for fat

Make sure you have a handful of unsalted nuts during the day including almonds, walnuts, and pistachios. You could also add unsweetened dry fruits like raisins dates/figs/to your day. Overnight-soaked dry fruits could help with the gut.

9. How to maintain sodium and potassium in the body

Eating table salt is restricted in the fasting diet so to improve the taste of the food and to maintain sodium- potassium levels, adding sendha namak, also known as rock salt, can help. Apart from this, you can consume coconut water/banana sometime during the day.

Here is a sample Navratri Diet Plan in Intermittent Fasting Style-

On Waking

Lukewarm water with lemon

OR

Chia seeds soaked water

OR

Fenugreek soaked water

 

Snack 1

1 cup green tea or OZiva Green Coffee

 

1^st Meal

1 glass of muskmelon smoothie

OR

1 glass of apple and banana smoothie

OR

1 bowl of rajgira/ Amaranth porridge

OR

1 bowl of fruit salad

In between 1^st meal and the last meal you can choose: 

1 bowl of mixed fruit raita

OR

1 bowl fruit chaat

OR

Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, pistachios and any seeds of your choice.

OR

1 glass of buttermilk

Last Meal

Pumpkin and thick lauki soup - 1 bowl

OR

2 Amaranth cheelas stuffed with paneer

OR

1-2 Rajgira roti and raita with cucumber 1 bowl

OR

1 bowl samak rice with peanut kadhi 1 bowl

OR Bhagar pulao( Barnyard Millet) 1 bowl with 1 bowl pumpkin raita

One Daily Men’s Multi one hour after last meal  

Importance of Multivitamins during intermittent fasting in Navaratri

During fasting, we are limiting foods so we are taking fewer calories, vitamins, and minerals. If our diet is lacking vitamins and minerals for a long time our body experiences fatigue, dizziness, and other physiological deficiencies like low iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and so on. We can take multivitamins in our nonfasting phase. It will support the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals which are lacking in this phase.

It is important to know when to take multivitamins. The supplement with vitamin D or other fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin E, or vitamin K or other fat-soluble ingredients such as CBD and CoQ10 will absorb considerably more if taken with a meal that contains fats or oils. It is better to take these vitamins preferably with your largest meal of the day. It is advisable not to take vitamins or other fat-soluble ingredients during your fasting period.

Why Choose OZiva Daily Men’s Multi?

OZiva Daily Men’s Multi supports nutrition for men. It supports brain health and improves energy levels. During Navaratri intermittent fasting our energy level can go down due to insufficient calories and vitamin and mineral intake. Dandiya is an integral part of Navaratri which involves lots of energy.

Daily Men’s Multi with Ayurvedic herbs like Safed Musli, Ashwagandha, Kawach Beej, Valerian Root, and more boost stamina and energy levels that help to improve productivity and performance. Sometimes fasting can fog our brains due lack of vitamins and minerals. Daily Men’s Multi with Choline and Akarkara support brain health by helping in brain cell regeneration and functioning. In the COVID era, our body is susceptible to various infections and diseases.

In Navaratri, we don’t remember social distancing or different norms to protect our bodies from infection and viruses. Daily Men’s Multi with Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Vitamin K2 MK-7, and Vitamin E enhances the pathogen-fighting effects of immune cells and it also promotes better immune responses.

Daily Men’s Multi is free from sugar. Most of the multivitamins for men available in the market contain sugar. As an adult taking too much sugar during fasting can affect insulin sensitivity and can affect overall blood glucose level. Too much sugar can affect the brain and hormones. Daily Men’s Multi can be consumed by diabetic individuals, persons who are planning for weight loss, and also by any other adults. 

Daily Men’s Multi is a plant-based solution to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Most of the multivitamins for men are non-vegetarian while OZiva Daily Men's Multi is 100% vegetarian. During Navratri, it is preferable to eat vegetarian food, so Daily Men's Multi will be the right fit for any adult.  

Daily Men’s Multi not only contains vitamins and minerals but also contains important essential herbs for supporting better health. Herbs like Safed Musli, Ashwagandha, Kawach Beej, and Valerian Root improve our energy level and all-over performance. I can conclude Daily Men’Multi is the best choice for this Navaratri.