Navratri Fasting Advice from a Nutritionist on a Healthy Diet for Expecting Mothers

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 29, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

Some dietary do’s and don'ts for pregnant women fasting during Navratri include drinking enough water, consuming dairy products, and avoiding deep-fried foods.

Digital
Desk: Across the nation, people are enthusiastically celebrating the
ongoing Navratri festival, which is from September 26 to October 5. To seek the
blessings of Maa Durga and her nine avatars, devotees in North India observe
fasts on one or more of the festival's nine days. Pregnant women who intend to
fast during this period, however, should take special care to ensure they are
getting all the vital nutrients needed for the foetus's healthy growth and
development. Some dietary do’s and don'ts for pregnant women fasting during
Navratri include drinking enough water, consuming dairy products, and avoiding
deep-fried foods.

For
pregnant ladies fasting during Navratri, Gurpreet Kaur, Senior Clinical
Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospital, Chandigarh, offers some advice.

1. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Maintain proper hydration by
   consuming an ample amount of liquids such as coconut water, regular water,
   smoothies, buttermilk, and lemon water. Make sure to avoid consuming the
   liquids all at once and instead sip them gently.


2. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Make an effort to include foods
   high in fibre to prevent constipation, which is a common issue during
   pregnancy. All seasonal fruit and vegetable salads, such as cucumber,
   tomato, and carrot, should be included as fiber-rich foods.


3. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">When fasting during pregnancy,
   it's crucial to consume small, frequent meals and leave a maximum of 2-3
   hours between them in order to prevent acid reflux, motion sickness, or
   indigestion.


4. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Whole grains are complex
   carbohydrates that offer you energy all day long. Use buckwheat, water
   chestnut, and amaranth flour to make chapatis, and substitute barnyard
   millet for regular rice in your diet. Sabudana can be eaten as khichri or
   kheer as well.


5. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">At least 2-3 servings of dairy
   products, such as milk, curd, and paneer, should be consumed per day.


6. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Refrain from overindulging in
   foods that have been preserved or fried, such as potato chips, aloo puris,
   tikkis, sabudana fries, etc. To make a healthy snack, combine roasted
   makhana (lotus seeds) with a variety of dry fruits, such as walnuts,
   almonds, and raisins.

"It
is advised to first consult your doctor before keeping a fast in case of
high-risk pregnancy or any other difficulties," advises Kaur.