After Week-Long Navratri Fasting, Here's How You Should Get Back To Regular Eating Routine

After a week-long fasting during Navratri, people excitedly look forward to getting back to regular eating routine. Those who abstain from eating onion and garlic during Navratri love to cook food with these essential ingredients again. One major change during Navratri fasting is change of grain from wheat flour to kuttu (buckwheat) or singhara (water chestnut). Foods which are commonly consumed during Navratri fast include kuttu or singhara aata, aloo, sabutdana, fruits and kheer to name a few. The nature of Navratri fasts is more or less the same, unless you have gone overboard with eating too much aloo or deep fried foods in the name of fasting. We talk to nutritionist Pooja Malhotra if there are any peculiarities which need to be followed for getting back to our regular eating routine during Navratri. Keep reading to know what she has to say...

How to get back to regular eating routine after Navratri fasting?

Pooja agrees with eating rituals for Navratri fasting being not very different. "During Navratri, people are consuming different grains. There are some people who don't take grains at all and eat only one salt meal during the day, and fruits for the rest of the day. As far as you ate your meals in regular portions, cooked them in a healthy way (and not included deep fried foods in most meals), there is not much change which needs to be made to get back to regular eating routine during Navratri," says Pooja.

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However, she mentions that the occurrence of Navratri twice in a year is also marked by a change in a season. "Navratri occurs some time around March/April and during this time in September/October. Both these times are marked by change in season, from spring to summer in the former and from autumn to winter in the latter. With seasonal change comes change in vegetables and fruits as well. People just need to make sure that they eat according to the season after Navratri," she recommends.

Common vegetables which are in season during winter are spinach, peas, carrots, fenugreek leaves, cabbage cauliflower, etc. Also, citrus fruits are commonly eaten during the winter season.

Also read: Winter Is Coming! Are You Ready? Here's A Perfect Guide To Healthy Winters

Eating seasonal is something which celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar also advocates. She is of the opinion that instead of following fad diets for weight loss etc, people should prefer eating foods which are locally grown in their region, the ones which are in season, and the ones which are a part of their heritage.

Eating seasonal enables the body to perform in a better way. It helps in activating thousands of bioactive compounds which can be beneficial for health in the long run. For those aspiring to lose weight, eating seasonal can help in making your exercise more efficient by improving your after-burn effect and speeding up recovery.

Also read: Know The Science Behind Navratri Fasting

As far as a person has ensured a balance of meals during Navratri fasting, the transition to regular eating routine should not be a problem, says Pooja.

(Pooja Malhotra is a nutritionist based in Delhi)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.