How to practise healthy fasting, stay active and alert during Navratri? Know from experts | Health

Navratri is a nine-day period of religious celebrations to commemorate the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil demon Mahishasura. Each day is recognized as an honour to a different form of the goddess. Devotees keep the fast to purify the body and mind. Fasting involves refraining from food and water from sunrise to sunset. On the physical level, it helps detox the body, increases one’s abilities of concentration and focus.

Fasting involves refraining from food and water from sunrise to sunset.(Image by storyset on Freepik)
Fasting involves refraining from food and water from sunrise to sunset.(Image by storyset on Freepik)

ALSO READ: Chaitra Navratri 2024 food guide: What to eat and avoid while fasting

Benefits of fasting

If observing the nine-day fast, it’s advisable to keep certain things in mind to be alert, attentive and energetic during the timespan. Fasting patterns differ with everyone. While some may keep for all of nine days breaking it after sunset and worshipping the Goddess. Some may observe intermittent fasting. Considering health conditions are important before the decision to fast.

ALSO READ: Happy Navratri 2024: 30+ wishes, images, greetings, Facebook and WhatsApp status to share on Shardiya Navratri

Fasting helps body eliminate waste and cleanses it of toxins. “It increases brain functions like memory, alertness, and cognitive functions and stimulates neurogenesis. Fasting also enhances metabolism, reshuffles circadian rhythm, improves sleep, and assimilation of food,” reveals Nutritionist Purnima Verma.

ALSO READ: Navratri fasting rules 2023: Dos and don’ts to follow, foods to eat and avoid

Remain hydrated

Take intermittent sips of lukewarm water. Ayurvedic specialist Dr. Somasundari Menon divulges, “Indulge in a sattvic diet during religious fasting. Make sure you remain hydrated with the electrolytes of coconut water to increase stamina, fresh juices, and chaas to detoxify the body.” Calorie-free beverages like herbal teas, lemon juice and black coffee can be consumed.

Food options

Onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food must be strictly avoided. While refraining from citrus fruits, include fluid-laden vegetables like cucumber, spinach, celery. Opt for steaming, boiling or roasting means of cooking instead of frying. Replace table salt with rock salt since it helps in digestion, curbs heartburn and bloating.

According to Dr. Menon, inclusion of mild spices like ajwain, cumin, cardamom, clove, nutmeg besides herbs – curry leaves, coriander leaves and mint – are beneficial to the body as they have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties.

How to break a fast

Drink water. Liquids like watermelon juice, buttermilk or coconut water are recommended to break a fast. Then move on to bananas, apples, or papayas and not citrus fruits. Settle for nutrient-dense foods. “Have lentil soups, small portions of easily digestible meals at a slow pace to avoid indigestion and bloating. Fatty, sugary and high in fiber foods should not be indulged in. To keep your insulin levels normal, evade fried foods, carbs, and rich food (butter, cheese, heavy cream). Also keep away from whole nuts, seeds and raw veggies as they contain more intact fiber and can cause an overload on the digestive tract,” says Verma.

ALSO READ: Longevity to mental clarity; 5 benefits of intermittent fasting

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

‘Healthy’ packaged food? Here’s what that means

While living in a fast-paced world where the hustle does come with a few perks, it mostly comes with a number of cons. One of those cons is relying on fast food in this fast-living era.Now, most fast foods actually are nothing but ultra-processed and packaged foods. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Google offers to loosen search deals in US antitrust case remedy

By Jody Godoy (Reuters) -Alphabet’s Google proposed on Friday a loosening of its agreements with Apple and others to set Google as the default search engine on new devices, in a bid to address a U.S. ruling that it unlawfully dominates online search. The proposal is much narrower than the government’s push to make Google

Dino Morea shares nugget of wisdom for healthy living | Hindi Movie News

(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Actor and fitness enthusiast Dino Morea has shared some pearls of wisdom as he talked about focussing on health. The 49-year-old actor took to Instagram, where he shared a video montage featuring pictures of himself from the gym. In the pictures, the dapper dude is seen flexing his beefed up biceps and

AI Study Links Lifestyle to Brain Aging

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have utilized AI to estimate the biological age of the brains of 739 healthy seniors, revealing significant connections between lifestyle, health conditions, and brain aging, SciTech Daily reported. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia on December 20, involved MRI scans of participants, average age 70, to assess their brain health.

Winter and heart health: Risks and precautions to know |

When the winter months come around, the human body goes through numerous physiological and biological changes in the process of acclimating to the cold. In some ways, this acclimatization can make heart diseases worse. Here we learn how winter impacts heart health, identify people who are more likely to fall victim to this seasonal attack,

Key to longevity isn’t a product;, it’s a healthy lifestyle

It is most likely because I am part of their target audience, but I feel like anti-aging advertising is everywhere. Skin care creams, serums and tinctures. Vitamins and supplements in pills, powders and beverages. There are so many choices and so many voices. But do these things really make a difference? Are they the secret

‘Pendulum lifestyle’ could be key to juggling daily challenges

Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. Please enter a valid

US judge finds Israel’s NSO Group liable for hacking in WhatsApp lawsuit

(Reuters) -A U.S. judge ruled on Friday in favor of Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel’s NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorized surveillance. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted a motion by WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and

Dietitian’s oldest clients regularly include four ingredients in their meals to maintain ‘good health’

As the population ages, understanding the impact of lifestyle habits becomes increasingly important for those seeking to prolong their health span. Over her career, registered dietitian Shelley Balls, has observed certain patterns among her healthiest older clients, involving their dietary tendencies and exercise regimens. She told GB News that most of them follow diets rich

El Salvador violated woman’s rights in high-stakes abortion case, court rules

SAN JOSE/SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) -El Salvador violated a woman’s rights after denying her an abortion in 2013 despite doctors’ calls to terminate her high-risk pregnancy, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR)said on Friday. The case of the woman, a domestic worker known as Beatriz, became a symbol of El Salvador’s blanket ban on abortion,

US data-center power use could nearly triple by 2028, DOE-backed report says

By Laila Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. data-center power demand could nearly triple in the next three years, and consume as much as 12% of the country’s electricity, as the industry undergoes an artificial-intelligence transformation, according to a Department of Energy-backed study that was first reported by Reuters on Friday. The Lawrence Berkeley National

What we learned about our bodies this year

Professor Sean Cain thinks we might one day think of the way we use light in the same way we now think of smoking. And that is because his research has found that poor light patterns – bright light at night and dim light during the day – increased the risk of premature death by

What are the least healthy cities in America?  | Lifestyle

Online Marketing According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes prevent six in 10 American adults from living life to the fullest. Between 2020 and 2050, the number of adults aged 50 and older with at least one chronic disease is projected to

Algonac council signs letter of support for 123NET

Company hopes to bring high-speed internet to unserved areas By Barb Pert Templeton When an internet service provider asked for the city of Algonac’s support in seeking out grant funding to bring high-speed services to surrounding communities, members of the city council were pleased to show their support. At a Dec. 17 regular meeting of

Using an AI tool, researchers find poor vascular health accelerates brain aging

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Using an AI tool, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have analyzed brain images from 70-year-olds and estimated their brains’ biological age. They found that factors detrimental to vascular health, such as inflammation and high glucose levels, are associated with an older-looking brain, while healthy lifestyles were linked to brains with a younger

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x