Your ultimate Navratri Food Guide

COMMON CHALLENGES DURING NAVRATRI FASTING

Busy schedule and meal gaps: with work, prayer, and celebrations, meals are often skipped or replaced with fried snacks. This can leave you feeling tired and drained.

Portion confusion: foods like sabudana khichdi, potato dishes, and “fast-friendly” snacks may seem light, but eating them in large quantities can cause excess calorie intake.

Sugar and Starch overload: Sweets, potatoes, and sabudana give quick energy but also lead to sugar spikes and sudden crashes, making you feel weak.

Dehydration: Long hours without food or water, coupled with the intake of tea or coffee, often leave the body dehydrated and increase acidity.

Low Protein and fibre: Most vrat foods are rich in carbs but low in protein and fibre. This causes hunger pangs, fatigue, and digestive issues like bloating or constipation.

Digestive discomfort: Eating heavy meals at odd times or relying on tea/coffee increases acidity. Those with a sensitive stomach are especially prone to heartburn.

Lack of omega-3: Since non-vegetarian food is avoided during Navratri, it becomes harder to get enough omega-3 fats that support heart and joint health.

Plating Tips

Think of your plate as a balance wheel. Half should be carbs (like sweet potato, samak rice, buckwheat, or amaranth) for steady energy. A quarter goes to protein (paneer, curd, nuts, or buttermilk) to keep you strong and full. The last quarter is for fruits and vegetables (cucumber, lauki, apple, pear, carrot) to add fibre, vitamins, and freshness.

Tip 1: ½ CARBS (ROOT VEG / GRAINS) +¼ PROTEIN (PANEER/CURD/NUTS) + ¼ FRUITS/VEG

Tip 2: WHOLE GRAIN (HIGH FIBER CHAPATI /RICE/MILLETS)+ VEGETABLES (CURRY OR PART OF PULAO)+ PROTEIN (CURD / BUTTERMILK/ PANEER)

BREAKFAST IDEAS

1. Banana Almond Smoothie – 1 banana+ 10 almonds+ milk/curd (blend & go)

2. Sabudana Upma with Curd – 1 cup sabudana+ ½ cup curd for protein

3. Buckwheat Cheela

LUNCH IDEAS

1. Amaranth roti (Grain)+ Lauki sabji (vegetable)+ buttermilk (protein)

2. Samak rice with vegetables ( grain+ vegetables)+ Curd (protein)

3. Whole buckwheat pulao with vegetables and paneer(one-pot meal that has grain+ vegetable + protein)

DINNER IDEAS

1. Singhara Roti+ Lauki/Tomato Curry+ Curd

2. Samak Khichdi+ Stir-fried Veggies

3. Boiled Potato Chaat+ Roasted Makhana

BUSY-PRO TIPS

• Pre-boil sweet potatoes, makhana roast, paneer cubes, & cut fruits on weekends

• Keep plain curd, soaked nuts, and fruit handy for no-cook meals

• Batch-cook samak rice or rajgira roti dough for 2–3 days

Quick reminders:

• Water: Atleast 2-3l/day
• Herbal teas or lemon water help with energy dips
• Break your fast gently. Avoid large and heavy meals in one go

Useful Recipes: 

Amaranth Laddu (Rajgira Laddu)

Ingredients

• 1 cup amaranth (rajgira) seeds,popped/roasted
• ½ cup date paste
• 1 tbsp chopped nuts (cashew, almond)
• Jaggery powder (optional)

Instructions

• Soak dates and grind it into a paste

• Dry-roasted amaranth flour and nuts

• Mix them well and shape them into round laddu

Amaranth Porridge (Rajgira Daliya)

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp amaranth seeds

• 150 ml milk

• 1 tsp chopped dry fruits

• ½ tsp cardamom powder

• Stevia/jaggery/dates (as sweetener, optional)

Instructions

• Roast amaranth lightly
• Add milk and cook on low till soft and porridge-like
• Add dry fruits, cardamom, and sweetener
• Serve warm

Whole Buckwheat Khichdi with Vegetables

Ingredients

• ½ cup whole buckwheat (soaked 1hr)
• 1 cup mixed vrat vegetables (lauki, pumpkin, carrot, beans, potato)
• 1 green chilli & ginger paste
• ½ cup paneer, small cubes
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp oil
• Sendha namak to taste
• Water as required

Instruction

• Heat oil, add cumin seeds, and green chilli-ginger paste
• Add vegetables, sauté for 2–3 min
• Add soaked buckwheat, salt, and
• 1½–2 cups water
• Pressure cook 2 whistles or cook in a pan till buckwheat softens
• Add paneer cubes and serve hot

Buckwheat Cheela

Ingredients

• ½ cup buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta)
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• Sendha namak (rock salt) to taste
• Water as required
• 1 tsp oil

Instruction

• In a bowl, mix buckwheat flour with salt
• Gradually add water to make a smooth batter
• Heat a pan, grease it with oil, pour the batter, and spread it evenly
• Cook on medium flame till golden on one side, then flip and cook the other side
• Serve hot with vrat chutney or curd

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