Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : October 22, 2015 1:52 PM IST
If you have been fasting during Navratri, you need to be cautious about the food you eat. Nutritionist Deepshikha Agarwal says, Most people tend to eat oily food to break their fast. But in reality, the food choices that you make to end your fast can cause various stomach complications like acidity or indigestion. And this is the reason; you need to choose your food wisely to end your fast. Here are few expert tips to help you out.
#1: Start your day with a fresh fruit or a glass of freshly prepared fruit juice. It is best to eat a banana, apple or sweet lime as fruits will not only make you feel full but also refresh your body by providing sufficient energy to kick-start your day.
#2: Many people prepare oily or fried foods like puris so they can feast after the fast, which is not a good idea. Hence, make sure you don t include fried foods or carbohydrates in your diet, especially during your breakfast. Here are top 51 healthy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
#3: Don t forget to include curd or buttermilk in your diet. Because, eating a bowl of curd is not only easy-to-digest but also prevents acidity and aids in digestion. Also, it provides you a whole lot of nutrients and probiotics that can help you deal with stomach complications caused due to fasting for a long time. Did you know why South Indians end their meal with curd?
#4: Keep your food light and avoid eating spicy and oily food. The trick to prevent gastric problems like indigestion and acidity is to keep your stomach half-full. This is to ensure that you don t overeat while you break your fast or feast.
#5: You will feel very thirsty after eating oily food but avoid drinking water while eating your food or immediately after your meals. It dilutes the digestive enzymes and prolongs the process of digestion, thereby leading to indigestion. You can drink water around an hour before or after meals to ensure proper digestion.
In addition to following these diet tips and tricks, here are few healthy recipes you can try this season!
Masala bhakri: You can replace oily puris with a healthy alternative like masala bhakri. All you need to do is put some chilli powder or garam masala powder in the atta or dough and make small puris and heat them on tawa. You can add few drops of oil but don t deep fry the bhakris. Although wheat flour is most commonly used, you can even try it with rice, jowar or bajra flour.
Koshimber: Another healthy alternative you can try to end you fast is to add a cup of boiled corn, one finely sliced cucumber, a cup of finely sliced tomatoes to a cup of curd in a bowl. Also, add salt to taste.
Besan kadhi: Instead of aloo bhaji that has lots of oil and spice, you can prepare kadhi using gram flour. It contains curd that is very healthy and easily digestible and chana flour that can make you feel full. Try this delicious Sindhi kadhi recipe!
Bottle gourdrecipes: From sweet to savoury, bottle gourd is the one vegetable that you can prepare for ending your fast in a healthy way. You can cook boiled lauki with some dal or make doodhi halwa with jaggery. Looking for bottle gourd recipes that aren't bland? Watch this video for delicious and nutritious recipes.
Deserts: And yes, no feast is complete without a desert. But instead of gulab jamuns and kheer, you can opt for sooji halwa (which is easy on stomach) and rasagullas (made from paneer).
If you are already suffering from acidity, try these quick-fixes to relieve your problem.
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