Navratri 2018 begins This time is one of the most festive times in the country. An essential part of Navratri celebrations is fasting. There are different fasting rituals which are followed by people in different ways. The joy of Navratri fasting is that many foods can be included in the fasts.
Kuttu (buckwheat) aata, singhare (water chestnut) atta, sabutdana, makhanas, nuts, potatoes and fruits are some of the commonly consumed foods during Navratri. However, diabetics need to take extra precaution during Navratri fasting. Everyone enjoys mixing fasting with feasting and end up loading on fried foods during Navratri. People with diabetes need to ensure that their blood glucose levels do not rise of fall down below normal levels. So in this article, we talk about some fasting tips for people with diabetes during Navratri.
Clinical nutritionist Dr Rupali Datta gives the following fasting tips for people with diabetes during Navratri
1. Diabetics can follow their normal diet during fasting on Navratri. Only their cereal is replaced with other alternatives like kuttu aata or singhara aata.
2. Protein sources are only milk and paneer during Navratri fasting.
3. Diabetics can also have barley as part of Navratri fasting. It is excellent for people with diabetes.
4. Most of the other cereal grains used during Navratri fasting, such as singhara flour are full of nutrients. They have low to medium glycemic index and thus diabetics can have them safely during Navratri fasting.
5. Potato is also included in Navratri fasting. Diabetics should be careful that they don’t eat potato as a vegetable. They can replace roti with potato and have it with curd and a vegetable salad on the side. It makes for a complete meal and you don’t need roti.
6. Diabetics should avoid treat meals too often. You can easily make rotis from kuttu aata or singhara aata. Avoid invariably frying them for puris or pakodas for every meal. Space out the fried food to once in a day or once in two days.
Nutritionist Pooja Malhotra says that some of the commonly consumed food items during Navratri can help in boosting immunity. She says, “Food items traditionally consumed in Navratras are flours made from kuttu singhara, rajgira (amaranth), samang (barnyard millet) and sabutdana (tapioca pearls). Nuts, fruits, sweet potato, pumpkin, makhana (foxnut), peanuts, coconut, and ladoos/chikkis are also consumed. These go a long way in boosting your immunity.”
She says that the people with diabetes can have these foods too as they are gluten-free and low on the glycemic load too. “These flours are extremely nutritious, enriched with protein, fibre, B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus and antioxidants. They are gluten-free and are low on glycemic load too. Foods low in glycemic index help in stabilising blood sugar levels in diabetics and provide sustained energy through the day.
