Chaitra Navratri 2022: Healthy recipes to boost energy levels while fasting

Unhealthy eating during Navratri fasting can make one lethargic and dull as one may not get the required nutrients. Here are some healthy recipes suggested by nutritionists.

Chaitra Navratri 2022: Fasting during the auspicious occasion of Navratri is the perfect opportunity to lose that extra flab, but gorging on calorie-laden and deep-fried stuff can do the opposite and make you pile up on kilos. Unhealthy eating during your Navratri fasting can also make one lethargic and dull as one may not get the required nutrients. Staying hydrated and eating foods that boost your energy levels while helping you lose weight can be helpful. (Also read: Chaitra Navratri 2022 fasting rules: Dos and don'ts you must remember)

Chaitra Navratri 2022: Healthy fasting recipes(Pinterest)

Fruits, milk, milk products, fruit juice, rajgira, sabudana, bhagar, singhara are some of the healthy foods that can keep energy levels up while fasting. Nuts such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashew are recommended as energy boosters.

Including all food groups in your diet and having food rich in vitamins, proteins and carbs can boost your overall well-being.

Here are some nutritionist-recommended healthy vrat recipes that will keep your energy levels up.

1. Upwas Momo

Recipe by Shivani A Bavalekar Senior Executive Nutritionist Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Vashi, Navi Mumbai

Ingredients:

• Varai / Samu flour – 1 /2 bowl (50gm)

• Rajgeera flour - ½ bowl

• Amla – 4-5nos

• Dates – 2nos

• Water – 1cup

• Salt as per taste.

Preparation:

• Take flour in big bowl, add water and salt as per taste.

• Knead the batter to form a dough till it gets soft.

• Take another vessel and grate the amla and dates.

How to give shape:

•. Firstly, take a ball sized varai and rajgeera dough and flatten it.

• Stuff the dates and amla batter (around 1-2 tbsp)

• Make the pleats of the edges and close it at the centre.

• Steam it in cooker, idly steamer for 15-20 minutes.

• And then serve hot.

Tips: You can also use cucumber and amaranth leaves mixture as stuffing in the momos, and instead of water you can use buttermilk.

Nutritive Information: per 100gm

Energy: 240 kcal

Protein: 14 gm

Carbohydrate: 40.7 gm

Fat: 2.9 gm

Calcium: 112 mg

Vitamin C: 115.7 mg

2. Samai (Barnyard Millet) Khichdi

Recipe by Nina Maria Saldanha, Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru

Barnyard Millet Khichdi(Pinterest)

Ingredients:

• Barnyard Millet - 1 cup

• Potato (Cubed) ½ cup

• Cumin seeds (jeera) 1 tsp.

• Black Pepper (crushed) ½ tsp.

• Green chillies (Slit) 1-2 no.

• Ginger(chopped) ½ inch

• Water (boiling) 1½-2 cups

• Ghee 1 tbsp.

• Coriander leaves (chopped) 2-3 tbsp.

• Salt to taste

Method:

• In a bowl, soak the barnyard Millet for one hour. Drain and keep aside.

• In a thick bottomed pan, heat the ghee, and add cumin seeds.

• Fry the cumin seeds till they become fragrant or change color.

• Add the chopped ginger, and slit green chillies (finely chopped green chillies or green chilly paste can be added if you want the dish more spicy), and the crushed black pepper; Fry till the raw smell goes away.

• Add the potato and stir for a few minutes

• Add the drained barnyard millet, and mix well, for a few minutes.

• In a separate pan boil water, add salt to it.

• Add the boiling water to the barnyard millet mixture.

• Cover and cook on a low flame for 10-20 mins.

• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve hot with Curd.

Benefits:

• This is a quick and easy to prepare recipe.

• It is rich in iron, calcium, and fibre.

• It has a low-moderate glycaemic index and load making it suitable for diabetics as well.

• The spice level can be adjusted easily, making it a dish that kids and elderly people will love to consume.

3. Sweet potato Tikki

Recipe by Shivani A Bavalekar Senior Executive Nutritionist Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Vashi, Navi Mumbai

Sweet potato tikki(Pinterest)

Ingredients

• Sweet potato – 1 large (mashed and peeled)

• Sabudana – soaked 2hours ¾ cup

• Peanut roasted and crushed – 2 tbsp

• Green chilies finely chopped – 2

• Juice – lemon 1/2 tsp

• Salt to taste

• Ghee – 1 tablespoon

• Rajgeera seeds -1 tbsp

Method:

• Mix together sweet potato, sabudana, peanuts, green chilies, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl.

• Heat ghee in a non-stick pan.

• Divide the mixture into equal sized balls and shape them in tikkis.

• Spread rajgeera seeds on a plate and roll the tikki in it, place them in the pan and cook flipping side to side, and drain it on absorbent paper.

• Serve with curd or coconut chutney.

Nutritive value

Energy: 750 kcal

Protein: 8 gm

Carbohydrate: 75gm

Fat: 23.7gm

4. Fruit Parfait

Recipe by Nina Maria Saldanha, Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru

Ingredients:

• Curd (Hung) 150 ml

• Dates Syrup/Honey/Jaggery 1 tbsp.

• Cinnamon Powder ¼ - ½ tsp.

• Makhana 30 g

• Sabudana 20 g

• Ghee 2 Tbsp.

• Barnyard Millet 20 g

• Almonds 10 g

• Walnuts 10 g

• Cashewnuts 10 g

• Pistachios 10 g

• Fresh Mango (chopped) 30 g

• Apple (chopped) 30 g

• Pomegranate 30 g

• Kiwi (chopped) 30 g

• Banana (chopped) 30 g

Method:

• In a bowl, take 300 ml of curd, and hang it in a muslin cloth; (Save the whey water for preparing your other dishes); leave the cure to hang overnight.

• To the hung curd, add the date’s syrup/honey/jaggery and cinnamon powder and whip it well; if the curd is too thick, add a little whey water to thin it down.

• Soak Sabudana overnight; fry the soaked sabudana in hot ghee, and keep aside to cool.

• Roast makhana seeds, and barnyard millet on a dry tawa, and keep aside to cool; lightly crush.

• Mix the crushed makhana seeds, and barnyard millet, with the fried sabudana, and other nuts.

• In a bowl, layer the cut fruits, in the order of your choice, spoon over the hung curd mixture, and garnish with the nuts and seeds mixture.

• Serve chilled.

Benefits:

• Since it has got a mixture of fresh fruits along with nuts and seed it is a great source of fibre, and antioxidants.

• It can help you feel quite refreshed and beat the summer heat.

• This recipe can also be had at the beginning or end of a fast as well.

• It should be consumed with caution if you have diabetes.

5. Energy Roll

Recipe by Shivani A Bavalekar Senior Executive Nutritionist Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Vashi, Navi Mumbai

Ingredients:

• Date seeded – 10-12

• Almond – 10 nos

• Walnut – 10 nos

• Pistachios: 7 nos

• Raisins: 3 tbsp

• Poppy seeds – 1tbsp

Method:

• Grind almond, pistachios, walnut, dates, and raisins together in a grinder to a coarse mixture

• Transfer a batter on a butter paper, roll to shape in cylinder, twist the butter paper from both the end, refrigerate for 30min

• Remove the paper, roll with poppy seeds.

• Cut in small pieces.

Nutritive value (100 gm)

Energy: 300kcal

Protein: 15gm

Carbohydrate: 75gm

Fat: 1.9 gm

Fibre: 9.6 gm

Calcium: 127.5mg

Iron: 11 mg