Navratri: Foods to eat during fasting for better immunity

With Navratri just around the corner, it is essential for you to look out for healthy fasting options. The presence of coronavirus in the country might have made you question whether you should be fasting in this time or not. Put all your worries aside, as the below given food options will not only make your fasting healthier but will also increase your immunity at the same time.

Makhana

Also known as foxnuts, makhanas are the healthiest of all fasting food. With almost zero calories, these puffs will keep you full for a long period. With high protein and fiber properties, makhanas will give you enough energy for the day. Foxnuts help in increasing immunity by detoxifying and flushing out toxins from your blood.

Dry fruits

Loaded with vitamins and minerals, dry fruits are the optimum food choice to boost your immunity. While fasting you can eat walnuts, almonds, dates, pistachios and raisins which are also a storehouse of energy. The presence of Vitamin E in nuts help fight off bacteria and thus, keeps our immune system active.

Green vegetables

Going green is always a good choice and especially when you are fasting. Packed with Vitamin C, K and iron, green vegetables act as amazing immune system boosters. Eating vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage and bitter gourd will not only be the healthiest food you eat during fasting but will also keep illnesses at bay. You can either drink a green vegetable soup or make a salad out of them.

Pumpkin soup

If you are a fan of soups and are looking for soups to drink during fasting, then pumpkin soup is here for you. Made with pumpkin, ginger and turmeric, pumpkin soup is a powerhouse of immunity boosting agents. It will not only act as a good substitute of other fried snacks but will also help you keep full.

Singhara atta

Singhara atta also known as water chestnut atta is the perfect substitute for your normal wheat flour during Navratri. You can make roti, parantha and even cheela using singhara atta during your fasting days. With low calories and high nutrients, singhara atta is an ideal choice for you. It has its unique properties of detoxifying and cooling properties, which will help regulate water levels in your body.

Samak rice

For those who find it hard to let go of rice during Navratri, samak rice is an ideal substitute for you. With high fibre content, samak rice will make you full in less proportion. You can use samak rice to make pulao, roti and even porridge. It fastens the detoxification process of your body and quickens digestion.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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Foods You Should Avoid On Empty Stomach

From our early memories, we would have been drilled down with the importance of food and the benefits of eating certain foods. We naturally tend to assume that foods make us grow and sometimes we end up gobbling tons of food with a childhood innocence that they are going to make us taller and smarter in a jiffy. Looking back, we tend to smile at those memories nostalgically. However, in some cases, we grow up or we simply ignore one basic rule of eating the right food at the right time. 

Foods are very much related to time and the physics of our body. We can get benefits from them only if they are taken for a certain period. For instance, there are some foods that are beneficial to us but can actually work in a negative way, if taken at a wrong time. For example, there are some foods that should never be taken on an empty stomach. Here are some such foods that you may want to know:

1. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are no doubt full of vitamins and antioxidants. However, when eaten on an empty stomach, these ingredients combine with acidic nature of our stomach and can result in stomach block. They put unnecessary pressure on the stomach and can cause stomach ache. This can be dangerous for people who are already suffering from ulcers.
2. Citrus Fruits: Though citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits are high in vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants, they may irritate your stomach when taken first thing in the morning. The oesophagus lining of your stomach gets enlarged when there is no food to digest and taking these fruits can directly enlarge them even more, causing more friction to your stomach.
3. Short Crust/Puff Pastry: Pastries can be a good combination for breakfast but it is a strict no on an empty stomach. Pastries and crusts have yeast in them and they simply will not go well for an empty stomach.
4. Carbonated Drinks: Carbonated drinks are basically bad for health and imagine having them on an early morning. Nothing can be more troublesome for your stomach than having these carbonated drinks first thing in the morning. They increase the risk of cancer and heart diseases and can also lead to many other complications. Strictly avoid them on an empty stomach.
5. Coffee or Tea: Is having coffee the first thing that you do in the morning? You may be unaware but you are actually causing a lot of harm to your body. Drinking coffee on an empty stomach can increase the levels of hydrochloric acid and can lead to constipation, vomiting. They also slow the digestion process. Try having a glass of water on an empty stomach; give it some time to settle and then take caffeine.
6. Pears:  The roughage in pears can cause gastric upset and damage gastrointestinal tissues.
7.  Spices :Spicy foods eaten alone are too harsh on the digestive system. Spices trigger the release of gastric acid, which further creates the possibility of developing gastric disorders.

8. Sweets :While sweets initially provide a fast energy boost, blood sugar levels quickly fall, which leads to fatigue and irritability. The foods also do not contain healthy nutrients to sustain energy levels or offer other health benefits. Eating sweets, increases insulin levels, which in turn increases the load on the pancreas, which has just woken up and it can lead to diabetes !

   9.Bananas: Although rich in magnesium, eating bananas on an empty stomach elevates blood levels of the mineral, which could alter cardiac health and performance.

   10. Yeasty Foods : Breads, pastries and other foodstuffs made with yeast increase the body’s natural yeast content. In abundance, elevated yeast levels lead to a variety of problems from oral and gastric infections to skin eruptions.

   11.Green Vegetables : While a good source of amino acids, minerals and vitamins, the roughage contained within the produce leads to abdominal discomfort in the form of heartburn and excess gas.

   12.Fermented Milk Products :Yogurt and other cultured or fermented dairy products provide a wealth of probiotics. However, when consumed on an empty stomach, the hydrochloric acid content quickly destroys the healthy bacteria, which negates any benefit. So, such foods don't give you any health benefits on empty stomach.

   13. Cucumber: Raw vegetables are a rich source of amino acids. However, they can cause heartburn, flatulence and abdominal pain, especially when consumed on empty stomach.

These are some of the edibles you should ignore  eating on empty stomach as it will only turn their benefits into adverse effects.

In my next post, you can read the foods that can be eaten on empty stomach and their goodness !


THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com    

Foods One Should Avoid In Empty Stomach

Certain foods have to be eaten only at certain times, or, when some foods are eaten on empty stomach, it will have adverse effects.

Stay away from the following foods when you eat after a considerable gap

1. Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits contain fruit acids. When these acids enter an empty stomach, they can lead to heartburn. Hence, if eaten after a prolonged period post meal, a person is at risk of gastritis and stomach ulcers.
2. Soda: Consuming cold soda drinks on an empty stomach may cause damage to the mucosal membrane while reducing blood flow to the stomach. This may lead to a slow digestive process and difficulty in the abdomen.
3. Spicy foods: Spicy foods are known to cause irritation and damage to the digestive tract, and are especially not recommended for people who suffer from acid reflux issues since very spicy food leads to consequences such as acid reflux in the food pipe.
4. Cucumber and other green vegetables: Green vegetables and cucumber are rich in amino acids. If consumed on an empty stomach it may very well lead to pain and bitterness in the upper abdomen.
5. Tomato: Tomato is a fruit containing high levels of tannin. Tannin causes acidity in an empty stomach and leads to consequences and appearance of gastritis if frequently consumed in such a manner.
6. Fermented milk products: Fermented milk products such as yogurt typically come with loads of health benefits being full of probiotics. But if consumed on an empty stomach it can interfere with the balance of healthy bacteria as the hydrochloric acid produced tends to be destructive.
7. Sweets: Items such as candy or sweetmeats contain high levels of sugar and cause a sudden and sharp surge of insulin levels in the blood. Over a long period, this has a bad effect on the pancreas.
8. Products containing yeast: Food items such as biscuits, puff pastry, vinegar and beverages such as beer and wine contain yeast which can significantly irritate the stomach and cause bloating.

So, be a little conscious and avoid consuming these items on an empty stomach since a little effort goes a long way.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.   
 
PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                      

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FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       

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