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Chaitra Navaratri, the Hindu festival celebrated over a period of nine days, is observed in honor of Lord Rama and the ninth day of Chaitra Navaratri is celebrated as Rama Navami.

Chaitra Navaratri features pujas, festivities, and fasting. For nine days, people observe a strict vrat or upvas, eating only sattvic vegetarian food.

The fasting for nine days not only help in detoxification of the body but also the mind. The mainstay of the Navaratri diet includes fruits, vegetables, milk, and unsweetened beverages. If you observe the fast correctly, these are some of the health benefits you can reap.

Here are some of the health benefits of observing fast:

Flushes out Toxins

Quite a lot of people observe the Navaratri fast by drinking a lot of liquids like coconut water, chaas (buttermilk), lemon water, etc. Hydration on such liquids helps in flushing out the toxins from the body and maintaining the electrolyte balance.

Reduce Blood Pressure

On Navaratri, people fast by cutting down on salt from their food. By doing reducing your intake of salt, you can bring down your sodium consumption. The practice can have an impact on your blood pressure, effectively lowering it.

Burns Fat

Fasting can help you reach the ketosis state, which accelerates fat burning. Visceral fat or excessive fat around the organs such as liver and kidneys is targeting during the vrat or upvas period.

Improvement in Digestion

The traditional diet of sattvic food helps the digestive process and further reduce problems such as flatulence and indigestion.

Metabolism

Fasting helps you kick-start your metabolism. During fasting, your leptin (hormone that stops hunger) sensitivity increases, which in turn increases thyroid production and improves the rate of metabolism.

Reduce in Cholesterol Levels

The triglyceride levels in your blood decrease when you fast, reducing the risk of narrowed arteries.

Strengthens Immune System

Fasting helps the immune system get rid off old cells and create new ones. Thus observing a vrat or upvas during Navaratri is like pressing a reboot button for your immune system.

By Sowmya Sangam