Guide to Navratri with Millets

The Chaitra and Shardiya Navratri festivals celebrate change and coincide with the onset of new seasons. Breaking from our typical daily diet is a fantastic approach to rebooting our body and mind at this time.

But during Navratri, we all have to adhere to many diet and food restrictions. In fact, as fasting is part of Navratri customs and rituals, Hindus aren't allowed to eat a lot of grains during this celebration.

These 9 days can provide our bodies with the much-needed relaxation they need while also sustaining them in today's environment where our diets are gluten-heavy. The only grains allowed during Navratri are Kuttu Ka Atta, which includes Samai, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Singhara, and Quinoa. These grains are all loaded with nutrients and, more importantly, are all gluten-free. 

Can we eat millets in Navratri?

Since Navratri is an occasion to eat healthily and observe fasting or one-time eating rituals, several foods and grains aren't allowed, especially deep-fried items. Due to high carbohydrate and fat components and low-protein elements, foods like grains, cereals, salt, spices, and vegetables don't benefit your body during Navratri. 

In fact, grains like semolina, rice, wheat, ragi, corn flour, gram flour, and pear are restricted in the festivity of nine days. Most of the grains in this list are high in gluten and have allergy-producing protein, for instance, wheat. Besides, these are the typical food grains we indulge in our daily diets, which can cause constipation during the festive season. 

Navratri is the season for a healthy diet rich in protein and fiber. Therefore, many people don't prefer millet in their fasting diets in Navratri. 

However, millet isn't available in a single category but endless varieties. There are several types of regional millets which you can consume in Navratri. You can consume foods prepared from flours like buckwheat, amaranth, water chestnut, etc.

Amaranth is a type of millet grain used from the ancient period. In fact, a series of recipes are available online to prepare delightful foods out of these flours. Hence, you can enjoy eating millet in Navratri by turning amaranth flour into beautiful, tasty Rotis or pooris and enjoy it with your favorite veg curry or Ghee. 

Which millets are beneficial in Navratri and why?

Apart from the restrictions on the food chart, some nutritious foods including Kuttu or Buckwheat, Foxtail millet or Rala, Barnyard millet or Jhangora/Sanwa, Amaranth or Rajgira, little millet or Wari/Upvasachi tandul, and Singhada flour, etc., are allowed. 

These are the nutritious millets rich in protein, fiber, essential micronutrients, minerals, and starch. Since people observe fast for the entire day or half in Navratri, eating such millet-based food will supply energy to the body and make the soul spirited. 

Since millet is a gluten-free grain/cereal, it makes your food soulful. Moreover, you can enjoy Idli, Upma, Roti, Chapati, Sheera, or even Rice made of any of these millets. 

These millets are superfoods and not only the best choice for people who observe fasts. These millets are a storehouse of power and energy, suitable for seasonal change in food when our body requires most nutrients. It's the best food to give our body a much-needed upgrade, strengthening our immunity with essential nutrients. So, during Navratri and post-festivity, you can still benefit from millet, the superfood. 

How to eat millets in Navratri?

Many people consume Sama ke chawal or barnyard millet during the Navratri fast. It's a pseudo-grain, which is basically a wild-grown seed.

It's the healthiest diet food for fasting days in North India, where people avoid all wheat, cereal, rice and pulses during Navratri. It's a great source of protein. You can cook Barnyard millet and mix it with veggies to make a quick salad dish. This salad has all health elements. After all, the primary purposes of Navratri fasting are to detox and rejuvenate. 

• Boil one cup of barnyard millet
• Chop cucumber, carrots, and other raw vegetables you like into small bits
• Steam all the veggies together or keep them raw, as per your preference
• Chop coriander, green chilies, and mint in standard quantity
• Mix all the ingredients with a blend of oil, rock salt, and 2tsp lime juice. 

It's a perfect recipe to enjoy millet in Navratri without compromising your health. 

Can kids eat millet too?

Millets are recognized as an excellent nursing diet for babies and nutritious food for young kids since they are simple to digest. Feeding your children millet at any time of the year, including during Navratri, can help them acquire a taste for the cereal. It, thankfully, can be a healthy alternative to grains like wheat and rice. 

Millets are a very wholesome and adaptable food that can make traditional Indian recipes more tasty and delightful for kids. 

How in Hindu scriptures millets were given so much importance?

Millets are a significant part of Indian diets from the ancient era, probably first cultivated in Asia more than 4,000 years ago. It gradually rose to prominence on plates all across the world.

However, Hindu scriptures have shown that millet has a substantial history related to Hinduism and accorded this grain/cereal special importance.

Among 6000+ varieties, foxtail millet is the only known wild plant of its kind today. Millet has always been a component of the human food chain. According to Hindu scriptures, Mohenjodaro and Harappan were ancient civilizations that had diverse culinary courses for millet. 

In addition, millet has the most deep-rooted historical essences in India and is revered as a sacred crop. Even today, in some parts of India, people still commemorate the millet festival to express their deep ties to and gratitude for millet's long history of sustaining the food system.

Eventually, in various cultures, eating ragi recipes is compulsory before going home after celebrating Diwali. In addition, on the occasion of Nagula Chavithi (the festival of worshipping the snake god), the ritual of preparing ragi recipes still exists. 

Summing Up:

In light of the references above, we may conclude that millet is a paramount food grain that people of all ages, genders, and communities can enjoy in Navratri. So, Enjoy the festive season with a plate full of nutrients by adding wholesome millet-based food. Subh Navratri.