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Mahashivratri is one of the most important Hindu festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is celebrated on the 14th night of the lunar month of Phalgun and holds deep spiritual, mythological, and cultural significance. This sacred night symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and marks the divine marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Devotees observe fasts, chant prayers, and visit temples to seek Lord Shiva’s blessings. Many believe that worshiping Shiva on this day brings inner peace, prosperity, and spiritual growth. The festival is also known for its powerful energy, as people stay awake all night in devotion, singing bhajans and meditating.
Healthy Mahashivratri fasting guide:
Mahashivratri fasting can be spiritually and healthwise fulfilling if done mindfully.
Types Of Mahashivratri Fasts:
- Nirjala fast: no food or water throughout the day.
- Phalahar fast: consuming only fruit, milk, and nuts.
- Water and liquid fast: consuming only coconut water, herbal teas, fruit juices, etc.
- Sattvik fasting: involves consuming only sattvic foods, which are considered pure and beneficial for the body and mind. These include nuts, seeds, fruits, sabudana, milk, milk products, and vrat-friendly grains. Sattvic foods are believed to promote mental clarity, calmness, and spiritual growth.
Here, we are sharing a healthy Mahashivratri fasting guide with you. Mindful fasting on Shivratri will help you gain health and spiritual benefits in this fast for Mahashivratri.
Benefits Of Fasting On Mahashivratri:
Shivratri fasting is not just about physical benefits, it also holds significant spiritual advantages. It enhances mental clarity and focus, symbolizes self-discipline and detachment, and is believed to cleanse past karma and bring inner peace. On this day, the cosmic energy is at its peak, boosting spiritual energy and connecting us to the divine.
Fasting on Mahashivratri is not just a spiritual practice, it also offers numerous physical benefits. It detoxifies the body, improves digestion and gut health, boosts metabolism, aids in weight loss, balances blood sugar levels, and enhances immunity. These health benefits can motivate you to observe the fast mindfully and with a health-conscious approach.
Tips for Healthy Mahashivratri Fasting:
Pre-Fast Preparation:
One Day Before The Fast:
- Eat only light meals, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. Avoid deep-fried and processed foods.
- Increase your water intake. Drink up to 3 liters of water. You may take coconut water, fruit juices, herbal teas, etc.
- If you are habitual to drinking tea or coffee, reduce your consumption. This will reduce the chances of headaches on the fasting day.
The Night Before The Fast:
- Eat a light dinner like khichdi or simple sabzi with roti.
- Get a proper sleep of 6-8 hours and avoid digital distractions like surfing the internet, etc.
During The Fast:
- Start your day with proper hydration. Drink a glass of warm water as soon as you wake up.
- Start your day with some nuts and milk or buttermilk.
- Throughout the fasting day, rejuvenate your hydration levels with coconut water, herbal teas, or fresh fruit juices.
- Eat a light main course meal, preferably not a deep-fried one.
- Eat at least two servings of fruit throughout the day.
Breaking The Fast:
After a day of observing the fast, it’s important to break it with a light meal. This ensures that your body adjusts to regular eating without any discomfort. Start by hydrating yourself well with coconut water, herbal tea, or fresh fruit juice. Then, enjoy a light main course meal like kuttu atta roti with curd, sabudana khichdi, or any vrat-friendly grain. This information will make you feel cared for and informed about the right way to break the fast.
You must listen to your body cues. If you are observing any sort of discomfort or ill health, you must stop fasting immediately and consult a healthcare provider. People with a history of diabetes, hypertension, thyroid, or any kind of medical problem should consult their healthcare provider in case of any discomfort.
Read Also: Janmashtami Fasting Guide: What to Eat & What to Avoid
Hydrating Drinks: Consume All Round The Day
1. Ghiya juice: Ghiya juice is a refreshing, hydrating, and nutritious drink suitable for people of all ages. Hypertensive and diabetic patients generally find it challenging to complete a fast. As advised, patients and people over 50 should not remain on an empty stomach for more than two hours. Instead, recharge yourself with this juice.
2. Fruit-infused water: These waters can be made using fruits like watermelon + mint leaves, mint + kiwi, papaya, cucumber + lemon, and many more options that can be made similarly. This is a trick of incorporating required liters of water into your body and hydrating every cell.
3. Coconut water is a rich source of micronutrients like potassium and magnesium. Take one coconut’s water by squeezing one lemon juice in it. This will instantly supply your body with energy and nutrients and, at the same time, replenish the fluid loss during hot summer fasting days. Care must be taken that it is advised to consume it only thrice in a week.
4. Green tea: In addition to milk tea, you can opt for green tea,, a good detox drink served early in the morning.
5. Lemon tea is another detox drink that can be substituted with other caffeine drinks.
Healthy Shakes for Mahashivratri: Beat The Hunger
1. Mango shake: During Shravan month, mangoes flood the markets. Mango shakes made with low-fat milk may provide satiety for at least two hours. Mix one small or ½ full-sized mango with 170-200 ml of low-fat milk and top with nuts.
2. Banana shake: Combining bananas with milk is the healthiest option during fasts. It is very nutritious and satiating. Make a shake using one ripe banana and 200 ml of low-fat milk.
3. Gond katira shake: take 100 ml milk, 2-3 tsp of overnight soaked gond katira, 6-7 pieces of washed and peeled almonds, ½ tsp mixed melon seeds. Blend it and add up the volume to one glass by adding water. This shake is a heat-quenching mix that protects the liver from various diseases during hot summer days. It is also ideal for hypertensive patients.
Healthy Main Course Meal for Mahashivratri:
1. Sabudana kheer:
Ingredients:
- Sabudana: ½ cup
- Water: 1 cup
- Ghee: 1 tsp
- Milk: 1 glass
- Jaggery: 2 tbsp
- Almonds: 10 pieces
- Cardamom: 1 piece
How to make?
- Soak 150 g sabudana overnight.
- The next day, roast it in 1 teaspoon of ghee and add ½ liter milk.
- Now add two crushed cardamoms.
- Once milk comes to a boil, put off the flame.
- Add 2 tsp jaggery and ten pieces of soaked, peeled, and chopped almonds and mix well.
2. Bajarbhang kheer:
Ingredients:
- Bajarbhang: 1 cup
- Cardamom: 2 pieces
- Milk: 2 glass
- Jaggery: 3 tbsp
- Almonds: 10 pieces
How to make?
- Wash one katori (70 g) bajarbhang.
- Add in 1 litre of milk.
- Add two crushed cardamoms.
- Let the milk boil for 10 minutes. Keep stirring.
- Put off the flame and add 20 g of jaggery and 10 pieces of soaked, peeled, and chopped almonds to it.
- Serve hot.
3. Seul kheer:
Ingredients:
- Seoul: 1 cup
- Milk: 2 glass
- Cardamom: 2 pieces
- Jaggery: 2 tbsp
- Almonds: 10 pieces
How to make?
- Wash one Katori (70 g) seul and add it to one liter of low-fat milk.
- Now add 2 pieces of crushed cardamom to it.
- Let the milk boil for ten minutes on a low flame.
- Keep stirring. After ten minutes, when the milk seems thickened and Seoul has been mixed well, put off the flame.
- Add 20 g jaggery, ten soaked, peeled, and chopped almonds.
- Serve hot.
4. Makhana kheer:
Ingredients:
- Makhana: 1 cup
- Milk: 500 liters
- Jaggery: 2 tbsp
- Cashews: 6 pieces
- Poppy seeds: 1 teaspoon.
How to make?
- Dry roast the makhana in a kadhai.
- Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool.
- To the same kadhai, add poppy seeds and cashews. dry roast them and cool.
- Blend¼ cup of roasted makhana, poppy seeds, and cashews.
- To a pan, add 500 ml of milk, and once it turns hot, add kesar strands and cardamom powder to it.
- Stir and add makahna and the blended powder.
- Let it come to a boil. stir continuously.
- After 3-4 minutes of continuous boiling, turn off the flame and add jaggery powder.
- Garnish it with pistachios and serve.
5. Sweet pancakes:
Ingredients:
- Rajgirah/kuttu flour: 1 cup
- Jaggery: ½ cup
- Ghee/sunflower oil: 2 tbsp
- Honey: 1 tsp
- Banana: ½ piece
How to make?
- Take 1 cup/70 g flour in a bowl.
- In another bowl, take 30-35g jaggery and dissolve it in 100 ml water.
- Now mix this jaggery water in the flour and mix well.
- Make chilla batter-like consistency.
- In a heavy base tawa, pour ghee/any heart-healthy cooking oil and pour the batter on low flame.
- Flip the pancake when the sides of the batter leave the tawa.
- Put it off the flame when the pancake turns golden brown on both sides.
- You can pour 1 tsp of honey and banana slices over it.
6. Gur chapatis:
Ingredients:
- Rajgirah/kuttu atta: 1 cup
- Jaggery: ½ cup
- Ghee or sunflower oil: 2 tbsp
How to make?
- Knead a chapati dough by using any flour mentioned above.
- Make parantha with 6–8 g of gur/jaggery (crushed) stuffing in it.
- You can fry it with ghee or any plant-based cooking oil.
7. Kaddu ka halwa
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin: 500 grams
- Water: 1/3 cup
- jaggery: 3 tablespoons
- Almonds: 10 pieces
- Cardamom: 2 pieces
- Saunf: 1 teaspoon.
- cinnamon: 1 inch
How to make?
- Take a pumpkin. peel and cut it into small cubes.
- Take a kadhai and add pumpkin cubes to it.
- Also pour some water in the kadahai, sufficient enough for the pumpkin cubes to soften.
- Cover the kadhai with a lid for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, check for the pumpkin cubes, whether they have softened or not.
- Now use a masher to mash the pumpkin and cook it for another 4-5 minutes, so that it gets dry.
- Now add an inch-long cinnamon stick, two crushed cardamoms, and sabut saunf. Mix it well.
- When the pumpkin is cooked, add three tablespoons of jaggery in it.
- Garnish the halwa with slivered almonds and serve.
Conclusion
You can follow a healthy way to fast on Mahashivratri if you do it mindfully. In this article, we’ve shared a complete guide to fasting on Mahashivratri. It is important to drink plenty of water and eat light meals to stay energized. Planning your meals a day before fasting can make it easier to follow. If you have any health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, or thyroid problems, consult your doctor before fasting. Fasting the right way can also support weight loss by improving digestion and boosting metabolism. May this Mahashivratri bring you spiritual, mental, and physical well-being!
Read Also:
- 7-Day Meal Plan for Intermittent Fasting
- Janmashtami Fasting Guide: What to Eat & What to Avoid
- Bajra Cheela: Healthy Protein-packed Breakfast Recipe
- Karwa Chauth Fasting: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Navratri fasting chart with 8 best fasting dishes in Hindi
- Quinoa Idli: A Healthy, Delicious Breakfast Choice
- Sawan Fasting: Healthy Eating Tips to Cleanse and Detox Your Body
- Navratri + Fasting Chart: Easy & Delicious Vrat Recipes
