How do I keep a fast while working a full day at the office?

choose a fruit-and-milk (phalāhāra) fast, stay hydrated, plan your meals, and keep your work and safety first.

Most traditions allow a lighter fast for people with demanding work. Instead of a nirjalā or waterless fast, keep a phalāhāra fast: fruit, milk, yoghurt, nuts, and permitted foods such as sābudānā or makhānā. Pack them from home, since office canteens rarely have vrat-friendly food.

Drink water and buttermilk through the day, avoid heavy caffeine, and do not skip meals altogether if your job needs concentration, driving or machinery. If you feel dizzy, eat; a fast that endangers health is not what the śāstras ask.

You do not need to announce your fast, but if colleagues offer food, a polite “I’m fasting today for a festival” is usually understood. Keep the inner side too: speak gently, avoid gossip and spend your lunch break in a few minutes of japa. That is the real heart of upavāsa, staying near God.

Upavāsa = “sitting near” (God) · Source: common practice — phalāhāra for working people

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