What can we eat during a fast?

fruit, milk and curd, and ‘vrat’ foods like sābudānā, kuṭṭu, siṅghāṛā and potatoes with rock salt — but family custom varies.

Most vratas are kept as phalāhāra, eating ‘fruit-food’ rather than a full meal. The common list in North Indian homes: fruits, milk, curd, paneer, dry fruits, sābudānā (sago), kuṭṭu (buckwheat), siṅghāṛā (water chestnut) flour, rājgirā (amaranth), sāmak or ‘vrat ke chāval’, potatoes, sweet potatoes and arbī, cooked in ghee with sendhā (rock) salt instead of ordinary salt.

Generally avoided are grains (rice, wheat), pulses, onion, garlic and often turmeric and some spices. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, peanuts and sābudānā khichḍī are classic; in the South, many families simply eat once a day or take only light food without grains.

The rules differ by vrata and by family, so follow your household’s custom. The spirit is simplicity and lightness: a fast that becomes a feast of fried snacks misses the point.

Sendhā (rock) salt instead of common salt · Source: common family practice

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