Fasting is generally good for health, but if you are suffering from an illness, consult a doctor before you fast on Janmashtami or any other festival.

FASTING IS generally good for health, but if you are suffering from an illness, consult a doctor before you fast on Janmashtami. Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India and MTNL Perfect Health Mela, approves of fasting, which in his opinion is a way to purify the mind, body and soul. It facilitates restraining of the senses. It advocates a Satvic lifestyle.

Fasting also means a way to get rid of negative thoughts and not simply abstaining from food and water. The three wise monkeys of Mahatma Gandhi also symbolize inner purification by the three principles of see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil on the day of fast.

Fast can be observed without water or with water. The ardent followers of Lord Krishna celebrate Janmashtami by observing Nirjal fasts, which means no food and water intake. The fast is broken only at midnight, when aarti is performed and prasad is offered to the deity. People with kidney diseases should avoid observing this type of fast. Those who take medicinal drugs should not discontinue their medicines, but instead take them with minimal water. Each person, especially the elderly ones should know their kidney functions and if the function is lower than 60% stopping water may harm the kidneys. The rough formula is that even on the day of fast a person must pass urine every eight hours.

Phalahar Fast, is another type of fast observed on Janmashtami. It is relatively lenient than the nirjal fast, because it allows consumption of milk and fruits. No cereals are taken though. The fast is broken at midnight, after Puja. This kind of fast if done once a week is good for general health of patients suffering from obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

But, on the day of fast diabetics will need to reduce their intake of insulin and other anti-diabetic drugs.

Similarly, patients with hypertension may need to reduce their dose of anti-blood pressure drugs. Instead of cereals singhara, kuttu (buckwheat) flour, cholai laddo and samak rice can be eaten as they are made from fruits and not cereals.

Those who cannot observe 24 hours fast can observe a symbolic 12 hours fast.

Ending the fast is equally important; it should not be followed by a feast. We have seen ladies observing feast-fast-feast. That means they over eat the night before fast and again over eight the morning after fast. The best food to break the fast is sugar cane juice.

To break the fast a variety of dishes made from milk, milk products, like Peda, Shrikhand, Kalakand, Vella Seedai, Neyyappam, kheer can be made. Some people prepare 56 dishes (Chappan Bhog) on this day. People should be cautious about the ingredients as refined carbohydrates (white sugar, white flour and white rice), chocolates and food cooked in trans fats rich in hydrogenated vanaspati oils are harmful for the health.