Navratri Food Guide: What's NONG & What's Not
Not all Navratri fasting foods are NONG safe. We break it all down.
Navratri is observed twice a year and millions follow a fasting diet during this period.
What's typically allowed during Navratri (and is NONG):
Sabudana — sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada
Singhara (water chestnut) flour — singhara roti, singhara halwa
Kuttu (buckwheat) flour — kuttu puri, kuttu cheela
Rajgira (amaranth) — rajgira roti, rajgira ladoo
Samak rice (barnyard millet)
Dairy — milk, yogurt, paneer, ghee, butter
Fruits and dry fruits
Rock salt (sendha namak)
What to watch out for:
Packaged Navratri snacks may still contain garlic powder
Restaurant "Navratri specials" may use shared cooking vessels
Certain spice mixes sold as "vrat masala" may contain allium
Pro tips:
Buy singhara and kuttu flour from dedicated Jain stores
Always check that sendha namak is pure
For packaged vrat snacks, look for explicit "no onion no garlic" labelling