Nutrition tips for a healthy Ramadan
THE Holy month of Ramadan is here – a month filled with prayers and fasting.
During this period, Muslims from all over the world practice daily fasting from sunrise until sunset. Traditionally, one breaks fast at sunset with a meal called Iftar and then eats again before sunrise at Suhoor.
That said, it is important to bear in mind that one needs to eat healthy, nutritious, balanced meals, and take care of his or her body. Generally, fasting is an excellent opportunity to strengthen one’s digestive system and help adjust one’s blood sugar level. Food plays an important role at this time.
Dates, pies, samoosas, spring rolls and processed foods are usually the most popular items. They’re easy to prepare and their small size means you can indulge in more than one or two. Our busy lifestyles and earlier sunsets during the winter months leave little time to cook meals that take hours to prepare. Making meals in advance is a way of saving time.
Another is using leftovers in new dishes. With a little planning, you can wow your family with a different meal every night by using the same main ingredient.
After 12 hours of fasting, it’s best to break your fast with something light and nourishing like soup. According to Mariam Jakoet Harris from Cooked Inc, Ramadan meal prep is about being practical and serving wholesome dishes. Harris said the whole family should be able to enjoy the same healthy yet tasty meal.
“The whole family should be eating everything – food that can be tasty but doesn’t have all the oil and greasiness in it.
“In Ramadan, your body is going through a natural detox, so you don’t want to feed your body unhealthy things like oil that will end up making you feel sluggish and can later make you sick.”
When it’s time to bismillah, Harris said it’s all about moderation. “Have your vegetable soup at night and afterwards, you can indulge in one or two of your favourite Ramadan cookies, you don’t have to have 10 of them.”
Dietitian, Susan Bowerman has also shared three tips for a healthy Ramadan.
Stay hydrated
Drinking water is crucial to staying healthy. Liquid intake enables transportation of nutrients, elimination of waste products, regulation and maintenance of body temperature, maintenance of circulation and blood pressure, lubrication of joints and body tissues and facilitation of digestion.
Choose simple, nutrient-dense options
Even though you may be craving high-sugar and high-fat foods for breaking your daily fast, this is not the best choice.
Those types of foods are not only full of empty calories but might tempt you to over-indulge. Instead, try to incorporate nutrient-dense foods; that is, meals that provide an abundance of nutrients (proteins, minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates) relative to their calorie cost.
During fasting, you want to make sure you get as much nutrition as possible per calorie consumed.
Incorporate fibre and protein in your diet
Make the most of your pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) and dusk meal (Iftar) by including fibre and protein. Foods high in fibre are digested slowly and they add bulk to your meal, helping you to get a feeling of fullness. They can also help with regular bowel movements and avoid constipation. Choose cereals, dates, figs, whole grains, seeds, vegetables and fruit. Protein-rich foods – soy, eggs, cheese, legumes, poultry, fish and yoghurt – help replenish your energy and will make you feel full for a longer period. Making sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs is essential on an everyday basis, but particularly during Ramadan. Good nutrition can have positive effects on our bodies and minds.