5 Tips for Eating Healthy During Ramadan

The benefits an blessings obtained during Ramadan are many.Millions of  Muslims world over practice fasting during this holy season and it is the time meant for a deeper spiritual connection.Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars — or duties — of Islam, along with the testimony of faith, prayer, charitable giving, and making pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ramadan is not just about the all you can eat Iftars at the end of the day. If fasting is practiced correctly, it can do your body a whole lot of good.

Eating healthy during Ramadan does not mean just bland boring diet food. With a few pointers, One can stay nourished and healthy, leaving the body and mind refreshed.

Avoid excessive oil

Deep frying, Frying and excessive use of oil should be avoided in food preparation. Too much oil can mess with your digestion. As the time of eating has also changed,as have the quantities, the fats will accumulate faster to your body leading to gain in weight. Grilling or barbecuing the food or roasting in an oven is ideal. Limit the fried foods to once a week.

Control your hydration

The most difficult part of fasting is the dehydration. Especially during the summer months, the body can get ill very fast if it not properly hydrated. Instead of gulping down large quantities of water or juice at Suhoor (the pre dawn meal) is not advisable. It is better to stagger the water intake. Start with two glasses of water at Iftar (the evening meal) and follow with a glass every hour until bedtime. This along with a further two glasses at dawn will give you the right quantity of water the body needs in a day.

Fibre is important

While the Suhoor is mainly a protein and carbohydrate rich meal that helps you keep going through the day, at Iftar one must remember to give more weight to fruits, vegetables, nuts and dry fruits for the all essential fibre content. Constipation and gas troubles are a common problem during Ramadan due change in meal timings and quantities of food. Keep your fibre intake high to combat these issues.

Avoid highly salted and sweet foods

The body will crave both of these things and controlling the intake is key. High content of salt will make one feel more thirsty and leading to a feeling of weakness. Sweets are an important part of breaking the fast but must be done in moderation. Starting with dates is a custom and this should be followed by fruits and fruit based desserts with not too much added sugar. Too much sugar gives empty calories leading to more cravings and stomach cramps. Choose milk based desserts over syrup ones and limit the decadent sweets to once a week.

Practice eating slowly

It is very tempting to gobble down all the delicious food after a whole day of fasting, but it is very important to keep a slow pace and eat slowly, course by course.This allows the body to absorb the nutrients efficiently. Savouring each bite and being thankful for it is after all part of the process.

Check out some tasty Ramadan Recipes here