Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Diet during Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is a month in which Muslims all around the world fast as it is the obligatory pillar of Islam. In Ramadan it is very important for everyone to manage his diet as he can enjoy the holy month without any problems during the holy month of Ramadan; our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining.

However, if one is over-weight, Ramadan is an ideal time to normalize one’s weight. In view of the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting foods including fiber containing-foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last up to 8 hours, while fast-digesting foods last for only 3 to 4 hours. Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc. (called complex carbohydrates).  Fast-burning foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).  Fiber-containing foods are bran-containing foods, whole wheat, grains and seeds, vegetables like green beans, peas, sem (papry), marrow, mealies, spinach, and other herbs like methie, the leaves of beet root (iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds, etc. The foods eaten should be well-balanced, containing foods from each food group, i.e. fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products. Fried foods are unhealthy and should be limited. They cause indigestion, heart-burn, and weight problems.

In Ramadan it is important to avoid some foods like Fried and fatty foods. Foods containing too much sugar.  Over-eating especially at suhur (the meal before beginning the fast).  Too much tea at suhur. Tea makes you pass more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts that your body would need during the day.   Smoking cigarettes If you cannot give up smoking, cut down gradually starting a few weeks before Ramadan. Smoking is unhealthy and one should stop completely. As much water or fruit juices as possible between Iftar (breakfast) and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels in time. This is the time for those who are in habit of smoking or any unhealthy activity to stop it nicely and with any problem in Ramadan a person resist for the whole day if he can resist for whole day then it will be easy to stop or leave the unhealthy things.

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