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Suhour
According to Jamil, this morning meal is
generally recognized as the single most
important meal of the day. “Focus on taking
in complex carbohydrates that are digested
slowly and consistently throughout the
day which means foods that make you feel
less hungry. “These are found in brown
pasta, spaghetti, brown rice, granary bread,
potatoes, high fiber cereals, oats, beans
and lentils,” she says. Besides the complex
carbohydrates, also consume protein, fruits,
vegetables and plenty of water.
An example of a healthy and wholesome
Suhour meal, she says, is an egg on whole-
grain toast, a few crackers with peanut
butter, slices of an orange, and two glasses of
water. “While you can’t completely prevent
hunger pangs during the fast, you can
actually delay them by consuming protein
and fiber at Suhour,” she says. “Examples of
protein specific foods include eggs, cheese,
peanut butter, beans, and meats while high
fiber foods include oats, whole wheat bread,
apples, and pears.” Besides keeping you full,
fiber helps prevent constipation. The key to
remember, says Jamil, is that a meal should
be a meal and not a feast. “Overeating,
especially at Suhour, can cause metabolic
imbalance—such as highs and lows in your
blood sugar and even dehydration,” she says.
Iftar
Avoid gorging yourself when breaking the
fast at sunset and instead, Jamil advises to
follow the prescribed Islamic Sunnah which is
to either break your fast with dates and either
milk, water, or fruit juice. “For Iftar, instead
of the usual samosas, sweets and other fried
foods, it is more beneficial to start with simple
carbohydrates as these are digested faster and
will replenish blood sugar levels faster,” she
says. “These are basically foods that contain
white flour or sugar such as white bread, honey
and fruit.” And be sure to include some form
of protein with both morning and evening
meals and a variety of vegetables with the
evening meal.
After the Maghrib prayer, continue with a light
starter such as soup and crackers as after a long
period of fasting, you need to bring your fluids
and blood sugar level up without overdoing it,
suggests Jamil. “Aim to incorporate fresh whole
fruits which help maintain satiety and contain
lots of water,” she says. “Also protein should
begin working its way into the ‘breaking the
fast diet’ at this point after some fruits and also
a glass of water are consumed. Other foods to
break a fast at Ramadan with include nuts and
seeds and other sources of non-meat protein
like beans are also good choices to work into
a fast-breaking meal. “And once the fast is
broken, give your stomach extra time to heal
itself and then consume your main meal,” she
says.
Misconception
There is no need to over indulge or consume
excess amounts of food at Iftar and Suhour
than you normally would, says Jamil. “The
reasons for this being, most people assume a
more inactive lifestyle during Ramadan which
means they will use less energy thus require
less energy,” she explains. “This means that
metabolism slows down so the rate at which
the food is converted into energy is much
slower and so the body’s demand for food/
energy will also be reduced.”
Foods to Avoid
Fried and fatty foods such as French fries,
sweets, fried samosas, pakoras, parathas,
greasy curries and Biryani need to be avoided,
stresses Jamil. “High-fat foods are high in
calories and are nutrient deficient which will
lead to an imbalanced diet, thereby increasing
sluggishness and fatigue during Ramadan,” she
says. “Also limit salt containing foods, such as
pickles, pappadums, sauces, chips and olives.”
Also dehydration is a risk due to limited fluid
intake during the day, and high salt foods can
further increase this risk by drawing fluids out
of your body, she says and furthermore restrict
foods such as mithai or glucose drinks as these
are sources of empty calories with very little
nutritional value.
Beverages
Also due to the possibility of warm/hot
weather throughout Ramadan, Jamil points
out that you should aim to drink 2.5 to 3 liters
per day which is the equivalent of 5 to 6 small
water bottles or 10 to 12 average glasses of
water. “To consume 10 glasses of water you
could have 1 glass when you wake up in the
morning, 1 before you eat, 1 whilst you eat,
1 after you eat, 1 when opening fast at Iftar,
1 before your main evening meal, 1 during
your meal, 1 after your meal and 2 before you
go to sleep,” she explains and although water
is the best option to hydrate the body, it is
fine to consume other liquids such as a milk
or fruit juices as well as watery soups, stews,
and water-packed produce, such as tomatoes,
cucumbers, lettuce, watermelon, and oranges.
Caffeine
Avoid too much fizzy drinks, tea or caffeine at
Suhour
, as these are diuretics when consumed
in large quantities and the body can lose
valuable minerals, salts and fluids that you
FASTING DURING
RAMADAN IS A
CHALLENGE, POINTS
OUT AFSHAN JAMIL,
ASSISTANT HEAD IN THE
GMC-HRC HOSPITAL
CLINICAL NUTRITION
DEPARTMENT; HOWEVER
FASTING DURING ONE
OF THE WARMEST
MONTHS OF THE YEAR
NOT ONLY INTENSIFIES
THIS CHALLENGE BUT
ALSO REQUIRES A TRUE
COMMITMENT THAT CAN
ONLY BE MARVELED. “WITH
AN AVERAGE OF 14 HOURS
OF FASTING BETWEEN
THE PRE-SUNRISE MEAL
‘SUHOUR’ AND THE
MEAL TAKEN TO BREAK
THE FAST AT SUNSET-
‘IFTAR’ - NUTRITION AND
HYDRATION DURING
THESE MEAL TIMES IS
PARAMOUNT,” JAMIL SAYS.
July/Aug 2013
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