۞Healthy Fasting During Ramadan۞

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Don't break your fast with a feast or you may put on weight instead of losing it.

If you are not careful, food eaten during the pre-dawn and dusk meals can cause some weight gain.

Dr Razeen Mahroof, an anesthetist from Oxford says, feasting during the non-fasting hours can be unhealthy. He recommends approaching the fast with discipline, or an opportunity to lose weight and be healthier could be wasted.
 

"The underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control," he says. "This shouldn’t fall apart at the end of the day".

❂ A balanced diet
Those observing the fast should have at least two meals a day – the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) and a meal at dusk (Iftar).

Dr Mahroof says your food intake should be simple and not differ too much from your normal diet. It should contain foods from all the major food groups:

✿ Fruit and vegetables

✿ Bread, cereals and potatoes

✿ Meat, fish or alternatives

✿ Milk and dairy foods

✿ Foods containing fat and sugar

Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in foods such as barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour and basmati rice.

Fibre-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes with the skin on, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apricots, prunes and figs.

Foods to avoid are the fast-burning, heavily processed foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food (such as cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets such as Indian mithai).

It's also worth avoiding caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.

❂ Wholesome Foods

Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, should be a wholesome, moderate meal that is filling and provides enough energy for many hours.

“Suhoor should be light and include slow digesting food like pitta bread, salad, cereal (especially oats) or toast, so that you have a constant release of energy,” Dr Mahroof says.

“It’s important to have some fluids with vitamins, such as fruit juice or fruit. Some people have isotonic drinks (such as Lucozade) to replace any lost salts.”

It's customary for Muslims to break the fast (Iftar) with some dates, in accordance with the Prophetic traditions.

Dates will provide a burst of energy. Fruit juices will also have a similar, revitalizing effect. Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps re-hydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence. Avoid the rich, special dishes that traditionally celebrate the fast.

❂ Foods To Avoid

✿ Deep-fried foods – such as pakoras, samosas and fried dumplings.
✿ High-sugar and high-fat foods – including sweets such as gulab jamun, rasgulla and balushahi.
✿ High-fat cooked foods – such as parathas, oily curries and greasy pastries.

❂ Healthy Alternatives

✿ Baked samosas and boiled dumplings.
✿ Chapattis made without oil.
✿ Baked or grilled meat and chicken.
✿ Homemade pastry using just a single layer.
✿ Milk-based sweets and puddings, such as rasmalai and barfee.

❂ Cook Methods To Avoids

✿ Deep frying.

✿ Frying.

✿ Excessive use of oil.

❂ Healthy Cooking Methods

✿ Shallow frying (usually there is little difference in taste).

✿ Grilling or baking is healthier and helps retain the taste and original flavour of the food, especially with chicken and fish.

❂ Avoid Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Cooking

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no smell or taste and which, when breathed in, can make you unwell and can kill. Cooking for large numbers of people using oversized pots on gas stoves has been shown to cause the build-up of carbon monoxide in some homes, particularly those that aren't well ventilated.

Therefore, if you are planning to cater for large numbers of people at your home – for example, at a pre- or post-Ramadan gathering – it's important that you don't use oversized pots on your gas stove and don't place foil around the burners.

❂ Healthy Meal ❂

These healthy meal ideas will give you a varied and balanced diet during Ramadan. They include ingredients from the five major food groups.

The meal plan has been written by medical experts in consultation with Islamic scholars.

Fluids (water and juices) and dates should be added to each Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and Iftar (dinner – the meal that ends the day's fast). The fast is broken with dates, followed by dinner.

Suhoor: a bowl of porridge with milk, one slice of toast and a handful of unsalted nuts.
Iftar: pitta bread with chicken, salad and hummus, and one or two pieces of baklava.

Suhoor: wheat-based cereal with milk, a plain scone or crumpet, and an apple or banana.
Iftar: chicken with boiled rice, vegetable curry and mixed salad, followed by fruit salad with single cream.

Suhoor: a bowl of shredded wheat or muesli and a pear or orange.
Iftar: baked fish with roasted vegetables, or fish curry with rice followed by sweet vermicelli or one piece of jalebi (an Indian sweet).

Suhoor: cheese, then one teaspoon of jam with crackers or toast, and a handful of dried fruits.
Iftar: pasta cooked with vegetables and chicken or fish, and a slice of plain cake with custard.

Stay healthy during Ramadan, Dorkies! xx, Z.

Source: http://www.nhs.uk