Ramadan tips for a healthy fast

Arab Ritual - Fasting does not mean abstaining from food and drink only for a specific period of time, but rather has many dietary rules and behaviors that must be adhered to, in order to achieve a healthy fast and so that fasting does not turn into a problem that threatens the health of the fasting person.

It is advised to take advantage of the blessed month of Ramadan to start a healthy life that includes proper eating habits, exercising, and quitting smoking, which helps endure fasting hours and continues healthy habits that reduce the chances of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. The article reviews tips for a healthy Ramadan during the holy month of Ramadan, to maintain a healthy body.

Tips for fasting in Ramadan

Here are Ramadan behavioral and nutritional advice for having a healthy, moderate fast:

Ramadan behavioral tips for healthy fasting

Refining behavior is one of the most important goals of the blessed month of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to stop harmful behaviors, especially nutritional behaviors, and fasting is considered a natural treatment for the body from diseases.

The educational, financial, and nutritional behavioral regularity of Ramadan encourages the teaching of children the spiritual and religious meanings of Ramadan. There are many fasting tips for behavior, here are Ramadan tips for behavior:

Not to waste what is being bought, to achieve the spiritual meanings and goals of Ramadan.

Sleeping long enough during the night to maintain the balance of the biological clock in the body, and stay away from staying up all night or sleeping all day.

Exercising, avoiding nervous stress and fatigue.

Taking advantage of the holy month to quit smoking, which avoids the smoker the risks of smoking such as lung cancer and heart disease. Therefore, breakfast should not be started with smoking, which exposes the body to more nicotine absorption, tar, and dangerous organic gases, which cause a shortage of blood circulation and weaken it.

Not to over-eat foods rich in sugars and fats, and gradually eat food when the time for Iftar begins, especially in the first week of the Holy Month.

Eat light and sporadic meals in the first days after the end of the holy month, to allow the body sufficient time to return to the biological clock before Ramadan.

Ramadan fasting in the summer

Fasting in Ramadan is more difficult than in winter, as a result of high temperatures, as it may reach more than 50 degrees Celsius in some Arab countries. The day also lengthens in summer and the night shortens and since fasting is from sunrise to sunset; Fasting in summer poses a challenge to those who are fasting, so it is always recommended to drink enough water between Iftar and Suhoor, and to avoid drinking an excessive amount of water at once or after the pre-dawn, in order to avoid water poisoning, and it is also recommended to take enough sleep, as regular sleep helps Maintaining the required energy and concentration levels when fasting during Ramadan in the summer, as the long fasting time and very high temperatures in the summer of Ramadan lead to a loss of focus and low levels of energy, and here lies the importance of sleep to compensate for that.

Ramadan tips for patients with gastrointestinal disorders

Many people suffer from digestive disorders, so they must follow tips for a healthy fast that will prevent them from experiencing digestive irritation and related symptoms. Here are Ramadan tips for people with gastrointestinal disorders:

Not to eat large quantities of food and drink after hearing the call for breakfast, as this causes satiety because the stomach expands rapidly when a lot of food, and this also leads to indigestion, a feeling of fullness, and drowsiness because a large amount of blood rushes to the digestive system and leads to a lack of concentration and fatigue .

Eat small meals, avoiding fatty foods and sweets, avoiding exposure to severe psychological stress, and avoiding spices and condiments. This improves the condition of patients with indigestion in this holy month, if they do not have another organic cause.

Avoid drinking ice water, and ice or cold liquids as a start to breakfast, which may cause indigestion and stomach upset.

Ramadan tips for diabetics

Diabetes affects a large proportion of people, and patients with type 2 diabetes can fast after consulting a doctor, because they are not dependent on insulin in most of the time. In addition, the health status of diabetics, especially obese patients, improves simultaneously, as fasting helps to lose excess weight.

Here are Ramadan eating tips so that diabetics can fast without problems:

Have breakfast in two portions, start with liquids and salads, and make the main course at the end of the meal.

Eat natural fruits instead of sweets and sweetened juices, as it is advised to eat them daily instead of sweets, to provide the body with the necessary energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Reducing physical activities and exercise during the day, especially between afternoon and sunset, to avoid exposing them to hypoglycemia.

Delaying the pre-dawn meal and increasing drinking water.

Ramadan tips for patients with heart and blood vessels

People with cardiovascular disease who do not suffer from any complications arising from their disease, can fast after consulting a doctor. Here are tips for fasting for patients with heart disease and vascular occlusion:

Eat light meals and distribute them in separate periods, so that they do not fill the stomach, because that stresses the heart.

Avoid salt and cholesterol-rich foods, such as egg yolks, liver, and animal fats.

Take the medications prescribed by the doctor, and not delay in that.

Ramadan tips for asthma patients

Some wrong behaviors in asthma patients may exacerbate their symptoms, and the following are Ramadan tips for asthma patients:

Avoid excessive eating of fatty dishes that may cause obesity, as excessive weight gain negatively affects breathing, and many asthma patients feel short of breath, and perhaps asthma attacks may occur after eating large and fatty meals.

Avoid the types of foods that cause allergies and irritate the bronchi, such as eggs, nuts, seafood, strawberries, and milk, so it is worth avoiding these foods in patients who are allergic to them.

Ramadan tips for fasting children

It is necessary to train children to fast Ramadan at an age that allows this and does not expose them to poor growth and development, as it is advisable for every Muslim family to accustom its children to fasting gently and softly, taking into account the gradual fasting of the child so that he begins fasting half the day, for example, then increases the hours, and so on.

It is also prohibited to force a child with a chronic disease such as anemia, diabetes, kidney disease and others to fast, as this exposes him to the risk of complications from these diseases.

Here are Ramadan nutritional tips for children to encourage and train them to fast:

The breakfast of the fasting child must contain all the elements and food groups, to give his body the energy it needs to move and study.

It is preferable to control the child's activity during fasting hours, as physical activities that increase his sense of thirst and hunger should be reduced. It is natural that the body's need for water and calories increases with the increase in muscle effort.

Fill the child's spare time with useful activities such as light entertaining games, reading and memorizing the Holy Quran.

Using foods that cause a feeling of satiety for as long as possible during the pre-dawn meal, such as legumes, wheat bread, and vegetables.

Reducing salty and spicy foods during the suhoor meal, because they increase the feeling of thirst during fasting hours.

Ramadan tips for pregnant and breastfeeding women in Ramadan

There is no danger threatening the health of a nursing mother or her child if she fasts in most cases. Rather, fasting a pregnant woman during Ramadan has many therapeutic benefits for many diseases, especially gastrointestinal diseases. But it is necessary when fasting during a pregnant woman to provide the body with the calories, proteins, carbohydrates, salts, fats and vitamins it needs.

Despite that, Islam permits breakfast in special cases for pregnant women, such as those suffering from preeclampsia, persistent vomiting, high blood pressure, and some kidney problems, so it is important to consult a doctor about this.

The following are nutritional advice for pregnant and breastfeeding women during Ramadan:

Choosing various types of food that cover the needs of the body from all nutrients in balanced quantities at breakfast, such as proteins of all kinds, mineral salts, iron to form blood, and carbohydrates, with the need to drink adequate quantities of water and fluids. Pregnant women are advised to eat dates and milk for breakfast, and it is preferable to eat a salad dish before breakfast.

Stay away from coffee and tea for breakfast.

Choose a suhoor meal rich in vegetables and fruits, and increase the intake of fresh natural juice, to reduce thirst during the day. It is also recommended to reduce pickles, sugars, sweets, and foods with added salt that increase the feeling of thirst.

Avoid long exposure to the sun, especially in hot weather.

Increase the consumption of magnesium sources such as whole grains, legumes, dates, meats, milk and dairy products, and green leafy vegetables, because deficiency of it leads to a feeling of fatigue, weakness, and muscle cramps. These foods are also rich in folic acid, which is essential for the development of the fetus and for the prevention of congenital spinal cord malformations.

Avoid dieting and dieting to lose weight, because this is harmful to her and her fetus, not only during fasting, but on normal days as well.

Nutritional advice to achieve the benefits of fasting

Fasting during the month of Ramadan has many benefits for the health of the body, if it is followed in the right way, so here, dear fasting person, are nutritional tips in Ramadan that will help you get the health results of fasting:

Start by eating 3-5 dates with a cup of water, then move to hot soup or fresh juice.

Waiting a quarter to half an hour and then eating breakfast, in order to prepare the stomach to receive food.

Eating breakfast in two batches, this method reduces the feeling of satiety, indigestion and lethargy that a fasting person often feels after eating breakfast.

It is preferable for breakfast to contain a starch such as rice, pasta or potatoes, and it is also preferable to contain one type of meat, such as red meat, chicken or fish, and it is preferable to have grilled vegetables as well.

It is advised to drink adequate amounts of water, i.e. approximately 8 cups of water, to avoid dehydration, and it is also advised to drink it at frequent intervals to avoid stomach bloating.

Take care to reduce fats and fried foods, because they are rich in calories and saturated fats, which cause obesity and heart disease.

Reducing as much as possible Ramadan drinks because they contain a large amount of sugar and artificial colors, they cause weight gain and do not contain any nutritional value for the body.

It is recommended to replace Ramadan juices with fresh natural juices, as they compensate for the liquids and minerals lost by the fasting person.

Eat a meal or two snacks between breakfast and the pre-dawn meal, such as fruits, fresh juices, and low-fat milk products.

Eat sweets made from low-fat products, while using the grilling method instead of frying in preparing them.

Eating salad before breakfast and the pre-dawn meal, as it avoids eating a large amount of food in addition to containing the necessary nutrients for the body.

It is recommended to exercise light two hours after breakfast, because it burns extra calories and provides the body with activity and energy.

In Ramadan, it is recommended to eat foods high in fiber and protein in the suhoor meal, because they give a feeling of satiety for a long time, and examples of foods rich in fiber and protein:

Fiber-rich foods: brown bread, oatmeal, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

Protein-rich foods: dairy products, grilled meats and pulses.

Tips to avoid thirst in Ramadan

Perhaps the most important problem faced by the fasting person, especially those working in different sectors, is the feeling of thirst, so here, dear fasting person, the following tips to resist thirst during Ramadan:

Do not drink a large amount of water at once, because that leads to losing it quickly, so it is best to distribute it throughout the period between breakfast and the pre-dawn meal. That is, drinking a cup of water every hour, so the total is eight to ten cups a day.

Eat foods rich in potassium, especially in the suhoor meal, such as bananas, kiwi, qamaruddin, and tomatoes because potassium maintains the fluid balance in the body and reduces the feeling of thirst.

Avoid salt and salty foods such as salty cheeses, pickles, canned foods, and fast food, especially during the suhoor meal.

Minimize coffee and tea, as they increase fluid loss in the body.