MY RECOMMENDATIONS DURING THE HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN
Fasting during the month of Ramadan can be useful for your health if done correctly.
After calculation, food consumed during the pre-dawn (Sohour) and dusk meals (Iftar) may lead to some unintended weight gain. However, if you approach the fast with discipline, it can be an opportunity to lose weight and become healthier.
1- Stick to “my plate” paper to take your daily amount of food from each group depending on your calorie need per day.
2- Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps rehydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence - drink 3 liters of water before & after and in between each meal.
3- Lower your intake of fruits to 2 cups a day or less. Dates as a start provide you with a burst of energy. Fruit juices also have a similar, revitalizing effect. However, adding a considerable amount of sugar in your daily intake makes you feel thirsty all day long.
4- Instead, consume more food from the grains group, preferably whole-grain foods to reach your fiber daily needs & feel more satiety: Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. W find them in foods such as wheat, oats, beans, lentils, flour, and rice. Fiber-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apricots, prunes, and figs.
5- Consume more food from the meat & substitutes group to meet your daily protein needs. Eat more fish, legumes & lean cuts of meat & white poultry.
6- Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products or other calcium-rich foods.
7- Drink more vegetable juices instead of fruit-based juices & add a multi-colored vegetable salad to your meals.
8- Avoid caffeine-based drinks such as coffee, tea, and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination. If you have sleeping problems, it’s better to have chamomile (zhourat), mint (naanaa) or anise (yansoun) tisanes instead of green or red tea.
9- Choose potassium-rich foods like potatoes, white beans, yogurt, bananas, carrot juice, soybeans, halibut, tuna, spinach, dried dates, apricots & lentils, as they keep you away from thirst during the fasting period.
Foods to avoid
• Deep-fried foods & spicy foods.
• High-sugar and high-fat foods, like cakes, biscuits, chocolates, and sweets.
• Processed foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty foods.
