Many of the world’s major religions and spiritual practices contain an element of fasting, a time when people are encouraged not to eat (and, in the case of Ramadan, not) as a way to hone their spiritual development.
Now that the month of Ramadan is on us again, Muslims the world over are forgoing food and drink while the sun is out. As we learned last year, adjusting to only eating in the dark can be tricky, and in warm climates it’s difficult to keep your energy up when you’re not eating during the day.
How to eat during Ramadan
Zafar Nomani, a professor emeritus in the field of nutrition who has participated in Ramadan fasting throughout his life, says that it is possible to stay healthy during Ramadan if the right foods and drinks are consumed during the time allowed for eating.
He says it’s especially important not to skip a morning meal (his choice is Raisin Bran thanks to the fiber and complex carbohydrates) and not to load up on sweets in the evening. Instead, dates are a great way to break the fast, as is juice without added sugar.
He suggests meals that include the same sorts of healthy food you should be eating when you’re not fasting, as well as avoiding caffeinated beverages, which pull water out of the body.
He notes that Ramadan is a great time for overweight people to begin to lose weight, but it is possible for healthy people to eat right and still perform their work and light exercise during the day without losing weight.
It’s been shown that a lot of people don’t have healthy diets during Ramadan, getting way too much fat and not enough protein when they do eat.
Our correspondent in Senegal last year reported that breaking the fast is likegetting permission to eat all night, and while she did lose weight while taking part in the fast, she’s sure she would have lost more eating a healthier and better timed diet and exercising, which she didn’t have the energy to do during Ramadan.
Health benefits of fasting
People in Senegal said they felt lighter after a month of fasting, and said the process of not eating during the day allowed the organs to rest.
Nomani says studies have shown the metabolic rate to go down in people who are fasting and that refraining from eating can help purge toxins from the system. He also writes about fasting as a spiritual practice that requires discipline and may encourage people to change other bad behaviors, such as quitting smoking or becoming more mindful of the hardships of people around them.
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