O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous – Surah Baqarah Ayah 183.
As we all know how important is Ramadan to Muslims, eating healthy during Ramadan is extremely essential as well. It not only makes fasting easier but also guarantees a happy and productive Ramadan. To stay healthy while fasting we need to do a little preparation before Ramadan begins.
Pre-Ramadan Preparation For Healthy Fasting:
1. Make up your mind: It really is one of the most important and crucial steps. To be able to consistently eat healthily you need to make up your mind to give up all unhealthy foods, to crave and choose healthier options, and to desire a healthy body and mind. Meditation and visualization techniques can be used to achieve this. Every single day, visualize yourself eating and choosing healthy foods, rejecting bad options, and thereafter feeling the peace and happiness that results from your right decisions. To stay focused and strong on your goal, meditating for at least 5 mins a day is a must.
2. Set up your environment: The environment you live in has a great impact on the choices you make. Change your environment to change yourself. By this, I mean, surround yourself with healthy food. Fill up your pantry with all the right food and throw away everything that will make you unhealthy. When you go out for food shopping, fill up your cart with healthy stuff so that you have no room for junk. Delete all those apps which make you crave food loaded with chemicals and sugars.
3. Plan your Ramadan: Food must not be the focus of Ramadan rather ibadah should be our priority. Plan out your typical Ramadan day and shift your focus from food to productive activities. Eventually, you will see your wrong cravings vanishing away.
Related: Surah which is good for health
4. Talk to your family: Skip this step if you live alone but if however, you live with family it’s always better to make your plan known to everyone living with you, ahead of time. If they choose to join your journey of healthy fasting in Ramadan, plan on what works for all else, talk, and figure out ways as to how you can achieve your goal.
Tips For a Healthy Ramadan:
1. Understand and focus on the purpose of fasting. Here, you must understand the purpose of fasting from the spiritual and physical aspects. Fasting requires us to be away from food to make us aware of the situation of the poor thereby making us spiritually stronger and better humans.
It shifts our focus from food to ibadah and from this world to the hereafter. The physical aspect of fasting is mainly to cleanse our bodies. Extensive research has shown us that fasting is the best way to cleanse our gut/bodies and get rid of inflammation and diseases. During Ramadan, it is very important to eat food that is healthy and nutritious to allow this cleaning process to go smoothly and effectively.
2. Eat less but more nutritious. Often we think that the time between suhoor and iftar is there to make up the missed meal. This is not at all true. Rather the whole idea of Ramadan is to make us eat less and give our bodies more time for cleaning up. Eating less nutritious food is the only way to achieve healthy fasting in Ramadan. Ex: a piece of cake is loaded with sugar, less nutrient, and is inflammatory. On the contrary, an apple is sweet yet very nutritious and anti-inflammatory.
3. List out recipes or ideas that take less time but are healthy. Instead of cooking complex, time-consuming recipes list out all those dishes that are nutritious yet easy to put together. Ex: making a smoothie is far more nutritious and less time-consuming than a pizza or samosas.
4. Focus on hydration. One mistake which people make during Ramadan is that they prioritize eating more rather than hydrating themselves. Hydration does not mean drinking loads of water. It’s a wrong ‘healthy tip for Ramadan’ given by many. Instead, you basically need to increase your intake of hydrating foods and avoid intake of dehydrating foods. For Example, fruits and vegetables have the highest amount of hydration among all foods. Grains and pluses although considered healthy lack water. So eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer grains and pulses.
Also, read: How The Quran and Hadith Tell Us to Be Physically Healthy
Tips For Healthy Suhoor:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Take Suhur as there is a blessing in it.” – [Sahih Bukhari: 1923]
Suhoor is the most important meal that you must take during Ramadan. However, you must only consider the foods which help you stay healthy and provide a source of energy. Below are some of the healthy food for Ramadan:
1. During suhoor, avoid dehydrating food, especially fried and spicy items.
2. Limit if not ditch your coffee/tea as they are diuretics and will make you urinate frequently leaving you thirsty during your fast.
3. Avoid overeating as u might get bloated and face indigestion.
4. Make sure to include lots of vegetables to aid detox. They also keep you fresh and active during the fast.
Sample Meal Ideas for Healthy Ramadan Suhoor:
1. Smoothies: Vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, protein, and liquid make a smoothie. Choose water-rich veggies like cucumbers, green leafy veggies, carrots, beets, etc. Add fruit of your choice: apple, pineapple, berries, lemons, pears, etc.
Add healthy fats and protein from coconut, nuts, and seeds.
Choose water, coconut water, or vegan milk over animal milk as your liquid.
Remember to add veggies 3 times more than your fruit quantity. It is a power pack, nutrient-dense suhoor that is time-efficient as well.
2. Whole-grain bread with eggs and salad or stir fry. This one is a good choice for diabetics.
3. Two to three eggs omelet with lots of vegetables and avocado salad. This one is a good option for those on low carb.
4. Chicken or seafood soup with lots of vegetables and little oats. This soup is extremely hydrating and full of vitamins.
5. Oats porridge with fruits and yogurt. Yummy yet healthy!
Tips For Healthy Iftar During Ramadan:
Anas bin Malik narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever has dried dates, then let him break the fast with that, and whoever does not, then let him break the fast with water, for indeed water is purifying.” – Jami` at-Tirmidhi 694
To stay healthy and physically fit during Ramadan, Muslims are advised to look after the diet they intake in Iftar. Below are some health tips that you can follow during Ramadan:
- Break your fast with dates or water.
- Eat your iftar slowly: do not rush to eat everything too quickly even if you are really hungry at that time. After a long fast give your body enough time to understand the reception of food.
- Avoid drinking too much water.
- Avoid salty and fried food: how much ever traditional it is to eat samosas in iftar they sure will bloat you up afterward. So choose baked or grilled dishes.
- Try not to eat after Taraweeh or late at night. This will ensure you have your tummy ready for suhoor.
- Replace unhealthy options with healthy ones like smoothies or green juices instead of sherbets and soft drinks, baked and grilled instead of fried and spicy, fruits instead of sweets, whole grains instead of white rice, and white flour.
- Make sure you eat lots of vegetables and adequate amounts of protein and fewer carbs.
Sample Ideas For Healthy Iftar Dinner During Ramadan:
- Baked fish with vegetables and half a cup of brown rice
- Grilled or tandoor chicken with vegetables and a slice of whole grain, sprouted bread, or roti.
- Oats fruits and yogurt
- Quinoa salad
- Veg or non-veg soup.
Make the right diet plan by following these healthy eating tips for Ramadan.
