20 Suggestions For a Healthy Ramadan

Healthy eating in Ramadan is very important for many of us. This year, it is very important to protect our health, consume nutritious products and strengthen our immune system due to the corona virus outbreak. Even though the hours spent in fasting are shorter than in previous years, some mistakes you may make about nutrition may cause you to get hungry quickly or to lose your health. So how should it be fed during Ramadan? What are the tricks of having Ramadan healthy? How should we consume the nutrients our body needs? We have compiled 20 suggestions for a healthy Ramadan.

1 – Always Drink Water in Sahur

Our Prophet (saw) says “Make a sahur, even with a sip of water” and “Eat a sahur, because there is abundance in sahur” about the sahur. Nutritionists also underline that the sahur meal on this subject must be eaten. Because when the sahura is not lifted, there are many more health problems during the day. When fasting without making sahur, fasting time increases and metabolic rate decreases; weakness, headache, fatigue and decreased attention are seen.

2-Sleep 1 Hour Earlier Every Day

In order to prevent excessive food consumption in iftar after long-term fasting and the drop in blood sugar during the day due to the long fasting time, you should consume foods that are slow in digestion and high in nutrients. If you complain about your sleep splitting when you get up to Sahur, you can pull your sleep time 1 hour ahead.

3-Eggs are Sample Protein Sources

The only food in the human body that uses almost all of the protein it receives is the egg. Known as the “sample protein”, the egg helps keep your energy high during the day thanks to the feeling of satiety.

4-Be Sure To Eat Eggs

The egg provides the regeneration of the liver with its lecithin content. The liver alone is the main organ of many functions in the body; its renewal means the renewal of the body. In this way, the egg supports the renewal of your metabolism and facilitates weight loss processes. If you do not have a health problem such as high cholesterol, you can consume one egg at your sahur tables with peace of mind.

5-Foods Containing Fiber Provide Less Hunger

Avoid too fatty, too salty and overly sweet foods in sahur. Instead, choose vegetables, fruits and whole-grain foods that are easy to digest and contain fiber that can remain in the gastrointestinal tract for a long time. It is possible to prevent the drop of blood sugar throughout the day, to delay gastric emptying, and to eat protein rich in sahur.

6-Prefer Light Foods And Breakfast For Sahur

Therefore, eat lighter breakfast instead of heavy and calorie heavy meals on sahur. The ideal foods for sahur are olives, cheese, eggs, bran bread, raw vegetables, milk, yogurt, fruit or fruit compotes.

7-Provide Your Energy with Date at Ramadan Dinner Table

People who feel quite tired, sluggish or want to gain weight during the day can provide some of the energy they need with dates. Hurma keeps the person alive all day long with its high energy content. Thanks to its rich content in fiber, it provides a slow digestion by staying in the stomach for a long time. Thus, the duration of satiety is extended and less food is consumed.

8- Date (Hurma) Meets The Vitamins We Need

Date (Hurma) supports the iron stores of the person with the high amount of iron minerals and thus the metabolism is accelerated. However, it should not be forgotten that 1 palm contains 20 calories. Especially in the slimming process, it should be consumed by paying attention to the amount. 100 grams of dates contain 3.5 grams of fiber. In this way, the stomach swells like a sponge and takes up volume and creates a feeling of satiety because it leaves the stomach late. High fiber also helps the digestive system to work. Click for the answer to the question of why we should consume dates for our health.

9-Don’t Eat Too Much

Our Prophet (PBUH) says about fasting in a hadith: “Hurry iftar; delay the sahur!” Loading the stomach, which is hungry all day long, at iftar will cause many health problems and also increase the burden of the heart.

10- Eat Little and Healthy Foods

Eating too fast and overeating after a long period of starvation causes disease risks such as heart attack, high blood pressure, brain hemorrhage and stroke. For this reason, do not suddenly load the stomach that has been fasting for a long time. At fast-breaking, eat fast and healthy foods before fasting.

11- Drink at least 10 glasses of water between Iftar and Sahur

The hours spent fasting in Ramadan in recent years are quite long. Excessive sweating increases fluid loss in the body. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on water consumption especially in these periods. When water loss is not met during the day, there may be problems such as weakness in the body, inefficiency at work, difficulty in concentration, sleepiness, indigestion, and low blood pressure. To prevent dehydration, pay particular attention to liquid intake in sahur.

12- Other Drinks Are Not Useful As Water

Use the time between iftar and sahur systematically in terms of fluid. In order to meet the loss of liquid, you can prefer homemade low-sugar lemonade, ayran, fruit compotes other than water. Do not fall under the consumption of two liters of water during Ramadan. Consume at least 8-10 glasses of water from iftar to sahura. But keep in mind that the need for liquids with other drinks than water is not met.

13- Do Not Limit Your Meals To Iftar And Sahur

Our diet, which is 5-6 meals with main and snacks in normal time, changes in Ramadan. You can add one or two snacks to the two main meals consisting of Night Sahur and Evening iftar meals.

14- Don’t Reduce Your Metabolism’s Working Speed

Thanks to these snacks you will create with healthy snacks, you will prevent the metabolic rate from decreasing.

15- Wait 5 Minutes Before Starting Main Dish

After opening your fast with water and dates, continue to fasten with light foods such as soup and salad. Taking a break for five minutes before switching to the main meal will relax your stomach and help you eat less. After the break, you can choose a small amount of pilaf, pasta or bulgur pilaf with your meat or vegetable dish.

16- Yogurt Must Be On Your Food Table

In addition, do not forget to consume yogurt or buttermilk, which is rich in protein and calcium. Yogurt, which you will consume as much as a glass of water a day, contributes to the regulation of your digestive system, and also speeds up fat burning. A glass of yogurt in iftar; You can consume a glass of water again 2 hours after iftar.

17- Don’t Eat Dessert Immediately After Iftar

Do not consume desserts immediately after the iftar meal. Eating fruit or dessert 1-2 hours after eating is more beneficial for your health. Carbohydrate-rich desserts, cookies, fatty pastries lead to empty energy and make you hungry in a short time.

18- Your choice should be fresh desserts

Therefore, make sure that the dessert you prefer is not fresh. Fresh desserts will provide the energy you need.
Especially milk desserts made from seasonal fruits or ice cream, which is indispensable for summer months, may also be a choice.

19- Avoid Fatty And Salty Foods

Giving importance to your nutrition during the hours between iftar and sahur allows you to spend your fasting hours more easily. For this reason, never consume fatty and salty foods both in iftar and sahur.

20-Make Your Body Consume Less Water in 18-Days

Fatty and salty foods cause health problems such as high blood pressure and edema, as you cannot get more thirsty during the day and consume water. Be sure to avoid foods such as pickles with high salt content in iftar and sahur, pickled foods such as bacon, sausage with high fat and salt content, cookies with high sugar content and calories, desserts.