By It’s Ramadan and as much as we love all the blessings this month brings, what may worry us is the long hours of food deprivation. Let’s be honest — it’s not easy. Fasting requires a lot of energy, especially when Ramadan falls at peak summer time. The chances of falling sick, dehydration and fatigue are extremely high during this time. But don’t get scared, with the right eating habits and a healthy lifestyle you can combat all of the above seamlessly. Scroll down to browse through ways to stay healthy this month!
Never Skip Sehri
You must be familiar with the benefits of starting your day with a healthy breakfast. In Ramadan, this meal is replaced with sehri. Trust us when we say, this meal is the foundation of your fast. Even eating a light sehri can make your fast that much more difficult. Make sure you start your fast starts with a wholesome meal that’ll help you stay fuelled until iftar. It’ll help avoid overeating too!
Increase Your Fruit And Vegetables Intake
While fruits are a constant on our iftar tables, vegetables seem to disappear from the menu during Ramadan. The temptation to eat deep fried snacks after a day of fasting is real, but they’ll never replace the nutritional value of fresh fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, melon and cucumber are highly recommended after fasting as they contain high water content and help you stay hydrated for longer.
Avoid Sugary And Processed Foods
Processed and sugary foods are never a good idea, but they’re even worse in Ramadan. Heavily processed foods that contain refined carbohydrates as well as fatty desserts, are high in fat and low in nutrients. Consuming them will make you feel sluggish and low on energy during fasting hours.
Go Easy At Iftar
It’s natural to get excited and overindulge in the variety of food at iftar, but make sure you don’t overeat or it can spoil your appetite. Break your fast with a date and then hydrate yourself with enough water first. Dates provide the body with enough sugar to help restore low blood sugar levels after a day of fasting.
Avoid Caffeinated Drinks
We all need our dose of caffeine for a quick pick-me-up in the morning. But that doesn’t mean you gulp down caffeinated drinks at sehri. Caffeine is a natural diuretic; it increases fluid loss in the body and leads to dehydration. Therefore, caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, energy and carbonated drinks should be avoided in Ramadan.
Adjust Your Exercise Time
Fasting is not an excuse to skip your regular workout routine. But you do need to adjust your timings. Working out during your fast causes dehydration. The best time to workout in Ramadan is two to three hours after iftar because that’s when your energy levels are at its peak.
Get Enough Rest
Our sleep routine goes haywire in Ramadan and that contributes to us feeling lazy and tired. Sleep deprivation not only affects your energy but can also lead to unwanted weight gain or loss. To feel your best throughout Ramadan, make sure you get proper sleep and take some time out to rest during the day as well.
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