Begin Your Fast With A Wholesome Diet

The holy month of Ramadan is around the corner. For thirty days, Muslims fast from pre-dawn to dusk and devote themselves to prayers. Not only the fast, or ‘Roza’ is a means to develop closeness with God but is also beneficial for health. It gives a break from the regular routine of binge and excessive eating and trains the body to avoid such foods.

However, Ramadan should not mean feasting at the end of the day just to satisfy your cravings during fast. Filling an empty stomach with oily and spicy food does more harm than good.

If you are planning to fast this Ramadan, you need to be extra careful with your diet. Roza begins two hours before sunrise where you can have a proper diet if taken properly can quench your hunger pangs for the day. The best choices for a pre-dawn meal or ‘Sehri’ are:

Eggs: They boost your protein level and can be eaten in multiple forms, plus they take the least amount of time to cook. Boil it, scramble it, or the favourite veggie omelette, it tastes good in any form.

Dates: They are an excellent source of minerals and antioxidants. An average of six dates is equivalent to the whole day’s calorie requirement. You can have them raw or make a dates-shake, just by un-seeding them and tossing with milk in the mixer without adding sugar. Not only it becomes more nutritious but also tastes yum.

Chapatis/Oats: No diet is complete without chapatis. You can also have oatmeal cooked in milk if you can't have roti. Add in some cashews and almonds for some punch. Rotis and oats are abundant in carbs and fibres and really fill your tummy. Have at least two chapatis or one paratha(skipping the last step of applying oil/ghee in the end) and keep hunger at bay easily till fast breaks.

Plenty of Juices and Fluids: Lastly, have lots of drinks and beverages to keep thirst at bay in these hot and humid summers. Have a glass of water before, in between and thirty minutes after your Sehri according to the time available. Fluids will keep your body hydrated and minimise your thirst.

Getting up at 3 a. m and having to eat is one task, but it is imperative you have all of them in a balanced way. Make the most of these Ramadan and stay fit!