Healthy And Lean Through Fasting – Ramadan Mubarak

Fasting for Ramadan, health, weight loss, or all of the above?

Fasting is extremely beneficial for your health! For non-Muslims Ramadan can be a great opportunity to learn about fasting as a health strategy. For Muslims, it’s THE opportunity of the year to reconnect with Islam and its teachings on moderation. After all, the gorge-fests after sunset may be a tradition but definitely not what fasting and Ramadan were meant for.

Ramadan is expected to start on the 18th of June 2015, depending on when the new moon will be spotted. A Muslim adult is required to fast the days of Ramadan, unless ill or traveling, in which case missed fasts can be made up later. From dawn to sunset Muslims refrain from food and drink and sexual intercourse.

If you are a non-Muslim, you may have tried a form of fasting. Maybe you’ve tried it for detoxing, weight loss or other reasons, or you may wonder why anybody but an anorexic patient would want to fast.

Fasting is NOT about starving yourself. It’s about abstaining from food and drink for a number of hours only. Before and after the fasting hours, you should eat a healthy meal! 

Fasting has some incredible benefits:

• Fasting cleanses mind and body
• Fasting helps weight loss
• Fasting promotes longevity
• Fasting improves brain function, the immune system and insulin sensitivity
• Fasting reduces inflammation, skin problems and acne 

And this enthusing list goes on...

Medical science and sports science are only two of the disciplines that are catching up with the 

wisdom that lies behind this type of fasting.

The BBC documentary Horizon “Eat Fast And Live Longer” with medical doctor Michael
Mosley is a must-see for anyone interested in
good health. Dr. Mosley was so impressed with
the outcomes of his health quest that he wrote the book “The Fast Diet”, which has become a
no. 1 best seller worldwide. Amazing how similar this is to the voluntary fasting on Mondays and 

Thursdays according to the islamic sunnah (ways of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him).

Also the experts of sports & exercise nutrition at Precision Nutrition are experimenting with 

intermittent fasting. They have interesting reads for both recreational exercisers and professional 

athletes. There is a lot of other easily accessible reading material out there on the net.

Healthy Habits Around Fasting

Fasting is a mindset – you choose to abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset. You make the intention then you just do it!

To get the most benefit out of fasting, it is important that you continue to make smart choices after

breaking your fast! As always, healthy living is simply a choice and moderation is the key. Also in 

the nights of Ramadan, when the traditional or social pressure to overeat may be high!

The most important healthy habits to stake your life on:

1) Worship God

Health of the mind, heart and body starts by worshipping God, who created us to worship Him alone.

2) Healthy foods

Eat mostly healthy, unprocessed foods and healthy drinks (caffeine- and sugar-free).

Make vegetables (and some fruits) the basis of your meals, about half your meal or plate!

Add some lean protein the size of your iPhone such as meat, fish, beans, hummus, dairy.

Finally add 1-2 tablespoons of healthy fat (e.g. olive oil,

avocado, nut and seeds) and/or /3 to 1 cup of starchy foods like rice, pasta, bread, pumpkin or potatoes.

Portion sizes depend on activity level and body size, male or female.

Use lean cooking methods like steaming, grilling, and the 

oven – or go raw – rather than frying foods.

Anchor habit: Eat slow (read: chew well) and stop eating when 80% full! Even if your plate is not
empty yet. 

Never fill your plate to stuff yourself, but only to get to the next meal 3-4 hours later (during eating hours). If a regular meal at sunset is not enough to sustain you until breakfast, eat another moderate meal or a healthy snack a few hours later. 

3) Stay hydrated, drink plenty! Normally, the recommendation is to drink at least 6-8 glasses (of water) a day. However, now that Ramadan falls during the long, hot summer days you can double that amount. Don’t drink too

much at once, instead drink a glass each 15 minutes until your thirst is quenched.

4) Exercise For all levels, the best time to exercise is in the last
hour before breaking your fast (if you are used to it!), otherwise wait at least one hour after your meal. 

Avoid exercising in the morning, as you

cannot replenish your fluid and protein levels timely, while fasting!! Adjust the intensity and duration of
your exercise to your fasting energy levels – listen to
your body and stay active.

For non-exercisers or beginners, moderate exercise will help you tomaintain energy levels during Ramadan. Start with short 7-10
minute workouts, preferably strength-training or a brisk walk, run
up and down the stairs, play an active game or do a stretching
routine. Limit cardio or interval  training to a maximum of twice a week. Start wherever you are, do whatever you can. Try to build a fit-circle: Encourage any over eaters around you to shift focus
from feast to fitness too.

5) Enough sleep Ideally, sleep from 9pm to 12am. The quality of sleep is best at this time and the hours count double (those 3 hours make up for 6 hoursof sleep). From midnight to 2am, the quality of sleep is less deep,
and every hour of sleep here counts as an hour (2 hours make up 2
hours of sleep). The brain is most ready for recitation from 2am to 

5am.

Do naps count? They sure do! Nap in the late morning or during theafternoon. The ideal length of a nap for a daytime boost in energy
and alertness is 26 minutes, according to NASA’s experiments with astronauts.

Coping Strategies for Ramadan and Other Social Gatherings

Ramadan’s social gatherings are fun, and the traditions to show hospitality by serving tray after tray \of the best looking and best tasting foods, work like a trap for binge-eating at night. Tips for
moderation:

Don’t overcompensate

Just like some people think that exercise needs to be compensated with bigger meals, some people
think that also fasting needs to be compensated with bigger meals. This is a FALSE assumption.
Body and energy levels function and recover best on moderate meals.

Eat breakfast (suhur)

Breakfast is very important during Ramadan! Also for people who otherwise do not take breakfast:

Take a healthy, moderate meal, or at least some dates (according to the Islamic sunnah). After

breakfast even if you had it with juice, coffee or tea, drink 2-3 glasses of water extra to hydrate
for the day ahead.

Meal examples:

• smoothie with banana-spinach-hemp powder-milk/juice,
• egg omelet with tomato-onions-mushrooms-paprika-zucchini and (fresh) orange juice
• sandwich with cheese-tomato-cucumber-lettuce,
• oatmeal with a tablespoon of almonds and half a cup berries,
• yoghurt with muesli and fresh fruit,
• the leftovers from yesterday’s iftar (stored properly in the refrigerator).

Make plans for when you break your fast (iftar)

Do not overeat!! It cannot be emphasized enough. Keep your head cool!

Take one or more dates and sip some water, while you inspect ALL the dishes on the serving table or buffet. Don’t start spooning it onto your plate yet. Look, smell, be selective –does it really taste as

great as it looks? Choose only the foods that appeal most to you (not just to please the cook), and

keep the plate recommendations above in mind. If iftar is not enough to sustain you until breakfast 

(suhur), eat another meal or healthy snack 2-4 hours later.

Sit down, away from the buffet, and eat slowly and mindfully. Yes, you can have a little bit of dessert, if you’re not already full. An overly filled stomach feels unpleasant and is energy draining. Your iftar doesn’t taste so great anymore when you’re bending forward during night prayer and the overfill slides from your stomach back into your throat. Kind of sour!

Do not drink too much at once. Instead, drink 1-2 glasses at iftar, and the rest later (as water, caffeine- and sugar-free drinks).

Meal examples:

• vegetable stew with chicken or meat (saloona) with rice or as tharid, 
• vegetable and chicken soup, salad, fresh juice or fresh fruit, 
• anything light and lean, 
• fava beans (fool) with bread or rice and salad, 
• curry with rice or bread and salad or soup, 
• 2-3 samoosas with 3 kibba and loads of taboulah, 
• vegan, vegetarian, paleo, sushi, etc. 

Supportive Strategies

• Plan moderate meals and cook accordingly. 

• Shop smart! Buy fresh produce and avoid buying processed stuff in a carton box with 20 ingredients or with ingredients that you cannot even pronounce. Also try to avoid “red-light-foods”, i.e. foods that you usually overeat on –these are different for everyone and it can be anything from pasta, chocolate cake, French fries or cherry yoghurt.

• If you’re having a potluck, make a list of who brings what (savory or sweet dish per guest).

• Organize an iftar with a theme to make others health conscious: Healthy Potluck, Smoothie Iftar, Salads and Soups, Lean Cuisine, Fruit Art, etc.  

• If a social group is too much to handle, find yourself a Ramadan buddy. The more buddies you find that share similar aspirations and goals, the bigger your social support circle will be.

• Shift the focus of your social circle from Food to Fitness by organizing a gentle and fun physical activity for the group after iftar. Announce it beforehand, so that they can mentally prepare and dress for it. The best time for exercise or active games is either just before breaking fast (if all of you are comfortable with it), or at least an hour after eating. 

• Implementing healthy habits takes time, as does creating a fit circle around you. Make small changes at a time that are easy to accomplish. Success motivates. 

Ramadan offers an ideal blueprint for 30 days of cleansing, detoxing, weight loss and improved health. The worship and the sunnah behind it make it rewarding on all levels you could wish for.

Have a healthy and blessed Ramadan.