Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer, reflection and community. A commemoration of Muhammad’s first revelation, the annual observance of Ramadan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
Fasting from sunrise to sunset is fard (obligatory) for all adult Muslims who are not acutely or chronically ill, travelling, elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, or menstruating. The predawn meal is referred to as suhur, and the nightly feast that breaks the fast is called iftar. Although fatwas have been issued declaring that Muslims who live in regions with a midnight sun or polar night should follow the timetable of Mecca, it is common practice to follow the timetable of the closest country in which night can be distinguished from day.
The holy month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a time when many Muslims across the world fast during daylight hours for 29-30 days. The Islamic calendar is lunar and so Ramadan falls at a slightly earlier time in the year each year.
Muslims taking part in Ramadan do not eat or drink anything during daylight hours, eating one meal (the ‘suhoor’ or ‘sehri’) just before dawn and another (the ‘iftar’) after sunset. The end of Ramadan is marked by ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’, the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. A special celebratory meal is eaten during the festival, the first daytime meal for a month.
Ramadan 2020 is expected to start around the 23rd of April.
While fasting is obligatory for all healthy muslims (not children), there are exemptions for those who are ill or who’s health could be affected by fasting, for example, pregnant or breastfeeding women and people with diabetes.
How does fasting affect the body?
During fasting hours when no food or drink is consumed, the body uses its stores of carbohydrate (stored in the liver and muscles) and fat to provide energy once all the calories from the foods consumed during the night have been used up. The body cannot store water and so the kidneys conserve as much water as possible by reducing the amount lost in urine. However, the body cannot avoid losing some water when you go to the toilet, through your skin and when you breathe and when you sweat if it is warm.
Depending on the weather and the length of the fast, most people who fast during Ramadan will experience mild dehydration, which may cause headaches, tiredness and difficulty concentrating. However, studies have suggested that this is not harmful to health, provided that enough fluids are consumed after breaking the fast to replace those lost during the day. However, if you are unable to stand up due to dizziness, or you are disoriented, you should urgently drink regular, moderate quantities of water – ideally with sugar and salt – a sugary drink or rehydration solution. If you faint due to dehydration, your legs should be raised above your head by others, and when you awake, you should urgently rehydrate as outlined above.
For those who would normally consume caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee during the day, the lack of caffeine during the fast may initially lead to headaches and tiredness. This may ease over the course of Ramadan as the body adjusts to going without caffeine during the day.
Once the fast is broken, the body can rehydrate and gain energy from the foods and drinks consumed. Having not eaten for a long period, you may find it helpful to eat slowly when breaking the fast and to start with plenty of fluids and low-fat, fluid-rich foods (see suggestions below).
Drinking plenty of fluids, as well as consuming fluid-rich foods, such as fruit, vegetables, yogurt, soups and stews, is very important to replace fluids lost during the day and to start the next day of fasting well hydrated. Salt stimulates thirst and so it’s a good idea to avoid consuming a lot of salty foods. The pre-dawn meal, suhoor, provides fluids and energy for the day of fasting ahead, so making healthy choices can help you to cope better with the fast (see suggestions below).
While iftar meals are often a time for celebration, with families and friends coming together to break their fasts, it’s important not to go overboard when eating during Ramadan. Consuming a lot of deep fried, creamy and sweet foods may actually cause you to gain weight during Ramadan. Ramadan can be a good time to make changes to improve the balance of your diet that you can sustain in the longer term.
The changes to eating habits and lack of fluids during the day may cause constipation for some people. When you can eat and drink, consuming plenty of high fibre foods, such as wholegrains, high fibre cereals, bran, fruit and vegetables, beans, lentils, dried fruit and nuts alongside plenty of fluids may help to ease constipation as well as doing some light physical activity, such as going for a walk after iftar.
Is fasting good for health?
Results from studies on the health effects of Ramadan fasting are mixed, probably because the length of the fast and the weather conditions experienced vary depending on the time of year and the country where the fast is being observed. Some studies have found that people who are overweight or obese lose weight and body fat during Ramadan (although they tended to put this weight back on after Ramadan). If you are overweight and would like to lose weight and keep it off, then making plans to maintain a healthy diet and get active when Ramadan is finished may help you sustain any weight lost due to fasting.
Some small studies have looked at the effect of Ramadan fasting on factors like blood cholesterol and triglycerides (fat in the blood) and found a short term improvement in some cases although some studies found no effect. There have also been some small studies that suggest that Ramadan fasting may have a short term beneficial effect on the immune system. In both cases, the results of studies have been mixed and so more research is needed to confirm these results.
What to eat and drink at iftar and suhoor
Iftar – when first breaking the fast go for plenty of fluids, low fat, fluid-rich foods and foods containing some natural sugars for energy (avoid consuming a lot of foods or drinks with added sugars). Below are some examples:
- Drinks – water, milk, fruit juices or smoothies – water provides hydration without any extra calories or added sugars. Drinks based on milk and fruit provide some natural sugars and nutrients – these are also good to break the fast but avoid drinking a lot of drinks with added sugars after breaking the fast as these can provide too much sugars and calories.
- Dates – traditionally eaten to break the fast since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, dates are a great way to break the fast as they provide natural sugars for energy, provide minerals like potassium, copper and manganese and are a source of fibre. You could also try other dried fruits such as apricots, figs, raisins or prunes, which also provide fibre and nutrients.
- Fruit – a traditional way to break the fast in South Asian cultures, fruit provides natural sugars for energy, fluid and some vitamins and minerals.
- Soup – traditional in many Arab countries, is a light way to break the fast and provides fluid. Traditional soups are based on a meat broth and often contain pulses, like lentils and beans, and starchy foods like pasta or grains, providing
nutrients and energy
After breaking the fast – meals vary between different cultures and traditions but try to make sure the foods you eat provide a balance of starchy foods, including wholegrains where you can, fruit and vegetables, dairy foods and protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs and beans, as shown by the Eatwell Guide. For example you could have a range of curries including fish, meat, vegetables and pulses, served with rice, chapattis and yogurt, and this would include all of the key food groups within the Eatwell Guide.
After a long fast it’s natural to want to treat yourself but try to keep the amount of fatty and sugary foods and sugary drinks you have to a small amount. Remember that you only have a relatively short time each day to eat and drink to provide your body with all the essential nutrients and fluids it needs to be healthy, so the quality of your diet is especially important during Ramadan.
If you can, once you have had a chance to digest your food, you could try doing some light exercise such as going for a walk. If you attend Taraweeh prayers (special night-time prayers for Ramadan) in the evening, perhaps you could walk all or part of the way there.
Suhoor – drink plenty of fluids, choose fluid-rich foods to make sure you are well hydrated for the day ahead and go for starchy foods for energy, choosing high fibre or wholegrain varieties where possible as these can help keep you feeling fuller and can aid digestion, helping to prevent constipation. Below are some examples:
- Oats – these are wholegrains and you could choose porridge, which will also provide fluids as it’s made with milk or water, muesli
- with milk or yogurt or overnight oats. You could experiment with fresh or dried fruit, nuts or seeds as toppings.
- High fibre breakfast cereals – these provide plenty of fibre and are often fortified with vitamins and minerals, providing extra nutrients. Because they are consumed with milk, you also get fluid and nutrients like calcium, iodine and b vitamins from the milk.
- Starchy foods like rice, or couscous – you could try rice pudding with fruit or experiment with couscous or other grains with dairy or fruit. If you go for savoury dishes at suhoor then it’s a good idea make sure these are not too salty or they may make you very thirsty during the fast.
- Yogurt – this can be a good food to include at suhoor as it provides nutrients like protein, calcium, iodine and b vitamins and also contains fluid. You could combine it with cereal and fruit as in the examples above.
- Breads – go for wholegrain options as these provide more fibre, for example wholemeal toast or chapattis. Avoid combining bread with salty foods like hard cheese, or preserved meats. You could try nut butters (without added salt), soft cheese, or banana. As bread is fairly dry, make sure you drink plenty of water or other fluids alongside or you could have fluid-rich foods such as a lentil soup, which is a traditional food at suhoor in some countries.
Read More: Bodybuilding Best Programs during Ramadan
Fasting with diabetes
Much research has been done on the health implications of fasting for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes tends to be particularly prevalent in people of south-Asian and black African descent, many of whom may be Muslim. There can be a risk of dehydration and hypoglycaemia, for those with diabetes who observe the fast, especially in the spring and summer when days are longer and warmer.
It is permissible in Islam for those with a health condition such as diabetes not to fast. However, Ramadan fasting has great spiritual significance for Muslims and many with diabetes do choose to fast. Whether to fast or not is a personal decision for each inpidual. If you are diabetic and are planning to fast it’s advisable to visit your doctor or healthcare team to talk about how to manage your condition while fasting.
Read More: How to Fasting with Diabetes During Ramadan
Traditional Ramadan foods from around the world
Below are some examples of foods eaten in different Muslim countries during Ramadan:
Algeria“A soup called ‘Chorba’ which is made with tomatoes, vegetables, vermicelli and lamb neck is a traditional way to break the fast, served with borek, which are fried filo pastries with a variety of fillings, like spinach and cheese and lamb and potato. After this, we usually have a range of salads and sometimes stews with bread and we’ll often have ‘laham lalou’ for dessert, which is a mixture of different dried fruits, cooked with fresh apple or pear and spices. For suhoor, a traditional meal in Algeria would be couscous, mixed with sultanas and buttermilk”
Nabil, Algeria
| Lebanon“We have many different traditional soups and freshly pressed juices for iftar in Lebanon. Something very specific to Ramadan is called ‘qamr id-deen’ which is a fruity snack made of dried ripe apricot juice, made into a sheet and cut into pieces. I remember it as a sweet, tasty treat – similar to fruit leathers that are popular today. It can also be mixed with water and orange blossom water to make a delicious drink” Fadila, Lebanon |
Bangladesh“In Bangladesh we have different traditional drinks to break the fast including lassi, wood apple juice and Isabgol husk (a type of psyllium) drink. It’s also traditional to break the fast with seasonal fruits like watermelon, mango, guava and jackfruit. Main dishes can include meat and fish with rice but also a lot of vegetarian dishes like peazu made with blended pink lentils or masoor dal, aloo chop (potato cakes with green chilli) and kichiri, made with rice, lentils, onions, garlic and ginger. We normally also have these dishes for suhoor but some people prefer chapatis with lentil soup.” Rifat, Bangladesh
| Egypt“We would often break the fast with dates and milk, tamr hindi (tamarind juice) and also sobia (coconut juice). Traditional iftar dishes include green salad and different dips to start and then sambusak (pastries with different fillings, like cheese or meat), mahshi (stuffed vegetables), moloukhia (a type of green leafy vegetable, cooked and often served with chicken) different types of kebab and rice. For suhoor, a traditional dish would be ful madammas – a warm dip made with broad beans, and also eggs, cheese and bread.” Nashwa, Egypt |
With thanks to Nabil, Fadila, Rifat and Nashwa for information about traditional foods and drinks during Ramadan.
Sources: Nutrition.org , Wikipedia