Umer Zahid
Ramadan is the month in the Islamic calendar in which Muslims around the world fast from dawn till dusk for the whole month. During fasting, Muslims abstain themselves from eating or drinking anything. Muslims fasting in Ramadan is a religious obligation. But many people don’t know about the health benefits it has.
Many scientific studies suggest that intermittent fasting has several health benefits like blood sugar control, weight loss, immunity boost etc. So, in this article, we will tell you how to reap maximum health benefits through fasting.
Health Benefits of Fasting
Many health professionals believe that restricting food intake during the day can help in preventing different health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. Some recent studies also suggest that fasting can have positive effects on the immune system.
During fasting, our bodies go into energy preservation mode because of the lack of nutrients coming in. To save energy, our body recycles most of the old or damaged immune cells. When we break the fast by eating and drinking, the new and healthier immune cells are produced. These new cells are quicker and more efficient at fighting infections. Therefore, our body’s overall immunity is improved. If we take the Covid-19 situation into account, then fasting is quite beneficial for everyone.
There are more health benefits of fasting as well:
- It helps in weight loss by limiting calorie intake and boosting metabolism
- It improves blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides levels
- It helps in controlling the blood sugar
- It helps in promoting detoxification
- It improves brain functioning
However, these benefits can only be achieved if we do fasting the right way. Most of the people eat a lot of deep-fried things like Pakoras, samosa, rolls etc. in Iftar and fill their bodies with so much food immediately, which is not exactly the ideal diet for an empty stomach.
Many doctors and nutritionists recommend people to avoid all the oily foods and sugary drinks in Iftar and Sehri. These food items can cause different health problems such as bloating, gaseous distension and gastritis. As all these foods are high in fat and sugar, they are more likely to cause lethargy and increases your weight. Therefore, you should try to avoid a high carbohydrates diet in the month of Ramadan to avoid weight gain and other health-related problems.
Things we should eat in Sehri
According to the nutritionists, we should eat things that have a low glycemic index. The low glycemic foods contain carbohydrates which break down more slowly in the body and helps in keeping the blood sugar levels stable.
You can also eat foods which contain a high amount of fibre and proteins. The fibre keeps you full for a long period. Therefore, consuming food high in fibre can give you energy for many hours during fasting. You can eat things like whole-grain chapatti or bread, cereal with milk, eggs, vegetables etc.
Things we should eat in Iftar
Health professional recommend people to break their fast slowly to give the body plenty of time to digest food. You can break your fast by drinking a glass of water that will rehydrate your body. After that, you can eat dates which are a great source of energy for your body.
Dates provide natural sugar and minerals like potassium, fibre and manganese to the body. For your meal, you must consume things that are high in protein such as grilled chicken and fish fillet. You can add vegetables in it as well like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. If you don’t want to eat meat then you can eat a bowl of vegetable salad with chickpeas or beans.
You can use air-fryer as well if you cannot resist things like fried rolls, samosa, fries etc. With air-fryer, you don’t have to worry about the oil and calories.
These things can help you to get maximum health benefits through fasting. If you have any questions regarding how to reap maximum health benefits through fasting, you can ask them in the comments section.
