Many of us linked Ramadan with dieting, considering the month a chance to burn off some kilos. It is an annual trending topic on social media, especially on Tiktok, with the hashtag #ramadanhealth getting over 161 million views. Diet culture made us believe that we need to starve and deprive ourselves from our favourite foods.
However, that is not what diets are supposed to do. We should fuel our bodies correctly to be able to burn enough energy for our vital organs to do their jobs. We asked a nutritionist, health and fitness coach, clinical therapist, Dr. Dina Atout, to answer some of the most asked questions during Ramadan regarding staying healthy.
How to avoid overeating
This depends on two main factors, physical and mental. Physically, if you’re gaining weight and cannot explain why, or if you involuntarily resort to overeating, that is because you have been depriving your body of the basic nutrients it needs to survive.
Every person needs a different ratio of these nutrients based on their weight, height, age, gender and physical activity rate. These factors determine how many calories your body needs to burn to function properly. Based on that, the calories are divided into ‘macros’ short for macronutrients, which are proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Different metabolic rates require different ratios of these macros. Therefore, when the person of any specific metabolic rate consumes the suitable amount of these macros, they will not resort to overeating.
Dr. Dina advised to choose healthier options when looking for snacks, and to avoid ones with artificial preservatives, which would help greatly with overeating.
The mental factor is to try to apply the concept of ‘mindful eating’ to your lifestyle.
You should keep your mind alert while eating, “Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full”.
You should also respect mealtime, no phones or TV or any form of distractions. Stop saying “I won’t eat until I play a good movie to watch while eating”.
Don’t let your emotions control why you eat. Try not to stress-eat, or eat because you’re sad.
Engage your 5 senses, “while eating cucumber, notice its pungent smell, its flavor, its texture and crunch, its color and its sensation in your mouth”.
Don’t give in to peer pressure during social gatherings, if you’re out with friends and everyone is eating but you’re not hungry, it is completely fine if you don’t eat. Don’t force yourself.
Focus your mind on the fact that you are eating to fuel your body, you’ll feel more fulfilled.
Realizing the trigger points in your lifestyle that cause overeating, combined with the approaches mentioned, you’ll put together a strategy to fight this problem and take control. You’ll become stronger and have better balance between your mind, soul and body.
This is a process that requires time and patience, not an overnight solution. Dr. Dina recommends the 21 day method. You need exactly 21 days to change or adapt a new habit. It will help you involuntarily follow your strategy and release you of any pressure, just like the difference between driving for the first time and driving after 2 years of practice. Your mind sets it as a preset and will not steer away from it.
How to prevent headaches and caffeine or sugar withdrawal
You feel exhausted and get awful headaches when your blood sugar levels are lower than usual, which is normal during fasting or if you haven’t eaten anything all day. The step you take next is what determines if you’ll be healthy or not.
Resorting to sugars to increase your blood sugar level will rapidly increase it but it will also instantly decrease after, since sugar is easily and quickly digested and burned, it is not a sustainable source in this case. And when you resort to sugar after your levels drop again, you’ll fall into a vicious cycle of your blood sugar level going up and down too many times which on the long run would cause symptoms of addiction, exhaustion, deficiencies in internal organs and possibly illnesses and diseases.
The right way to elevate your blood sugar level is to consume the right foods, which in the case of fasting, eating an odd number of dates (1, 3 or 5). The body translates the number of dates differently, an even number is digested as sugar intake, whereas the odd number is translated as carbohydrates, which is what we need in this case.
You should then monitor the carbohydrates you consume and choose foods with more fibers in it. Fibers control blood sugar levels and can regulate it gradually as opposed to the sugar causing a spike in the blood.
As for caffeine withdrawal, she advised to start gradually lowering your caffeine intake before Ramadan begins, to avoid the shock that happens during the first week of fasting. Then, the body will start adjusting to these changes and regulate the production of the hormones responsible for alertness. She recommends 250 milligrams of caffeine as a safe dose daily.
How many meals to have after breaking fast
That should be determined according to the person’s needed calorie intake, which is determined according to their weight, height, age, gender and physical activity. In any case, that would be about four meals, two main (iftar and suhoor) and two snacks in between. It is also important not to overeat during iftar, and try to not eat fatty foods, which would disrupt body functions. It is also advised to not skip suhoor, even if you think you ate too much for iftar.
Suhoor is what helps your body get through the day. People who neglect this meal are more likely to have their metabolic rate decrease, since they spent the whole day with no food for a source of energy.
If the body doesn’t have the right energy source, it instantly resorts to breaking down the glycogen in the muscles into glucose (a form of sugar for energy), as it is easier to break down than the fats already existing in the body. This would lead to weaker muscles, which help keep the metabolic rate up, therefore weaker metabolism.
This is the difference between someone who loses weight properly, by keeping muscle and losing only fats, and someone who loses weight by depriving the body of nutrients necessary for energy production, which causes them to become physically weaker.
Components of a balanced Iftar meal
All the nutritional sources: proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fibers. But you must choose the right options for better results. Having a good portion of protein will make you more alert.
Dr. Dina recommends breaking your fast on three dates, some water, praying then eating your meal. This is to give your body time to process that you broke your fast and adjust gradually to the food that is about to enter your system.
You should start your meal with a warm soup, protein, healthy carbs such as potatoes, brown rice, wheat based grains, a large portion of salad and healthy fats such as olive oil. Balance your meal within the right portions that serve your body’s needs.
The way you cook your food also makes a difference. Look for healthier ingredients and methods, try to avoid fried foods and processed sugars as much as possible.