Eating for Ramadan

Gosh, my friend called me this week to get some nutrition advice for her Ramadan fast.  I had to do some asking, because I'm just so out of the loop with what one does during Ramadan.

Here is what I learned...Ramadan lasts a month.  And you can't eat or drink while the sun is up.  For a month!  I know.  As a nutritionist, I'm so freaked out by that, I automatically tried to find ways to sneak a healthy snack or glass of water in there somewhere.  But my friend reminded me that this is religion.  This is how it's done.  "Karen, I've done this every year of my adult life except when I was pregnant or nursing.  I can do this. I just don't want to get caught in the habit of diving into the unhealthy food all night when I break my fast.  My body can't take the junk food anymore."

Right, sorry.  Then I can help.  I think.  I remember when I lived in a neighborhood in Bristol that was mostly Pakistani families.  Ramadan was a really special time of year there with everyone out in the evening visiting the Mosque and family... but the chip shops were PACKED at night!!  Something makes me think the traditional way of breaking the fast is not fish'n chips or a cheap kebab with a coke. No, upon further research, I see dates and water are recommended.  Sage advice.  So, I'm sure I'm going to write something here that is way off base because I don't know much about Ramadan.  So please forgive me if I stick my foot in my mouth.  But my friend suggested I post the advice I gave her so other people could use it.  So I hope this is helpful from a nutrition standpoint.

What do you eat at 9pm and 3am? How can you observe the fast, and still stay healthy and minimize the chance that you'll be heading down to the 'chippy' after you tuck the kids into bed?

First: HYDRATION
Our first order of business is to deal with the fact that you will be chronically dehydrated for the month. So let's do our best to minimize that.  First, here are the things that cause you to become MORE dehydrated.  Let's look at them so you can minimize your losses there.

• Excessive talking and mouth-breathing. Work on breathing through your nose as much as possible. Do this when exercising this month too. Try using a neti pot to keep your nose clear and moist every morning. 
• Stress/lack of sleep: Stress hormones pumping through your body can increase your water needs. Look at your schedule and cut out the things you can put off until next month. Be realistic with your time and prioritize. Also, I know you'll be up at all hours to eat this month. But do your best to get as much rest as you can. Younger bodies can take it, but as you get on in years, you really need all you can get. 
• Sugar, caffeine and alcohol will all dehydrate you (OK, not all relevant. But good to know.) 
• Exercise: Like really exerting yourself. Especially in hot weather. So keep that moderate this month. If you are trying to maintain muscle mass and a certain level of fitness, focus more on strength and flexibility this month and back off the cardio a bit. Pilates, yoga (maybe not the huffy-puffy kind) and other strength training. There is another site that talks more about exercise during Ramadan. I think the recommendations are generally fine (though I would include more egg yolks!).

Sometimes when I find myself in need of serious hydration, I make myself a quart of linseed/flax seed tea (see recipe at the end).  However, you may also simply break your fast with 16 ounces of water and 3 dates.  Then move on to your meal.

Finally, when you do eat, eat more WATERY foods. Eat more fresh fruit, cooked whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, pulses, fresh and lightly-cooked vegetables, soups and stews. Then you get water with your food.

PLANNING MEALS

Planning ahead is really the key to healthy eating... no matter what your situation. But let's look a little bit at fasting and what that does to our body. First, when you are a bit dehydrated and really, really hungry, your body starts really craving comfort food. Really fatty, high-calorie food. And this if often prepared for the evening celebrations. You know, holiday fare. I think this is fine now and then. It's a very special time of year. But if you are looking to keep feeling good during the month, I would recommend that you plan some simple, highly nutritious meals for yourself and your family for most of your meals. Here are some ideas to keep in mind.
1. Your meals need to be easy to digest. This is because you are eating them at night... At odd hours when your body thinks it should be sleeping, fasting and detoxing. Not eating. I reckon many people are able to switch their schedules around, and stay up all night to work and eat. But many people must carry on with life as usual.

2. Your meals need to BALANCE your blood sugar. So no sugary things. Some protein, some healthy fats/oil, healthy carbohydrates, non-starchy vegetables at every meal. I cannot overemphasize this. You will naturally want to eat lots of starchy foods. After you break your fast with water and dates, eat the protein and non-starchy vegetable foods next. This will not only help you fill up so as to minimize your chance for eating a whole bag of crisps, it will level out your blood sugar no matter what you eat next. For example: Fast, water/dates, mixed vegetable salad with roasted chicken, followed by a rice or pasta dish. Even if you're going to eat some of your grandmothers deep-fried yummies, you can always try to hydrate yourself and eat a few more nutritious foods first. Maybe the rest of your family would enjoy sharing if you were the one always bringing the healthy foods!

3. You meals need to be simple and predictable (you can extend this well past Ramadan too!). This is especially true if you are living alone or away from a larger community celebrating Ramadan. If you are in a big family planning night time meals together, knock yourself out. Nothing could be better during this time of year. But if you have small children not observing the fast, or it's just you, make it easy. Here is the way I suggested to my friend. Their children won't be fasting, and they don't have a community around them to break the fast with.

4. Make a list of 10 meals that fit the BALANCE criteria. Traditional brown rice, lentil/chickpea, vegetable dishes with a sauce or yogurt are good. Chili. A few bigger meals, a few quick and easy meals.  In an earlier post I describe my lunch of brown rice, green, eggs and tahini sauce. If you like them, keep eggs around for an easy, nutritious meal. Main dish salads are great this time of year. A big bowl of greens with other vegetables grated or sliced in, egg or meat or cheese and a good dressing. Serve it alone or with a hearty soup. I would say always have rice and a soup or salad going is a good idea. You can whip it up easily and not be up cooking all night.

5. Post this list near your calendar. Then at the beginning of each week, roughly plan what meals you will be eating, and when you will need to thaw, soak and cook things. Remember you can make your rice and keep it in the fridge for a few days to save the time. You can cook extra chickpeas and freeze them too.

6. Use this list. By the second or third week you might be looking in the fridge... uninspired... wondering what you'll make for dinner this week. Being able to just relax and choose from your list will help you not have to think about it so much.

Ramadan is a very important time. But with so many demands on our daily life, you can still keep yourself healthy even with your eating scheduled turned on it's ear. I don't know much about Ramadan, but I do know that following these guidelines will help it go more smoothly and help you feel great. Have a great month!

Linseed/Flax SeedTea

During very stressful times, this tea helps to reassure the body it's not dehydrated. It's a gloopy fluid that holds water (in a gloop) and has a greater effect on hydrating a person than drinking water because it goes in more slowly. Rich in lignan and good for the colon. Used as a first step in healing for people who cannot break down oils. Given before supplementing w/ oils like linseed oil, DHA and EPA.

• 2 Tbls. Linseeds (flax seeds)
• 1 litre water

1. Bring seeds and water to a boil, take it off the heat, cover it, then let sit for 12 hours.
2. Then bring to back to a boil again and simmer for 1 hours.
3. Strain immediately and drink (if it cools, it will gel and won't go through a strainer).