Tips to Eat Right and Stay Healthy During Ramadan

Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk in the holy month of Ramadan. It is important to get proper nourishment between Iftar and suhoor in order to be prepared for the next day of fasting. Fasting requires a lot of energy and commitment on part of each individual, especially when Ramadan is in the hot summers in most parts of the world. To not fall sick due to dehydration and the demands of this month, there are certain tips that one should definitely keep in mind while staying healthy during Ramadan.

1. Do not skip Suhoor: One should never skip Suhoor. Eating Suhoor in not only a Sunnah, but it is also the most crucial meal of the day. Suhoor provides you with the energy to keep you going throughout the day while fasting. Suhoor is the pre-dawn meal which helps your body stay hydrated and fueled up on energy and nutrients until iftar. It also helps to avoid overeating when you break your fast at sunset in iftar.
2. Keep yourself hydrated in Ramadan: This Ramadan comes at the peak of summers, so drink as much water as you can but not to fill yourself entirely with water so that you cannot attain and store energy as well. Make sure that you drink enough water once you break your fast in order not to remain thirsty after all. Try to keep yourself hydrated by water mainly, sugary drinks and juices can be your next best alternative but should not be your first priority.
3. Break your fast with dates: Dates are eaten at the start of iftar meal. Because they are a nutritious burst of natural sugar, they fuel your body with much-needed energy. So, we should begin our iftar with dates.
4. Avoid sugary food: Sugar results in highs and lows that leave you with more cravings and thus messes up your metabolism. Sugar gives you empty calories without nutritional benefits and results over-eating in Ramadan. it is recommended to eat the sweet food after 2-3 hours to regulate the sugar level as the body breaks the sugar faster making you hungry sooner.
5. Divide your Meal: Take care of yourself as you eat to live rather live to eat that is why dividing your meal into proper portions and timings helps in health stability during Ramadan. Eat mix food including fruits, veggies and a bit of meat to be in a balanced diet.
6. Avoid deep frying: When cooking, make your favourite Ramadan recipes healthier by stewing, baking, roasting, steaming or grilling and avoid frying.
7. Exercise: Never forget exercise during Ramadan. Add exercise to your daily meal is beneficial for your health as it leads to the easy consumption of food avoiding storage of fats. Exercise leads to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle.  Best is to exercise a couple of hours after having Iftar as it will not only help to digest food but also keeps your metabolism working.