What to do, and not to do during Ramadan

During Ramadan, our daily routines are broken and aligned anew. This can lead to choices which are certain to be unhealthy in our dietary practices. Follow these guidelines and don’t let Ramadan lead to compromises with your health and fitness.

What to do:

1. Maintain cleanliness and hygiene

We should always keep ourselves neat and clean during this time as it will keep us fresh and help us get rid of stress. We should always wash our hands properly before having meals.

2. Have fibre rich food

Food with high fibre contents, such as brown chira, wholemeal bread, or raw grams should be in the menu as they contain complex carbohydrates which take time to digest and can provide energy, and at the same time keep the digestive tract healthy. It can also prevent weight gain and constipation.

3. Have food prepared at home

It is a common tendency to go out for the common Iftar items prepared outside like ‘beguni’, ‘piyaju’, ‘aloo chop’, etc. or the highly publicised items such as ‘boro baa per polay khay’. But such items are not healthy for us as they are prepared outside and are

contaminated with dust and germs. These are prepared with ingredients which are rich in spices, oil, and high calories. Such food may cause complicacies with digestion and cause weight gain, increasing health risks for people, particularly for adults. Therefore, it is advisable to have food prepared at home where cleanliness in maintained and food is prepared in a healthy environment. Homemade food is usually made with ingredients which are safe for consumption and are easy to digest.

What not to do:

1. High sugar food

Food with high sugar content have high calorie and will cause the body to gain weight, so it is advised to avoid such food, particularly for adults.

2. Spicy and oily food

Spicy and oily food may cause complicacies with digestion and acidity. For adults, oily food should be avoided as they cause gain in weight and are not healthy for heart.

3. Eat meat

In order to provide the necessary proteins for our body, doctors advise us to have fish instead of meat, particularly red meat like beef or mutton. Meat contains high calories and fat which are not healthy for our body as they cause gain in weight and increase risk for heart patients. They are also prepared with spicy and oily ingredients which may cause complicate digestion and also cause acidity. On the other hand, fish are rich in proteins but less in fat, and fish oil is good for health. They are also prepared with less spices and oil and so are safer to consume.  Adolescents may have chicken prepared with less spices and oil, and avoid red meat as much as possible.

4. Salt

For adults, particularly the heart patients, it is advised to avoid consumption of excess salt during the meal. The salt used in the preparation of food should also be minimum. This ensures the heart to stay healthy and function well, lowering the risks of heart problems.