The month of Ramadan has many health and nutritional benefits, including resting the stomach and digestive system, relieving blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol, so a healthy balance is an important goal.
Consume right foods during the Suhoor time. Delay your suhoor as much as possible near to the Fajr time to avoid feeling hungry for rest of the fasting daytime. Avoid eating salty foods in suhoor as they make you feel thirsty during the day.
Choose complex carbohydrates, include low fat dairy products and healthy fats as options for the meal.
Eat plenty of hydrating foods like Watermelon, Cucumber, Tomatoes, Iceberg Lettuce, Celery, etc., and plenty of water intake after iftar and before suhoor to keep you hydrated.
Avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, carbonated beverages which may act as diuretics and leads to dehydration, induce indigestion, acidity and bloating too.
Increase your fluid intake that compensates for dehydration by losing fluids due to sweat.
Avoid excessive salt intake, spicy foods, pickles, canned foods to avoid thirst.
Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.
Replace the excessive sweet/dessert intake with fruits.
Reduce eating of fatty/fried meals because it may cause weight gain.
Hydrate well before eating, break your fast with dates (calorie dense food), have a bowl of soup as an appetizer, choose good carbs, eat your greens well, incorporate lean protein to the menu, choose healthy fats, avoid foods high in fat, salt, sugars.
Have a snack or two between Iftar and Suhoor such as fruits, unsweetened fruit yogurt, unsalted nuts and seeds.
Iftar should consist of a plate full of balanced meal plate given the good carbohydrates – complex like wheat, oats, quinoa etc., lean protein, good quantity of fruits and vegetables for Fiber, vitamins and Minerals, healthy fats consisting of MUFA, PUFA, Omega 3 fatty acids and low fat dairy products for protein, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Avoid over eating during Suhoor or Iftar times.
To find out more on the healthy habits to be followed during fasting in Ramadan, please click the below link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18YI0K0DWjkZeU1_YEL_stvrjdK4g9F6P/mobilepresent?slide=id.p1