Your guide to healthy fasting

Millions of Muslims are taking the last minute preparation for the holy month of Ramadan. As this Ramadan falls in warmer temperature than previous years, we need to take extra precaution before, during and after fasting hours. Experts recommended approaching the fast with discipline and self-control.
Fasting in Ramadan is a great opportunity to focus on bringing back a balanced and healthy lifestyle in our life. During fasting hours, when glucose stores are used up, body starts to burn fat to maintain energy. The use of fat for energy aids weight loss, preserving the muscles, and in the long run reduces our cholesterol levels. In addition, weight loss results in better control of diabetes and reduces blood pressure. A detoxification process also seems to occur, as any toxins stored in the body’s fat are dissolved and removed from the body.
The fasts of Ramadan can significantly improve a person’s health. However, if the correct diet is not followed — can possibly worsen it. The deciding factor is not the fast itself, but rather what is consumed in the non-fasting hours. To fully benefit from fasting, a person should spare a great deal of thought to the type and quantity of food they will indulge in through the blessed month. Overeating can not only harm the body but it is thought also to interfere with a person’s spiritual growth during the month. A diet that has less than a normal amount of food but is sufficiently balanced will keep a person healthy and active during the month of Ramadan. Experts from National Health Service, UK suggest the following advices to stay healthy during the holy month.
Foods should be simple and contain foods from all the major food groups: fruit and vegetables, bread, cereals and potatoes, meat, fish, or alternatives, milk and dairy foods and foods containing fat and sugar. Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in foods such as wheat, oats, beans, lentils, whole meal flour and basmati rice.
Fibre-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes with the skin on, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apples, mango.
Foods to avoid are the heavily processed, fast-burning foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food (for example cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets). It is also worth avoiding caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.
Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, should be a wholesome, moderate meal that is filling and provides enough energy for many hours. Suhoor should be light and include slow digesting food like complex carbohydrate, salad so that you have a constant release of energy. It is important to have some fluids with vitamins, such as fruit juice or fruit. If the temperature is very hot, people should have oral saline to replace any lost salts and water.
We should break the fast (Iftar) with some dates and fruit juice that will quickly replenish energy and has revitalising effect. Drinking plenty of water at the beginning helps rehydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence. Avoid the rich, special dishes that traditionally celebrate the fast.