Ramadan diet: Balancing your meals after the holy month

Many people opt for a healthier lifestyle and balanced dietary habits post-Ramadan.

Since this holy moth not only elevates our spiritual essence but also motivates us to ignore undesirable foods and lifestyle habits. Ramadan encourages you to make improved food choices, quit smoking and improve stamina through exercise.

However, fasting is often followed by feast in all cultures. We are no different in celebrating the end of the fasting month with a lavish feast of food. Indulging in heavy meals after long days of fasting may result in digestion problems, changes in bowel habits, besides causing lethargy and fatigue.

On average it will take a couple of days for a person to get back to normal eating and sleeping habits. The three-day feast of grilled meats, biryanis, fat-laden desserts may actually put alarming pressure on our bodies to digest the overload and to get back to normal mode. Hence it is crucial to make a slow and sensible transition into normal eating habits post-Ramadan.

Here are few tips which may help you enjoy your Eid holidays without any gastro problems.

· Eat small, frequent meals instead of two large meals. It is good for metabolism-recovery post Ramadan.

· Be selective in your food choices. Although you may have a buffet of choices available, it’s wise to select foods that are lighter to digest and which provide ample energy for the day.

· Avoid extra servings of sweets, ice creams, milk-shakes or desserts. Select dates or dried figs to satisfy your sweet tooth. Opt for fresh fruit juices instead of packed ones.

· Hydrate yourself with plain water. It helps to avoid food cravings as hunger is the first signal of thirst. Infused water may also help you keep taking fluids. Berries, cucumbers, basil leaves and ginger provide a good base for the infused water.

· Keep fruits handy. Snack on fresh fruits like apple, banana, pears etc. rather than chocolates and processed sweets.

· Limit intake of coffee and tea. Try to reduce the amount of sugar in these beverages to half.

· Get back to normal dietary pattern of a filling breakfast (with fibre and proteins) tapering down to lighter dinners (with low-fat options).

· Exercise regularly even if it means some floor exercises with dumbbells or yoga in your living room. Exercise helps your body to flush out toxins and eases digestion.

· Get back to your normal sleeping routine without wasting too much time on TV or gadget screens. Your body needs good sleep to revitalise itself.

As we drift into post Ramadan routine, it’s imperative to slide into a healthy eating, sleeping and exercising pattern slowly and consistently.

- Fahmida Jafri, clinical dietician, Thumbay University Hospital

• UAE