What do culinary experts recommend during Ramadan?
Muslims officially enter the month of fasting, also known as the fasting month of Ramadan 2023 – Photo: ISTOCK
Since March 22 and 23, Muslims around the world have started the month of fasting ramadan year 2023.
And so Muslim families will have to get up to prepare food at 5am in order to prepare and eat breakfast, or Suhur, before sunrise, which usually falls around 6am.
After that, people will end a long day of fasting with an Iftar meal that takes place after sunset and usually falls around 7 p.m.
For Muslims to maintain a healthy body during Ramadan, several Singaporean food and nutrition experts shared some dietary tips with CNA. eat sensibly.
What to do to have a more delicious Suhoor meal
According to Associate Professor Asim Shabbir, a consultants The senior senior and founder of the Center for Obesity Management and Surgery said that it is natural for people to feel full early in the morning because the time between Iftar and Suhoor meals is very close.
Also, the amount of food that the body eats from last night’s dinner has not been fully digested before breakfast.
Suhoor is the first meal of the day and helps provide energy to the body during the long day of fasting – Photo: ISTOCK
Because food needs at least 4 to 6 hours to pass through the stomach and be digested, especially the types fried food and contains a lot of fat, it takes even longer to digest.
For that reason, Tey Beng Hea, senior consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Associate Professor of Endocrinology at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, advises Muslims that teachers avoid eating too late during the month of Ramadan.
In addition, Associate Professor Tey also added that the best way to improve appetite during breakfast is to get enough sleep, that is, sleep at least 7 to 8 hours a day.
What nutrients can be missing during fasting?
According to registered dietitian Jaclyn Reutens, people who fast may be lacking in fiber, potassium, and calcium, a group of nutrients found primarily in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
Fiber, potassium and calcium are nutrients often overlooked during the holy month of Ramadan – Photo: ISTOCK
Because according to expert Reutens’ analysis, generally people tend to prefer easy-to-digest foods like white rice or noodle dishes over vegetables or whole grains in Suhoor meals.
Meanwhile, after a long day of fasting, Muslims tend to prepare a hearty meal of rice, noodles, meat and fish at the Iftar meal.
What to do to have two healthy and complete meals
According to experts, for Suhoor meals, people should focus on getting enough energy for the body to function throughout the day.
Meanwhile, people should focus on making up the necessary protein, vitamins and minerals in the Iftar meal to meet the nutritional needs of the day.
We only need to eat enough in two meals of Suhoor and IftariStock-1311912138.avif to be able to make up for the amount of energy lost during fasting – Photo: ISTOCK
In particular, Muslims should eat grains or beans because these foods help us stay full longer.
Also, people avoid eating too much salty or too sweet because salt will make us thirsty while eating too much sugar can cause our energy to drop.
In particular, according to Dr. Reutens, people should avoid desserts to minimize sugar intake.
In addition, people should also pay attention to limit the amount of caffeine in the body because caffeine will cause the body to become dehydrated.
For the Iftar meal, do not eat too much and pay attention to eat as many vegetables as possible because many people tend to eat a lot of meat for dinner as a way to compensate the body after a long day of fasting.
Should you “take advantage” to lose weight during the holy month of Ramadan?
According to experts, Muslims who fast during Ramadan only deprive the body of a part of glycogen stores, which can be quickly replenished in 2 meals of Suhur and Iftar.
In fact, fasting during the month of Ramadan has no effect on weight loss, but it sometimes makes Muslims gain weight faster – Photo: ISTOCK
Therefore, fasting during the month of Ramadan is not enough to support weight loss, but instead causes many Muslims to gain weight after Ramadan.
The reason is that the amount of food that is loaded into the body usually through the Iftar meal at the end of the day causes the excess calories to be higher, stored as fat and makes us gain weight faster than normal.
