Eating Right And Keeping Well During Ramadan

Academics and students at Birmingham City University have joined forces to come up with a guide on hydration and food tips to support Muslims who are fasting for the month of Ramadan.

- Dr Huda Al-Kateb, Dr Matt Cole and Ayaz Safi

Dr Huda Al-Kateb, Dr Matt Cole and Ayaz Safi Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences Birmingham City University, UK

This article was originally published on May 15 on the Birmingham City University website. Go to www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/ eating-right-and-keeping-well-during-ramadan.

The month of Ramadan began on May 17 and saw a large number of Muslims across the world observing a month of fasting during daylight hours, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. The month teaches observers self-discipline and awareness of those living in poverty. Those fasting cannot eat or drink during daylight hours until the sun sets and cannot even drink water.

When fasting, we often don’t think about how to make small steps to better impact our body functions and vital systems during the day. Hunger and starvation make our bodies crave things that may not necessarily feed our systems in a good way when the time comes to eat and drink again. Experts at Birmingham City University have joined forces to work on a guide on what to eat and drink, and how to balance a good routine to support your wellbeing throughout Ramadan.

Lots of protein and avoid salt at sahur time

For the pre-dawn meal, commonly known as sahur, experts recommend eating foods that will provide the body with energy to last a good few hours. It’s important to focus on slow-digesting foods like high protein and high fibre. Some great examples of these are oats and whole wheat foods like barley, brown rice, buckwheat and whole wheat bread or pasta.

During Ramadan, people who are fasting cannot drink anything at all, not even water. When preparing meals for