If you and your family are fasting this Ramadan in the UAE, you might be looking for some top tips on how to do it safely. Founder of Koala Picks, Aya Assaf, gives her expert advice on healthy eating and nutrition for the whole family while fasting.
Break your fast with something small
It’s preferable to break your fast with a date because it encourages the digestive system to be prepared for food digestion.
Stay Hydrated
It is very important to make sure you have plenty of water and fluids between iftar and suhoor, to avoid dehydration and fatigue.
Nourish your body
Make sure your iftar meal is made up of healthy nutritious food rather than unhealthy fried food. Eat plenty of protein and healthy fats to keep you full for longer.
Portion sizes
Make sure you don’t over eat during iftar. It’s a very easy trap to fall into, but by having small portions of soup, salad and your main meal, you avoid indigestion problems and weight gain.
Minimise food with a high sugar content
After fasting we often crave high sugar food to compensate for the drop of glucose levels in our bodies. However, the fluctuation of sugar levels in the body will cause increased cravings and fatigue. That’s why it’s advisable to wait two to three hours after iftar to have any sweets or desserts.
Don’t skip suhoor
Suhoor is a very important meal to give your body the energy for the following day. You should eat light and healthy protein-packed food such as Greek yoghurt and fava beans.
Get enough sleep
This is important as a lack of sleep will cause tiredness, which in turn will translate to feeling more hungry due to the lack of energy.
For everything you need to know about Ramadan in Dubai click here. For Abu Dhabi click here. For Sharjah click here.
