Eat Nutritious and Healthy During this Ramadan
All religions around the world practice some sort of restriction in the eating habit of their followers for self-control. Ramadan is the month of fasting for every Muslim. This 9th month of the Islamic calendar is considered holy since the holy Quran was revealed during this period. Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during this month. Believers spent the day reading the Quran and contribute to charity and leading a pious life.
Ramadan fasting is not just about disciplining the body to restrain from eating food and drinking water from predawn until sunset. Ramadan is also about restraining anger, doing good deeds, exercising personal discipline, and preparing oneself to serve as a good human being during and after Ramadan.
What are the right foods for Ramadan?
Basal metabolism slows down during fasting and there is efficient utilization of body fat. The body has regulatory mechanisms that activate during fasting. A diet that is less than a normal amount of food intake but balanced is sufficient enough to keep a person healthy and active during the month of Ramadan. To be healthy, one must consume food from the major food groups such as cereals, pulses, milk, meat, fish, vegetable, and fruits. Health problems can result if excess food intake or an unbalanced diet is taken.
What to eat and drink at Iftar and Sehri?
Summer is setting in and the weather is slowly warming up. The warmer weather puts us in the mood for eating cold foods, salads, and lighter meals. The body’s immediate need at the time of iftar (the food is eaten immediately after sunset to breakfast) is to get an easily available energy source in the form of glucose.
Dates — Traditionally eaten to break the fast since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, dates are a great way to break the fast as they provide good sources of natural sugars for energy, provide minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron are a good source of fiber. You could also try other dried fruits such as apricots, figs, raisins, or prunes, which also provide fiber and nutrients.
Drinks — Drinking plenty of fluids, as well as consuming fluid-rich foods, such as fruit, vegetables, soups, and stews, is very important to replace fluids lost during the day and to start the next day of fasting well hydrated. Water provides hydration without any extra calories or added sugars. Drinks based on milk and fruit provide some natural sugars and nutrients and these are also good to break the fast but avoid drinking a lot of drinks with added sugars after breaking the fast as these can provide too much sugars and calories. Dates and fruit juices are sufficient to bring low blood glucose levels to normal levels. Juice and soups help maintain water and mineral balance in the body. Dehydration is the toughest part of fasting, especially in summer. Do stay out of the sun to minimize moisture loss through sweating. Remember tea and coffee are dehydrating and shouldn’t be counted in your fluid intake. Arrowroot powder cooked with milk is very cooling and refreshing to open the fast during Ramadan.
Recipes?
Always!
1. Cool Arrowroot milk
Ingredients
1. Arrowroot powder- 2 Tbsp
2. Water- 200 ml
3. Milk- 150 ml
4. Soaked poppy seeds- 1 Tbsp
5. Sugar- 2 tsp
6. Cardamom powder- pinch
Method
1. Mix the arrowroot powder and sugar in water and boil.
2. Add the milk and simmer for 2 mins. Take off the flame.
3. Add soaked poppy seeds and cardamom powder. Refrigerate
4. Serve chilled.
Nutritive Value for Serving of 1 Person
Protein — 6 gms
Carbohydrate — 43.2 gms
Fat — 4.5 gms
Energy — 249.2 kcal
2. Sunshine Chiller
Ingredients
1. Orange — 100 gm
2. Carrot — 100 gm
3. Chia seeds — 1 tsp
4. Lemon juice- 2 tsp
Method
Blend all the ingredients. Serve chilled.
Nutritive Value for Serving of 1Person
Protein — 1.25gms
Carbohydrate — 9.6gms
Fat — 1.15gms
Energy — 54.6 kcal
Fruits — A traditional way to break the fast in South Asian cultures, fruit provides natural sugars for energy, fluid, and some vitamins and minerals. Enjoy seasonal fruits like mango, papaya, melons, oranges, pomegranate, pineapple, and banana.
Snacks — An unbalanced diet and too many servings of fried snacks such as samosa, deep-fried cutlets, and sweets with added sugar and oil have been found to be unhealthy. Fruits, nuts, and dried fruits such as almonds, apricots, figs may be eaten as a snack. Healthy steamed snacks are preferable.
1. Adaku pathiri (Layered rice and egg)
Ingredients
For egg batter
Egg 4nos
Sugar 4-table spoon
Coconut milk 4 tablespoon
Salt A pinch
Turmeric powder A pinch
Cardamom 3nos
For rice batter
Rice flour 4 dessert spoon
Coconut milk 350ml
Sugar 5-table spoon
Salt A pinch
Cardamom 4 nos.
Ghee As required
Method
1. For egg batter, beat the eggs and sugar and add the rest of the ingredients and keep aside.
2. For rice batter, mix rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, cardamom and keep aside.
3. Now both the batters are ready for steaming.
4. Take a pressure cooker and pour some water and keep a greased small vessel in it.
5. Pour a 4-table spoon of rice batter into the greased vessel and steam it till it is done.
6. Spread 1 teaspoon of ghee evenly on the cooked layer.
7. Now pour 2-table spoons of egg batter and steam till done.
8. When egg batter is cooked pour again 4-table spoons of rice batter and steam it.
9. No need to apply ghee to the egg batter. It should be applied only to the rice batter.
10. Repeat the layers till both the batters are over.
11. When all batter is over steam it again for 2–3 minutes and switch off the gas.
12. Cool and remove from cooker and cut it into desired shapes and serve as a snack. When cut you can see the layers of white and yellow.
Nutritive Value for Serving of 5 Persons
Protein — 27.9 gms
Carbohydrate — 163.1 gms
Fat — 65.6 gms
Energy — 1351.5 kcal
After breaking the fast — The meals vary between different cultures but try to make sure the foods you eat provide a balance of protein, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals from pulses and legumes, meat, fish, eggs, dairy, whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, For example, you could have a range of curries including fish, meat, vegetables, and pulses, served with rice, chapatti, pattiri and curd and this would include all of the key food groups.
Dinner — After a long fast, it’s natural to want to treat yourself but try to keep the amount of fatty and sugary foods and sugary drinks you have to a small amount. Remember that you only have a relatively short time each day to eat and drink to provide your body with all the essential nutrients and fluids it needs to be healthy, so the quality of your diet is especially important during Ramadan.
Consume sufficient vegetables at meals. Prefer fish and chicken for dinner to beef, prawns, mutton. Among cereals rice flour, oats and ragi are preferred over wheat flour. Moong dhal is also good for the stomach. Eat fruits at the end of the meal
1. Aripathiri (Rice flour chapati)
Ingredients
Rice flour 1 cup
Water 1–½ cup
Salt ½ teaspoon
Coconut milk 1 cup
Method
1. Boil water and salt add the rice flour and mix well and take it off from fire.
2. Cool and knead the dough well.
1. Shape into small balls and roll out the balls into a thin chapati.
2. Heat a Tava and place a chapati on it. After few seconds turn it over.
3. When it puffs up remove it from the Tava.
4. Before serving dip each chapati in coconut milk.
5. Serve with mutton or chicken curry.
Nutritive value for the serving of 3 Persons
Protein — 17 gms
Carbohydrate — 158.4 gms
Fat -13.4 gms
Energy — 836.2 kcal
2. Kohzi curry (Chicken curry)
Ingredients
Chicken 1kg
Onions 3–4
Garlic 5–6 cloves
Ginger 1 piece
Green chilies 5–6
Coriander powder 3 teaspoon
Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
Red chili powder 2 teaspoon
Tomato 3nos
Coconut milk 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 stalk
Oil as required
Garam masala powder 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Method
1. Cut and clean the chicken into big pieces.
2. Slice the onions, slit green chilies, ginger and garlic.
3. Heat a pan and add oil and sliced onion and fry till transparent.
4. Add crushed ginger, garlic, and green chilies and fry for 2- 3 minutes.
5. Add the coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, and saute for some time and add the chopped tomatoes, curry leaves and fry for some time.
6. Add the chicken and fry for a few minutes and add salt
7. Cover the pan and cook on slow fire till chicken is cooked.
8. When chicken is cooked add coconut milk and heat for few minutes and remove it from the fire.
9. Serve with aripathiri or chapati.
Nutritive value for serving of 8 Persons
Protein — 11.1 gms
Carbohydrate — 40.4 gms
Fat — 33.6 gms
Energy — 515 kcal
Don't cross these limits.
Limit intake of high sugar foods through sweets or other forms and also spicy foods. The gradual decrease in caffeine drinks such as coke, coffee, or tea. Caffeine is a diuretic. A sudden decrease in caffeine prompts headaches, mood swings, and irritability.
Sehari — Drink plenty of fluids, choose fluid-rich foods to make sure you are well hydrated for the day ahead, and go for starchy foods for energy, choosing high fiber or wholegrain varieties where possible as these tend to be digested more slowly.
Parathas are a poor choice in any case and likely to cause heartburn. Full of processed flour and fat, they lead to lethargy rather than providing a slow release of energy to keep you going through the day. Aim instead for complex carbohydrates in your morning meal, Eggs are great if cooked in very little oil but add more protein in the form of milk, curd, and nuts to your morning meal.
Below are some examples:
Rolled Oats — These are whole grains and you could choose porridge, which will also provide fluids as it’s made with milk or water, or muesli with milk or curd. You could experiment with Puttu or dosa with oats.
Carbohydrate-rich foods — Foods like rice, broken wheat or appam or pattiri with pulses or legumes or eggs or fish and vegetables and fruit. If you go for savory dishes at sehri then make sure these are not too salty or they may make you very thirsty.
Curd — This can be a good food to include at sehari as it provides nutrients like protein, calcium, iodine and B vitamins, and also fluid.
Don’t Miss out these spices during Ramazan
One must not miss out on cumin and fenugreek the main ingredients in all the preparations. It helps to cure flatulence, constipation, and colic pain which is common after fasting and heavy meals.
Try some out!
1. Jeerakanji
Ingredients.
Rice 250 gms
Coconut ½
Cumin seed 2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
Small onion chopped 1 tablespoon
Garden cress seeds -1 tsp
Salt to taste.
Method
1. Grind coconut, cumin seed, turmeric, and onion to a smooth paste.
2. Wash and cook the rice and garden cress seed in sufficient water till well cooked.
3. Add the ground mixture, salt, and sufficient water.
4. Boil again for few minutes and remove from fire.
5. Serve hot.
Nutritive value for serving of 6 Persons
Protein — 24.4 gms
Carbohydrate — 202.4 gms
Fat — 25 gms
Energy — 1148 kcal
Exercise
You could try doing some light exercise such as going for a walk. If you attend Taraweeh prayers (special night-time prayers for Ramadan) in the evening, perhaps you could walk or part of the way there.
The most important thing to remember is that a person must have a healthy nutritive diet rather than consuming excess food at the time of iftar. Add fiber to your diet to keep your gut moving. Fresh fruit and vegetables are ideal, especially papaya, but sprinkle wheat bran or rolled oats on your cereal or eat a couple of dried prunes every night to make up your fiber intake.
