As Muslims around the world observe Ramadan this month, guest blogger Sahar Rana shares her tips and ideas for remaining peppy during this month of fasting
Though The Walking Dead and World War Z popularized Zombie’s, they existed long before Hollywood made it hip. Muslims are the hipsters of zombies. Every Ramadan many of the 1.4 billion Muslims become Zombies- cranky and lifeless as they trudge around moaning and groaning during daylight hours until it’s time to eat.
To be fair, there’s actually a dichotomy of Ramadan-ers: Ramadan Zombie and the Peppy Muslim. As the Ramadan Zombie is becoming more mainstream, its lesser known counterpart has faded into the background over the course of 1400 years. The Peppy Muslims is perky, alert and full of energy; a stark contrast to the lethargic, slow and cranky Zombie.
Be it the rise of processed foods or the growing ignorance over the true essence of Ramadan –more and more Muslims are becoming Ramadan Zombies. Though they both may be experiencing hunger, one is clearly faring better than the other.
What’s the Peppy Muslim’s secret?
What gives them that bounce in their step, the bright eyed bushy tailed attitude as they fast from food and drink for over 17 hours* this summer?
How much more do these Peppy Muslims manage to eat than the Ramadan Zombie?
The secret is in how LESS they eat.
Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink from dawn till dusk during the 9th month of the Lunar calendar; the month of Ramadan.
Aside from observing one of the 5 pillars of Islam, the fast is supposed to make Muslims sympathize with the hungry and needy as well as provide a slew of physical benefits. The following benefits are reaped by the Peppy Muslim but sadly not by The Ramadan Zombie:
Top 10 benefits of fasting
1. Preserves memory function and learning.
2. Gives your digestive system a rest so you can save energy for other activities.
3. Releases ketones in your bloodstream which slows disease progression in the brain.
4. Boosts your immune system by producing new white blood cells which fight off
infections.
5. Burns excessive fat and detoxes the body by eliminating stored toxins.
6. Starves cancer cells leaving them vulnerable to destruction.
7. Normalizes your leptin and insulin sensitivity which is key for optimal health and
hormone function.
8. Normalizes ghrelin levels which is also known as the hunger hormone. Most adults are
unable to recognize when they are hungry due to eating around the clock. Fasting
corrects this problem which is essential for weight loss and overall health.
9. Stimulates a process called autophagy where the body breaks down old, damaged cells
as well as abnormally developing cells and recycles them for energy.
10. Reduces hyper inflammatory processes which is excellent for anyone with autoimmune
diseases (Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s disease).
Ironically, many Muslims have misconceptions about Ramadan and end up sabotaging their month of spiritual boot camp by overeating. Achieving undernutrition without malnutirition is the key to achieving the optimal Ramadan experience. Undernutrition without malnutrition is when your body enters a physical state wherein it runs on minimal calories while maintaining a healthy nutrient level. Basically one must eat very little but every little bite eaten should be nutritiously dense.
Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal):
Suhoor should consist of a mixture of protein, fibre, complex carbs, healthy fats and liquids The suhoor meal should be slow digesting, hydrating and full of energy to fuel your body all day long.
Ramadan Zombie: usually skips suhoor or eats sugary cereals in the morning.
Peppy Muslim: never skips suhoor. Focuses on nutritiously dense food.
Example: dates, smoothies, egg frittata (recipes can be found in Ramadan Ready)
Iftaar (the evening meal):
Iftaar should consist of a mixture of easy to digest foods, natural sugars, fibre, and liquids The evening meal should re-energize your body, replenish your liquids and bring your blood sugar levels up.
Ramadan Zombie: makes up for the whole days’ worth of fasting in one sitting; focuses on taste and approaches food with sense of deprivation
Example: fried samosas, pakoras, sugary drinks
Peppy Muslim: Eats as much as or less than he/she would for a typical dinner; focuses on nutritional needs, and approaches food with sense of purpose
Example: dates, grilled chicken and black bean salad (recipes can be found in Ramadan Ready)
As Ramadan approaches many Muslims are unaware that they too can be Peppy Muslims- full of energy, vigor and the Ramadan Spirit! They can join this elite group by committing to healthy eating habits. For more information on how to eat healthier this Ramadan, you can purchase my e-book Ramadan Ready on Amazon for Kindle. This book features over 20 healthy suhoor and iftaar recipes that are easy and can be made ahead of time to save you lots of time and energy this Ramadan.
Sahar Rana is a house wife in denial, author, lifestyle blogger, mother of two and an optimist in training. At Chai with Sahar, she loves to go off on tangents and share everything she knows- one post at a time.She blames her obsession with chai and confusing childhood on her South Asian background.
As a recovering PINaholic, she is now directing her obsessive nature towards the world of hashtags on Instagram and Twitter.
*All opinions expressed in this blog post belong to the author