Fasting in the shadow of corona ... Tips for proper nutrition during the month of Ramadan

Imad Murad - Doha

The multiplicity of meals, the lack of quantities and the quality of food is a triangle that can be maintained by the one who maintains the best healthy diet in the month of Ramadan.

A number of nutritionists agreed that the new measures taken by most countries in the world to reduce the spread of the emerging corona virus that causes Covid 19, limit the movement and activity of societies, which requires the individual to take great care to follow a diet that avoids any risks that may occur due to lack of activity Physical.

Therapeutic dietitian at Hamad Medical Corporation, Dalia El-Essawy, considered that eating a moderate amount of food and relying on a healthy, integrated diet with nutrients is the key to good health.

Al-Essawy, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, addressed many nutritional advice to eat a healthy breakfast, such as gradually eating breakfast and starting with dates and milk, to prepare the digestive system to receive food, with breakfast starting with a dish of soup that softens the stomach and warms it after a long day of fasting, and prepares the digestive system to absorb Full meal.

Integrated food meals
. Al-Essawi stressed the need to take care to provide integrated food meals that contain all the nutrients, with dividing meals during breakfast period into several small-sized meals to avoid getting overeating and a feeling of laziness, in addition to focusing on eating foods rich in fiber such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and stay away On eating fatty and fried foods, as well as eating enough water and fluids to replace the body with lost fluids during the fasting period.

And about the meal of suhoor, Al-Essawi considered that suhoor is one of the most important meals that maintain the energy levels of the body during fasting, so it should be moderate and provide the body with the energy it needs for several hours.

Al-Essawy summarized nutritional advice to prepare a healthy
suhoor meal at several points: • It is preferable to delay the suhoor meal until before dawn, and it is advised not to return to sleep immediately after eating suhoor.
• It is preferable for the meal of suhoor to contain complex fibers and carbohydrates such as grains and legumes, so that it gives a feeling of satiety for a longer period and helps in maintaining blood sugar level during the fasting period.
Suhoor must contain protein-rich foods, such as milk, milk, low-fat cheese and eggs.
Drink enough water and fluids.
Avoid pickles and reduce the amount of salt added to food to avoid feeling thirsty during the day in Ramadan.
Avoid caffeinated and soft drinks.
Not eating fatty meals or frying pans on suhoor, as they may cause indigestion, heartburn and bloating.
• It is advised to eat fruits such as watermelon, bananas and dates on suhoor to overcome thirst during the day, and also to avoid constipation problems.

As for the nutritionist Shadi Salah, he confirmed that the holy month of Ramadan is a great opportunity for everyone trying to get used to healthy nutrition, and that the holy month is an opportunity to get rid of extra pounds.

Salah adds, to Al Jazeera Net, that obtaining proper nutrition helps reduce the body’s exposure to diseases such as obesity, diabetes and fatigue, especially if this is in addition to performing some physical exercise.

For his part, nutritionist Mohamed Jaber stressed the need to practice home sports during the month of Ramadan in light of the measures to limit the spread of the Corona virus and the survival of a large number of people in their homes, stressing the need to replace one's sport outside the home by carrying it out at home on a daily basis.

Jaber pointed out, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that sport is the key to sound health. If an individual is keen on exercising on a daily basis regularly, it will be enough - along with some other simple measures - to burn fats and reach an integrated healthy life.

Jaber warned that the individual insists on fasting if he suffers from some chronic diseases, stressing that the attending physician is the one who determines a person's ability to fast or not.