Looking for the best ways of breaking the vicious circle of fasting, food and fat during the holy month of Ramadan? Gihan Shahine explores the options Ramadan is here again, and, like every year, the letter F has begun to dominate our lives: fasting, food and fat become more linked than ever during the holy month. A few days before the holy month starts, a general state of food frenzy begins to take its toll, and the main theme of the month becomes food, food, food. Shoppers flood into food stores in amazing numbers, piling up their carts with all types of food, while TV channels, magazines, and many Internet sites gear up with cookery programmes and articles providing new recipes for Ramadan. Ramadan is also an opportunity for social gatherings and Iftar banquets that feature every type of delicacy and calorie-rich food. But the food market may not be the only one to benefit in Ramadan. This food frenzy translates into bad eating habits, and Ramadan can also turn into a very good market for dieticians and nutrition consultants. Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of spirituality, revelation and devotion, when Muslims abstain from food from sunrise to sunset, many people paradoxically tend to gain weight during the month. Like many others, 40-year-old housewife Gihan Fathy complains that she always regains the kilos she loses through dieting over the course of the rest of the year during the holy month of Ramadan. Although she says she does not eat much in Ramadan, the main problem may lie in the type of food she eats rather than in its quantity. Fasting makes her crave carbohydrates, and she has to eat the late-night meal of Sohour to help her fast during the day. Sugar is the key word here, says consultant nutritionist Emad Sobhi, who insists that the media plays a major role in promoting bad eating habits. "Just look at the number of commercials marketing different brands of sugar and ghee. It's amazing," he says. The delicacies and mouth-watering foods served at Iftar banquets, albeit meant as a sign of bounty and hospitality, are often too tempting to resist, and they are usually laced with fried foods and traditional calorie-rich sweets like konafa and katayef that fasting Muslims usually indulge in after breaking their fast and which, Sobhi insists, are damaging to both health and weight. A high intake of sugar or carbohydrates, which the body ultimately turns into sugars, provokes the pancreas into producing more insulin, lowering the level of sugar in the blood and making the person feel hungry again, thus eating more and getting fat, Sobhi explains. "Insulin is also the hormone responsible for storing extra food in the body in the form of fat, which then accumulates causing obesity," he adds. The problem, however, remains that during the hours of fasting the blood sugar level drops, especially before sunset, and people tend to crave carbohydrates and sweets upon breaking their fast. But even then, Sobhi insists, people should substitute "white artificial sugar" with the fructose found in fruit. The good news is that small servings of dried fruit, such as figs, apricots, prunes and dates -- the ingredients of the popular khoshaf dish -- together with nuts, which most Muslims indulge in during the holy month, can be diet-friendly for those seeking to maintain their weight, even if not for those seeking to lose it. It has also been found that almonds and walnuts lower the level of cholesterol in the blood. Almonds, in particular, are rich in protein and fibre and low in fat, Sobhi adds. Dried fruits that most people traditionally indulge in during Ramadan are also rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, making them a rich meal for fasting Muslims. Like many dieticians, Sobhi insists that the holy month of Ramadan can be turned into an opportunity for losing, rather than gaining, weight just by eating "sensibly and moderately." Cutting down on carbohydrates during Iftar, including rice, pasta and bread, and, most importantly, cutting down on sweets, is the first priority. Fried foods should also be avoided, and fasting Muslims should break their fast by drinking water and soup and loading up on salad before starting their main dish. Some dieticians would also recommend a protein-rich diet. Proteins are slow-digesting foods and thus they help retain a sense of fullness that makes one eat less. Studies have suggested that a high-protein diet can turn the body into a "fat-burning machine," and that no matter how much protein one eats, including chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, veal, eggs and seafood, one will not get fat. According to recent studies published in the reputable New England Journal of Medicine, contrary to what many people think, an all-meat diet also decreases cholesterol and blood sugar. Loading up on leafy and fibre-rich vegetables and salads can also help maintain a healthy diet. One common piece of advice is to eat loads of salad, but to avoid the dressing. Even fat-free dressing has been found to contain lots of sugar. Also contrary to common belief, skipping a pre-dawn meal can actually contribute to gaining rather than to losing weight. Recent research has found that the human body is smart enough to realise that it only gets one meal a day during Ramadan, and thus it tends to store the Iftar meal in the form of fat. That said, the pre-dawn meal should still be a sensible one, with a focus on fibre-rich, slow-digesting foods. Slow-digesting foods include grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, beans, lentils and wholemeal flour. Fibre-rich foods include bran-containing foods, wholewheat grains and seeds, and vegetables like green beans, peas, spinach, fruits with skin, dried fruits (dried apricots, figs and prunes) and almonds. Sobhi suggests a Sohour meal that contains four servings of beans or lentils with a glass of yoghurt. One last piece of advice that Sobhi adds is for all fasting Muslims to stay focussed on worship and prayer rather than on food. In this vein, Sobhi concludes his advice with prophetic traditions that advise Muslims to keep food to minimum levels: "The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach"; "It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going"; "If he must do that (fill his stomach), let him fill one third with food, one third with drink and one third with air." [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (1381), Ibn Maajah (3349); classified as saheeh by Al-Albaani in Al-Silsilah Al-Saheehah (2265)]. To avoid putting on weight in Ramadan: - Avoid feasting on carbohydrates for Iftar. - Avoid fried foods. - Drink eight glasses of water to keep your body hydrated during the day. - Avoid sugary drinks and juices. - Substitute sweets with fruit, but don't eat fruit immediately after meals that contain protein, which usually takes four hours to digest. - Load up on fibre-rich foods that are slow to digest. - Don't skip Sohour: eat a slow-digesting meal instead. - Eat slowly: your brain does not get the signal of fullness until after 15 minutes of eating, meaning that eating fast can mean overeating. - Remember that Ramadan is the month of worship: stay focussed on prayer rather than on food. - Follow prophetic tradition and eat reasonably.
