How to overcome thirst during Ramadan

This year, Ramadan will take place during summer, and indeed it will remain in this season for the next couple of years to come, according to astronomic calculations. Hot summer temperatures inevitably increase thirst during the daytime.

The quality of food that a fasting person eats plays a major role in their ability to withstand thirst during the hours of fasting. For this reason, the following advice should help you to overcome feelings of thirst:

• Avoid eating very spicy food, particularly at Suhoor, because you will need to drink large quantities of water afterwards.

• Drink small quantities of water sporadically during the night.

• Be sure to eat some fresh vegetables and fruit at night and at Suhoor, as these foods contain plenty of water and fibre, which remains in the stomach for a relatively long time, reducing feelings of hunger and thirst.
• • Use lemon rather than salt in salads to avoid the many health problems generated by excessive salt consumption. Lemon adds a particular taste to food that enables you to avoid salt.
  • Don’t eat rich, salty foods like salted fish and pickles, as they increase the body’s need for water.
  • Don’t drink vast quantities of water – there is a common misconception that drinking large quantities of water at Suhoor will prevent you from feeling thirsty during the fast. This is a false belief, as such quantities of water are beyond the body’s needs, and as a result the kidney will only carry out its processes a few hours after drinking.
  Over-indulging in certain kinds of drinks including juices and sodas is harmful for the stomach and can cause digestive problems. Some people drink iced water when starting Iftar, but rather than quenching our thirst, this rather generates vasoconstriction and weakens our digestion. For these reasons, the water temperature should be moderate, and we should drink gradually rather than all at once. Washing our food down with water is not a good idea, as it does not give us a chance to digest it, and our food should also be chewed well to ensure good digestion.
  In addition to the above, it is advisable to avoid industrially produced juices containing artificial colourings and large quantities of sugar, as nutritionists have proven that these can cause health problems and allergies in kids. Therefore, it is best to replace these with fresh juices.

source: yahoo news

Read More

Japan’s largest mosque offers free meals during Ramadan as way of introducing Islam

Islam’s month-long fast, known as Ramadan, officially began on Tuesday. The practice is observed by Muslims all over the world during the ninth month of the lunar calendar, this year falling on July. However, Muslims only fast from sunrise to sunset and they eat dinner, which they call iftar. Tokyo Camii, Japan’s largest mosque, is offering free iftar to everyone, regardless of faith, throughout the religious observation.

Located in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Camii serves 200 meals each day, or rather each night, for this year’s Ramadan. Three chefs, who have come all the way from Turkey, serve iftar, the only daily meal allowed during the fasting month. They begin their preparations at noon, making sure that they have enough meals for the guests expected to visit the mosque. Only Muslims observe Ramadan, which is considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but non-Muslims are also welcome to join in the meal.

Serving free iftar is Tokyo Camii’s way of introducing the Islamic practice, regardless of one’s belief. It is believed that serving iftar during Ramadan is a form of charity, which is also part of the Five Pillars of Islam. Locals who do not share the Islamic faith are also given the opportunity to mingle with Muslims after getting a first-hand experience of the daily meal. One 17-year old student who came to Tokyo Camii to know more about Islam even had her first taste of Turkish cuisine. Ramadan will officially end on August 7, and will be followed by a grand feasting called “Eid al-Fitr,” or Feast of the Breaking of the Fast.

source: japandailypress

Read More

Healthy eating this Ramadan

Ramadan can be the ideal time to detox, lose weight and be healthier, but only if we remember to eat well. Here are some pointers to help you maximise the benefits. Don’t skip Suhoor Some people skip Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and prefer to eat through the night instead of waking up in the early hours of the morning. But doing so can slow down metabolism, leading to weight gain and lethargy. As the clock is essentially reversed when you fast all day and eat all night, feasting during the non-fasting hours is quite unhealthy. It is better to eat Suhoor and catch up with sleep later in the day rather than give up on the essential nutrients needed while fasting. Allow your metabolism to reset as your body begins to change the way it does things. Have a light Iftar Traditionally, Iftar around the world consists of rich, greasy, fried and sugary dishes, as people view the meal as a treat – a form of compensation for fasting. Following a long fast, people also tend to eat considerably more than usual in a short span of time. It is recommended to break the fast with a few dates and water, following the Sunnah (practice) of Prophet Mohammed. Dates have a revitalising effect, similar to fruit juices, while water rehydrates and reduces the chances of over-indulgence. Follow this with a few lighter snacks, perhaps taking a short break to complete the evening Maghrib prayer before having a balanced dinner – start with a soup and salad and remember to pace yourself; it takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain that it is full. You can also slow down your meal by drinking plenty of water to start stretching the stomach earlier and make you feel full. After a large meal, blood sugar levels spike, causing our pancreas to secrete a lot of insulin to bring the levels back down. This extra sugar is stored as fat. So, in order to maintain an even level of blood sugar, it is better to eat small, well-proportioned meals and snacks throughout the evening rather than a heavy meal in one go. After the evening prayers, have a small snack if necessary. Wake up before dawn and have healthybaked food items for Suhoor to boost your metabolism during the day, improve your health, and revitalise your well-being, making you feel more energetic. The one-third food rule Binge eating through the night is the fastest way to pile on the pounds. When you binge, the body thinks it is in a state of famine and stores everything you eat because it is worried about food supply. Even the Prophet is said to have recommended eating in moderation. “Nothing is worse than a person who fills his stomach. It should be enough for the son of Adam to have a few bites to satisfy his hunger. If he wishes more, it should be: One-third for his food, one-third for his liquids, and one-third for his breath.”- Tirmidhi & Ibn Majah Remember this rule if you find yourself overeating this year, and try to have no more than one-third food, one-third air and one-third liquid in your stomach to keep your metabolism from being too sluggish. Recommended foods and what to avoid Throughout the month, we basically have an early breakfast, skip lunch and eat dinner at dusk. But what exactly should we be eating? It is best to keep food intake simple but varied, covering all the major groups: fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, meat, fish and dairy. Watery vegetables like celery, lettuce, cucumbers, and spinach have almost no effect on your blood sugar levels, while berries and apples are better than other fruit as they are low on calories and make you feel full. Eating more complex carbohydrates also helps release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. These are found in foods such as barley, wheat, tapioca, oats, millet, semolina, rice, beans, lentils and wholemeal flour. It is also good to up your fibre intake during Ramadan, as this is digested slowly. Fibre-rich foods include cereals, figs, bran, whole wheat, grains, seeds, potatoes, vegetables and almost all fruit (especially apricots and prunes). Leaving the skin on when eating a baked potato acts as a fibrous buffer that keeps some of the sugars away from the stomach. The more fibre you eat, the harder it is for the stomach to get at the sugars. So, it is better to leave the peel on apples, cucumbers, peaches, apricots, dates, kiwis, and other fruit. Heavily processed, fast-burning foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food like cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets, should be avoided. Nutritionists also recommend avoiding caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola-based drinks, as caffeine is a diuretic that stimulates faster water loss, leading to dehydration. Abstinence from water for 8 to 10 hours is not necessarily bad for health as the body has its ownwater conservation mechanism. But, make sure you consume plenty of water through the night to keep yourself hydrated during the fasting hours. Lastly, remember that Ramadan is meant to be a time for Muslims to empathise with the poor and needy, so over-indulgence and elaborate feasts go against the principles of the month. And since Ramadan is a great time to start new good habits and stop the bad ones, why not continue eating this well - even after Ramadan? Diets need a long-term commitment to show the benefits; you eat every day so use this time to kick-start a new healthy way of eating and living. source: yahoo news

Read More