How To Make Fasting Easier This Ramadan 

If you are anything like me, you are likely to get hungry 45 minutes after having a mighty plate of biriyani followed by a large chunk of watalappan. For the constantly-hungry humans like myself, fasting is like a science exam – it’s hard. Hence why I, with my super powers, have come up with a list of ways to make fasting easier. 

Eat Right For Sehri (pre-dawn meal consumed before observing a fast) 

Let’s face it, the food we eat for Sehri is of the unhealthiest of the kind. Plates of leftover biriyani followed by cups of milk tea will not help you get through the day without a single pang of hunger. 

Here’s how you can eat right for Sehri: 

Avoid salty food. Despite drinking a considerable amount of water during Sehri, you will feel dehydrated during the course of the day as a result of the intake of salty food. Don’t ask me why because that is how the body runs (and that is how students who are bad at science explain things). 

High sodium food that you might want to avoid: cereal, cheese, ketchup, salted nuts, processed meats, canned everything (tuna, soup, veggies) 

Low sodium food that you might want to consider: eggs, fruits, veggies, oatmeal 

Tip: add less salt to the rice and pasta that you cook for a low sodium Sehri meal. 

Avoid tea/coffee. This is bad, bad news for the uncles who like to slurp their tea or coffee during Sehri. Caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee have a diuretic properties (causing increased passing of urine). Tea and coffee cause fluid to pass through your body more quickly than usual resulting in dehydration when consumed in large quantities. Sorry, uncles. 

Have a balanced meal. The idea of a balanced meal happens to be absolutely foreign to our fellow Sri Lankans. Eat a meal that is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, oils and fats (the good kind, NOT the kind you find at McDonald’s). A balanced meal will delay the process of emptying the stomach and as a result, you won’t feel too hungry too early. 

Wear Clothes That Are Comfortable 

You’re probably thinking “Er, whaaat?”, but this tip helps you sweat less. So you won’t feel as tired as you would if you wore the tightest and the most uncomfortable of clothing in your wardrobe. 

Avoid Everything Food-Related 

Don’t torture yourself unless you have a weird obsession with self-torture (no one is judging you). 

Anything food-related in your brain is only going to make you feel famished and you wouldn’t want that. 

Take A Nap 

Take a nap as it helps pass time. 

Do NOT show this to your boss, if you’re caught snoozing in your office. But then again, sleeping at work might help you with snoozing more during Ramadan because if you get fired, you can have the bed all to yourself all day long until you look for employment. 

Therefore, kids, nap only when it’s convenient. 

Keep Yourself Occupied 

Keep yourself occupied and you won’t desperately be counting down until sunset to break your fast. 

But habibi, this does not mean watching movies or doing anything haram because it’s Ramadan! 

Tip: this is the best time of the year to try new recipes. Your mom will thank you! So keep cooking, gals and boys! 

Drink A Gallon Of Water Before Sehri 

Okay, not a gallon, but keep downing that bottle of water after you have broken fast all the way up to Sehri because the fatigue you may feel during the day might be due to dehydration and not necessarily hunger. 

Do Not Break Your Fast With Cold Water 

Guzzling down a chilled glass of water to break your fast sure feels like water from the streams that flow in the 7th Heaven, BUT iced water can cause your blood vessels to contract and cause indigestion. 

So, NO CHILLED WATER. 

Break Your Fast With A Date 

Breaking fast with a date has been part of the Ramadan tradition, but there still is a proportion of Muslims that chooses to overlook this simply because the taste of dates does not appeal to them. 

Dates are high in natural sugars which travel faster than other nutrients to be converted into energy in the liver. 

So, go ahead and have all the dates you want to have. This is the only time your parents would not say no to a date. 

As an additional point I really want to add “Do not overeat and avoid unhealthy food for ifthar”, but it’s impossible. Ramadan really doesn’t put the “slim” back in “muslim”. 

So, bring on the samosas and kebabs! Let the hunger games end with 7 kilos more on the body! 

By Nabeela Yaseen