During Ramadan, as we fast so if we just take care of what we eat in Sehr and Iftar then we can easily reduce our weight. However, due to the large variety of foods on the table (especially at Iftar) and due to pressure by the family members to eat more in Sehri and Iftar….plus all the Iftar parties and Iftar buffet deals…..it truely becomes a nightmare to eat healthy during Ramadan.
For Ramadan diet, rateher than giving a fixed menu for everyone to follow, a better idea is to give healthy choices which you can mix and match along with tips to avoid weight gain during Ramadan.
1. Be the first one to leave the table. Don’t keep sitting there just because other are sitting. The longer you sit, the more you WILL eat. It’s very hard to resist so many tasting things if they are right infront of you. Remember, out of sight and out of mind.
2. Use common sense and stay away from oily stuff like Pakoras, samsas, rolls, jalebees etc.
3. If you just can’t live without them in Ramadan then don’t eat more than 1 piece of such oily food PER iftar. Like 1 day you can eat 1 jalebi (and no other oily food); the next day 1 Pakora (and no other oily food); the next day 1 Samosa (and no other oily food) and so on. You have 30 rozaz so you will be able to eat 10 jalebis, 10 pakoras and 10 samosas (in total during the whole month). You can eat almost any small oily food by following this rule.
4. Concentrate more on relatively healthy stuff like fruit chat (without added sugar), cholay, dahi bhalay and other light things.
5. Drink 4 glasses of water PER Seher and Iftar. You need the water to keep yourself propely hydrated during the fast and to recover from the fast.
6. You can drink fresh lemonade or juices if you want but only drink 1 glass PER Sehri or Iftari.
7. Avoid milky drinks but if you really can’t then just drink 1 glass. You should drink EITHER the milky drink OR the fresh juice but DON’T drink both during the same Seher or Iftar session otherwise you will just be adding more calories to your food.
8. Avoid bottled or packed juices and drinks as they DON’T provide you with the same kind of nutrients and vitamins that FRESH juices provide and mostly they just contain extra calories without any benefit to you (empty calories).
9. Avoid cold drinks as they are harmful to your teeth and bones and again they DON’T provide ANY useful nutrients….just calories.
10. Have tea if you like but again try to use as less sugar as possible otherwise if you can’t live without sweet tea then use a low-calorie sweetener like Stivya or Sucral instead of the regular sugar. Again, moderation is important here. Drink just 1 cup of tea PER Seher or Iftar.
11. Don’t forget to exercise. Just because it’s Ramadan that does not mean that you should slip into a coma! Keep your usual exercise routine. If you walk in the park then keep doing that. If you go to a gym to keep fit then by all means keep on going. However, just reduce the intensity of your workout and everything will be fine. Also, remember to give some gap between the Seher or Iftar and your exercise.
If you follow these tips then we can guarantee that you will be looking your best at this Eid! Enjoy!
