Fasting during Ramadan Month carries a high risk of dehydration. Correct fasting process will bring benefits to your health. Check out below for the behaviors that you should avoid while fasting.
1. Overeating
Getting on-hold on your appetites may be challenging with all the mouth-watering dishes around you. People tend to overeat while breaking the fast (Iftar). Overeating may cause an increase of pressure on the stomach which could lead to indigestion.
Besides, it may also cause weight gain. More food consumed = Higher calorie intake = Weight gain. Therefore, you should always be mindful of the food you bought and prepared for Iftar. Remember moderation is the key for health.
2. Consumed Fatty & Spicy Food
Nasi Lemak, Curry Laksa, Ayam Rendang, Ayam Goreng! They may taste good but they may kill you too. Cardiovascular diseases are one of the Malaysians’ main killers. High consumption of all the food may increase your risk of getting the disease. Always choose the healthier dishes instead of those fried food. For example, go for assam laksa instead of curry laksa, go for ayam kukus instead of ayam goreng.
3. Consume high sugar food
Colorful drinks can always be seen in Ramadan Bazaars. They may look tempting, but you should always limit yourself from buying too much of them. The recommended daily intake of sugar for an adult is 30-45g (6-9tsp).
Did you know that by drinking 1 glass of teh ais you may exceed your sugar RDI. 1 glass of teh ais contains 30g of sugar!
Drink water instead of all the drinks. Or else request for less sugar or no sugar for your drinks.
4. Consume salty & processed food
Most of us may choose to eat out or even visit the fast food franchise for Iftar. It may be convenient as you will not have to prepare and clean up after eating. But always remember most of the dishes from the restaurant or fast food outlet contains high amount of salt and is always high in calorie.
Try to prep your own food instead of eating out. Replace the salt by herbs or spices to season your food. Or you can reduce the amount of salt used while cooking too!
References:
- Dietitians.org.my. (2019). Minimise Stomach Upsets During Ramadan. [online] Available at: https://www.dietitians.org.my/health-info/minimise-stomach-upsets-during-ramadan [Accessed 30 May 2019].
- Abdul Razak, Z., Wahab, S. and Abd Kasim, Y. (2014). Tips For Ramadan – PORTAL MyHEALTH. [online] PORTAL MyHEALTH. Available at: http://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/tips-for-ramadan/ [Accessed 30 May 2019].