Ramadan comes with countless blessings, innumerable bounties, and several opportunities to get ourselves forgiven. Being Muslims we believe that it is a blessed month. A month where we can get ourselves forgiven for what we have done and prepare ourselves for the best we can do in the future. But being Pakistanis we have made this month too, revolve around Ramadan food. We think more about what to eat in Aftaar than about which Surah to read after it. Unfortunately, food and Ramadan have a stronger bond than prayers and Ramadan. This not only pollutes our intentions for the Holy month but our body too.
For once have a look at what we eat on a typical Ramadan day. Starting from the at least two parathas in Suhoor, with a cup of yogurt and loads of sugar / shakkar (if we are very health conscious) and a cup of whole milk chai or chaati ki lassi. All of this is followed by a long fast. Then comes the fried pakoras, samosas, and whatnot. But we do have one healthy thing here, the sheeray wali fruit chaat. And wait wait! one more thing, the Sprite, and Cheeni wala doodh soda.
Eating all this and still wondering why you don’t lose weight in Ramadan? If you eat and all this and still manage to lose weight in Ramadan you are very lucky. If you give it a deeper look, you will know that you consume more calories in Ramadan than you usually do. Even fasting for so long can not combat the effect of this hefty amount of calories.
Only if you knew, how easy losing weight (if intended) and maintaining a healthy body in Ramdan could be. Fasting has benefits that exacerbate its sawab. No, I am not asking you to change your intentions and start fasting to gain health instead of sawab. But why not shoot two birds with one stone? After all, looking after yourself is also a sunnah.
Table of Content
Your Favourite Ramadan Foods
This article is not about helping you lose weight in Ramadan, but to give you an estimate of your current eating habits. Analyzing current habits is the first step in starting a healthy life. We will do so by evaluating all your favorite Ramadan foods nutritionally.
How to lose weight in Ramadan?
The Paratha
Uff! the taste of it. Amazing! But the nutritional part of it. Not so amazing! Paratha can not be too bad depending upon the type of flour you use or the amount of ghee you cook it in. But trust me I have seen people eating parathas too. We all are fans of that lachey daar paratha that has ghee inside out. Also, not many of us use whole grain flour.
Having a paratha in suhoor is not that bad but you should know that it can make you feel more thirsty, cause heartburn, and make you feel bloated. But Ok as you have to fast for long, you can have. Try making your paratha in minimum ghee and whole grain flour and for people with heart diseases, they should consult a nutritionist.
Keep in mind that if you want to lose weight effectively, you will have to skimp on the parathas.
The Yogurt Bowl
Yogurt has nothing but good properties to its name unless you are lactose intolerant. So you can enjoy as much yogurt as you want. In fact, it will make you feel less thirsty and combat your heartburn too. The issue comes when you start adding heaps of sugar into it. I know you must be excluding yourself from the team sugar by saying that you add all pure shakkar only. Sorry to break it to you but you are more or less in the same boat. Sugar or shakkar both have the same amount of calories and can lead to hormonal imbalance, obesity, heart disease risk, and whatnot.
You should try to skimp on any form of sugar as much as you can.
The Doodh Soda
The doodh soda might make you consider it as a healthy food because it contains doodh. But trust me if you look at the overall nutrition of this very refreshing drink you will hardly find anything good. The standard recipe of doodh soda includes half n half milk and soda with at least a fist full of sugar in a serving of one jug.
When milk is mixed with any fizzy soda the proteins in it coagulate and form chewy masses. If you keep your doodh soda in the open for enough time, you will witness this process. If not digested immediately, this process can take place inside your stomach making the digestion of the proteins even more difficult.
Moreover, sodas and eventually doodh sodas are loaded with sugar. And I cannot emphasize the harms of sugar enough. Also, sodas are rich in sodium making them unsuitable for people seeking weight loss and hypertensive patients.
All the harms of sugar you could never imagine.
The Fruit Chaat
This might seem like the healthiest option available on the table, and it is. But is it the healthiest it can get? No. You can actually make fruit chaat very healthy, only if you skip the added sugar syrup and other juices you add. Fruits are naturally sweet and contain sugars so you don’t have to put the extra effort of putting in more sugar and calories.
Only if you skip the added junk in fruit chaat, a cup of it can give you enough fibers, vitamins, and minerals to maintain a healthy self. You might need to limit the quantity of it if you are diabetic or seeking weight loss. Because even natural fruits are loaded with sugar.
The Fried Section
Well, there can be no two opinions on this one. All the fried items on your table are a big NO! For you to get a better estimate, let me tell you that just a teaspoon of any oil contains a minimum of 45 calories. Your average pokaro absorbs at least 3-4 teaspoons of this oil when deep-fried. The rest of the ingredients are separate and each one of them comes with its fair share of calories.
Fat especially the one from vegetable oil or other ordinary cooking oils do nothing good inside your body. So, unless you are on your way towards a very, very unhealthy weight gain you should avoid the fried items like somasas, pakoras, and kachoris.
Please don’t trick yourself into thinking that you will have just one and then stop, because we all know that you can’t. Once you get a taste of these little devils, there is no going back.
Now that you have learned that all your Ramadan food is of no good. I think it’s high time that you shift your focus back to the prayers. And for the food, I think you should stick to the pre-Ramadan menus because that was healthier than this, at least. If you really want to say goodbye to all the unhealthy Ramadan food and welcome the healthy Ramadan food recipes and plans, consult a nutritionist.
FAQs
1. Should you avoid tried foods even if you are thin?
Bad calories are bad for all. Calories not only cause weight gain but various health implications too. There are better ways to lose weight healthily,
2. Does doodh soda give you calcium?
No! the phosphate in the soda inhibits the absorption of calcium. Not enough calcium is absorbed to make you want to drink it.
3. What is a better alternative to paratha?
Paratha with whole grain flour and little oil is fine. But whole grain roti is a better option.
Book an appointment now, to answer all your queries. You can book an appointment with top nutritionists in Pakistan through Marham by calling at Marham helpline: 0311-1222398 or by online appointment booking facility through the website or Marham mobile app.
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