Balanced nutritious sahur meals help prevent drowsiness during fasting

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Physician and public nutrition expert Dr dr Tan Shot Yen, M.Hum, has stated that consuming balanced nutritious meals during sahur can help prevent drowsiness for those who must drive or work in the morning while fasting.

Speaking to ANTARA on Tuesday, the University of Indonesia Faculty of Medicine graduate said that the type and portion of food consumed affects blood sugar stability.

Consuming foods with high sugar content during sahur can trigger blood sugar spikes.

“A blood sugar spike will be followed by an insulin surge attempting to bring blood sugar back to normal levels. This sequence is what causes concentration to plummet,” said Dr Tan.

She added that approximately two hours after consuming high-sugar foods, blood sugar levels can rise sharply then drop rapidly, resulting in feelings of weakness and drowsiness.

For this reason, the nutrition expert said it is advisable to ensure the body receives balanced nutritional intake during sahur so that concentration can be maintained while observing the fast during Ramadan.

“Sahur should be nutritionally balanced — a complete but simple menu, not lavish or complicated. Follow the Isi Piringku (Fill My Plate) concept,” she said.

According to those guidelines, at each meal half the plate should be filled with vegetables and fruit as sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre, whilst the other half should be filled with staple foods as sources of carbohydrates and side dishes comprising both plant-based and animal protein sources.

Dr Tan emphasised the importance of ensuring the sahur menu includes staple foods as carbohydrate sources, side dishes as protein sources, and vegetables and fruit as fibre sources in balanced portions.