Staying fit during Ramadhan fasting month

Staying fit during Ramadhan fasting month

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): A hungry man is an angry man. Right? Well, in a
way it is correct because when people are hungry, they are easily
irritated. But, the Ramadhan fasting month teaches Moslems across
the world otherwise: How to control their hunger. More than that,
fasting also teaches people to put a hold on their desires and
emotions.

It is amazing to see how people can manage without eating or
drinking for almost 14 hours a day for 30 consecutive days. It is
also incredible how fasting does not necessarily affect their
performance.

"People can maintain their performance as long as their
calorie intake meets the daily requirement," Dr. Rudi Nuriadi, a
nutritionist, said.

The daily calorie requirement varies, depending on gender,
activity levels, metabolism rate and weight. A male office clerk
needs between 1,900 and 2,100 calories a day, while a
construction worker might need up to 2,700 calories. Women need
an average of 100 calories less than men.

Researches even show that people who fast can live longer and
stay young. In fact, people are healthier after fasting. Fasting
also reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Normally, people eat three times a day, during breakfast,
lunch and dinner. In Ramadhan, they eat twice, before the time
they say their morning prayer of subuh (around 4:30 a.m.) and at
magrib (around 6:15 p.m.).

"The ability of human beings to adjust to new eating habits is
incredible," Dr. Rudi said in an interview with The Jakarta Post.

"God has measured people's fasting ability. It is bearable to
eat twice a day," he explained.

Many people fast without taking the sahur meal for various
reasons. Some because they cannot get used to eating very early
at dawn, others because they wake up late.

Actually, eating and drinking only once a day is not healthy,
even if one has enough calories to meet his or her daily
requirement. The kidney, the cardiovascular and the nervous
systems will be affected as there is no fluid intake for over 20
hours, according to Dr. Rudi, a teacher at the School of
Medicine, Krida Wacana Christian University, who also teaches
nutrition in catering at the Education Center of the Association
of Indonesian Businesswomen.

When properly observed, from the medical point of view,
fasting is not harmful to children, pregnant women and
breastfeeding women.

"Fasting will not affect the fetus. Breastfeeding women can
still produce milk, and the quality of the mother's milk will not
change," Dr. Rudi said.

He added that after breaking the fast, breastfeeding mothers
are supposed to drink a lot and eat nutritious food.

Athletes, however, might not want to fast because this will
badly affect their achievement.

"Athletes should regularly take fluid which contains enough
mineral so as to maintain their performance," Dr. Rudi said.

First day

In the first day of the fasting month, people usually feel
weak and tired because the glucose concentration in the blood is
very low. But, they will soon be all right as they are able to
adjust to the new situation fast.

After a long day without drink and food, people are very
hungry during fast breaking time. However, Rudi warns against
taking a big meal straight away.

"Have a drink first and then take an appetizer," he suggested.

Among the most popular appetizers are kolak (banana and tuber
stewed with brown sugar and coconut milk) and cendol (a rice or
sago delicacy boiled in coconut milk and sugar), which taste
sweet.

"Kolak and cendol are very good for increasing glucose
concentration," Dr. Rudi said.

Brown sugar is better than refined sugar, not only because it
is very nutritious, but also because it has a higher fiber
content. Coconut milk is a source of energy in the form of fat
which will stay in the digestive system for a long time. Tuber is
a source of carbohydrate, he explained.

"Taking an appetizer means stimulating the stomach so that it
can produce gastric juice to anticipate the main course.
Otherwise, you will feel woozy because the digestive enzyme is
not ready for a big meal," Dr.Rudi said.

It is good to eat something before going to bed. Fibre-rich
food like fruit or salad is best.

"Milk is good. If you are afraid of gaining weight, take semi
skimmed or skimmed milk," he said. "But don't have fatty foods
like gulai kambing or T-bone steak."

Fatty food is not recommended because of the prolonged gastric
emptying time. The food will stay in the stomach for quite a long
time so that at sahur time, people might not have a good
appetite.

Fasting can make one lose weight. "But if you want to loose
weight, the best way to do it is by having a a low-calorie diet,
not by a long-term fasting," he said.

Since people who fast don't drink for such a long time, it is
just natural that they have bad breath. There is no toothpaste or
mouth wash which can help one avoid bad breath because toothpaste
and mouth wash is effective only for about one hour, according to
Dr. Rudi.

"What we need more is not toothpaste or mouth wash, but
understanding. Don't you worry about the specific odor. People
will understand. This is fasting month."