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."