Ramazan and Health

The fasts of Ramazan can improve a person’s health, but– if the correct diet is not followed – can possibly worsenit! The deciding factor is not the fast itself, but rather what is consumed in the non-fasting hours. To fully benefit fromfasting, a person should spare a great deal of thought tothe type and quantity of food they will indulge in through theblessed month. As mentioned in the section on spirituality(see pages 12–13), overeating can not only harm the bodybut it is thought also to interfere with a person’s spiritualgrowth during the month. A diet that has less than a normalamount of food but is sufficiently balanced will keep aperson healthy and active during the month of Ramazan.The diet should be simple and not differ too much fromone’s normal everyday diet. It should contain foods from allthe major food groups, as shown in the picture above.

Foods that benefit and foods that harm
Fruit and vegetables Bread, other cereals and potatoes
Milk and Meat, fish and dairy foods alternatives Foods containing fat
Foods containing sugar

Foods to avoid are
The heavily-processed, fast-burning foods that contain refined carbohydrates in the form of sugar, white flour, etc., as well as, of course, too much fatty food (eg cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets, such as Indian Mithai). It may also be worth avoiding the caffeine content in drinks such as tea, coffee and cola. (Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.) Foods to avoid Healthy/alternative foods Deep-fried foods, eg pakoras, samosas, fried dumplings Whole grains, eg chickpeas (plain, or with potato in yogurt with different Indian spices), samosas baked instead of fried, and boiled dumplings High-sugar/high-fat foods, eg Indian sweets such as Ghulab Jamun, Rasgulla, Balushahi, Baklawa Milk-based sweets and puddings, eg Rasmalai, Barfee High-fat cooked foods, eg parathas, oily curries, greasy pastries Alternate with chapattis made without oil, and baked or grilled meat and chicken. Try to make pastry at home and use a single layer Cooking methods to avoid Alternative cooking methods Deep frying Shallow frying – usually there is very little difference in taste Frying Grilling or baking is healthier and helps retain the taste and original flavour of the food, especially chicken and fish Curries with excessive oil Start with measuring the oil used in curry and try to bring the oil content down gradually, eg reducing five tablespoons to four. This is a good way of reducing oil without noticing much difference in the taste. A useful tip is to use more onions and tomatoes in the bulk of the curry.


Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, should be a wholesome, moderate meal that is filling and provides enough energy for many hours. It is therefore particularly important to include slowly-digesting foods in the suhoor. Iftar is the meal which breaks the day’s fast. This meal could include dates, following the Prophetic traditions. Dates will provide a refreshing burst of much-needed energy. Fruit juices will also have a similar, revitalising effect. The meal should remain a meal and not become a feast! Try to minimise the rich, special dishes that traditionally celebrate the fast and keep to the advice included in the table opposite. Many of the foods which are mentioned and encouraged here, are in the Holy Qur’an, and the Sunnah (the Prophetic traditions) also correspond to modern guidelines on a healthy diet and will help to maintain balanced, healthy meals in Ramazan. The most commonly consumed foods by Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) were milk, dates, lamb/mutton and oats. Healthy foods mentioned in the Holy Qur’an are fruit and vegetables, such as olives, onions, cucumber, figs, dates, grapes as well as pulses such as lentils. The encouragement of fish can be seen in the fact that Islamic law spares fish from any specific slaughter requirements, making it easy to incorporate fish in a meal.

Wish you all a Happy & Healthy Ramazan