RAMADAN CAN HELP YOUR HEALTH
Ramadan plays a major role in the lives of Muslim people
every year. It is a time when Muslims can focus on their faith and duties to
Allah (SWT). This is a time set apart
from normal everyday life since you need to fast throughout the hours of
daylight. Eating and drinking can only
be undertaken at sunset.
Throughout this period, you can experience both spiritual
and health benefits.
Weight Loss
Obesity is very much a problem of modern day society. We often don’t exercise enough, eat the wrong
foods and spend too much time sitting down in front of computers. Even if not
obese, most people put on some weight during their normal life.
Fasting can make a major difference since it helps your body
shed fat. It is not a matter of giving
up food completely as that would make you ill – but simply eating fewer and
better meals. Intermittent fasting
throughout the day as we do at Ramadan can make a difference.
“There is nothing else you can do to your body that is as
powerful as fasting”, says Dr Michael Mosley author of the New York Times
bestseller, The Fast Diet.
This is due to the fact that when we fast, our main energy
source – glycogen – is turned off. We
create glycogen when we consume carbohydrates, but if glycogen is not being
produced our bodies uses stored fat to burn energy. As a result, we lose weight, which leads to
reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Take care not to overeat when breaking your fast as this
will undo any health benefits you have incurred during the fast. Eat healthily during Suhoor and Iftar in
order to maintain levels of health & nutrition. Drink plenty of water with the meals so as to
stay hydrated.
Strengthening the immune system
Fasting will help your immune system. Within three days of starting the Ramadan
fast, your immune system will have already experienced a positive outcome. Fasting encourages the development of new
white blood cells, essential for the development of a healthy immune system.
Healthy diets and lifestyle
When we fast, it offers an opportunity to think about the
exact type of food we need. Diets become
immediately much more healthy since you are eating food designed to sustain you
throughout the day instead of snacking and consuming sugary foods. Grains and other high fibre foods eaten
during fasting are much slower to convert into glucose.
Many people also use fasting as a time to make their
lifestyle more healthy on a long term basis by stopping smoking.
Spiritual, mental and wellness
It’s a hard world in which we live and it can be very
depressing. Mental problems are all too
common. The Ramadan fast can make a
difference to our overall wellbeing. As
the Quran 13:28 points out, “Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find
rest”.
Fasting is a time when we can restart our lives and develop
a much more healthy mindset. Focusing on
helping others, undertaking good actions, worshipping and paying attention to
our spiritual needs will help reduce negativity and replace it with a much more
positive frame of mind. Reciting the
Quran, memorising sections will make your memory better and give you time to
recalibrate your life, becoming closer to Allah (SWT)
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