Guide to healthy fasting during Ramadan

Don't break your fast with a feast or you may put on weight instead of losing it.

If you are not careful, food eaten during the pre-dawn and dusk meals can cause some weight gain. 
Dr Razeen Mahroof, an anaesthetist from Oxford, says feasting during the non-fasting hours can be unhealthy. He recommends approaching the fast with discipline, or an opportunity to lose weight and be healthier could be wasted.
“The underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control," he says. "This shouldn’t fall apart at the end of the day".

A balanced diet

Those observing the fast should have at least two meals a day, the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) and a meal at dusk (Iftar).
Dr Mahroof says your food intake should be simple and not differ too much from your normal diet. It should contain foods from all the major food groups:

• fruit and vegetables
• bread, cereals and potatoes
• meat, fish, or alternatives
• milk and dairy foods
• foods containing fat and sugar

Complex carbohydrates are foods that help release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. They are found in foods such as barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour and basmati rice.
Fibre-rich foods are also digested slowly and include bran, cereals, whole wheat, grains and seeds, potatoes with the skin on, vegetables such as green beans, and almost all fruit, including apricots, prunes and figs.
Foods to avoid are the heavily processed, fast-burning foods that contain refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour), as well as fatty food (for example cakes, biscuits, chocolates and sweets, such as Indian mithai).
It's also worth avoiding caffeine-based drinks such as tea, coffee and cola. Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates faster water loss through urination.

Wholesome foods

Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, should be a wholesome, moderate meal that is filling and provides enough energy for many hours.
“Suhoor should be light and include slow digesting food like pitta bread, salad, cereal (especially oats) or toast so that you have a constant release of energy,” Dr Mahroof says.
“It’s important to have some fluids with vitamins, such as fruit juice or fruit. Some people have isotonic drinks (such as Lucozade) to replace any lost salts.”
It's customary for Muslims to break the fast (Iftar) with some dates, in accordance with the Prophetic traditions.
Dates will provide a burst of energy. Fruit juices will also have a similar, revitalising effect. Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps rehydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence. Avoid the rich, special dishes that traditionally celebrate the fast.

Foods to avoid

• deep-fried foods, for example pakoras, samosas and fried dumplings
• high-sugar and high-fat foods, including sweets such as gulab jamun, rasgulla and balushahi
• high-fat cooked foods, for example, parathas, oily curries and greasy pastries

Healthy alternatives

• baked samosas and boiled dumplings
• chapattis made without oil
• baked or grilled meat and chicken
• homemade pastry using just a single layer
• milk-based sweets and puddings such as rasmalai and barfee

Cooking methods to avoid

• deep frying
• frying
• excessive use of oil

Healthy cooking methods

• shallow frying (usually there is little difference in taste)
• grilling or baking is healthier and helps retain the taste and original flavour of the food, especially with chicken and fish

Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning while cooking

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that has no smell or taste and which, when breathed in, can make you unwell and can kill. Cooking for large numbers of people using oversized pots on gas stoves has been shown to cause the build-up of carbon monoxide in some homes, particularly those that aren't well ventilated.
Therefore, if you are planning to cater for large numbers of people at your home – for example at a pre- or post-Ramadan gathering – it's important that you don't use oversized pots on your gas stove and don't place foil around the burners.

Healthy Ramadan meal plan

These healthy meal ideas will give you a varied and balanced diet during Ramadan. They include ingredients from the major five food groups.

The meal plan has been written by medical experts in consultation with Islamic scholars.
Fluids (water and juices) and dates should be added to each Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) and Iftar (dinner – the meal which ends the day's fast). The fast is broken with dates, followed by dinner.

Suhoor: a bowl of porridge with milk, one slice of toast and a handful of unsalted nuts.

Iftar: pitta bread with chicken, salad and hummus and one or two pieces of baklava.

Suhoor: wheat-based cereal with milk, a plain scone or crumpet and an apple or banana.

Iftar: chicken with boiled rice, vegetable curry and mixed salad, followed by fruit salad with single cream.

Suhoor: a bowl of shredded wheat or muesli and a pear or orange.

Iftar: baked fish with roasted vegetables, or fish curry with rice followed by sweet vermicelli or one piece of jalebi (an Indian sweet).

Suhoor: cheese, then one teaspoon of jam with crackers or toast, and a handful of dried fruits.

Iftar: pasta cooked with vegetables and chicken or fish, and a slice of plain cake with custard .

Tips For Healthy Skin

Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with the basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems. Get started with these five no-nonsense tips.

1. Protect yourself from the sun

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A lifetime of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems — as well as increase the risk of skin cancer.
For the most complete sun protection:

• Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours — or more often if you're swimming or perspiring.
• Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven long-sleeved shirts, long pants and wide-brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washings, or special sun-protective clothing — which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.

2. Don't smoke

Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. Smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin — the fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In addition, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking — such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squinting your eyes to keep out smoke — can contribute to wrinkles.
If you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.

3. Treat your skin gently

Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin. To keep it gentle:

• Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, and use warm — rather than hot — water.
• Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Instead, choose mild cleansers.
• Shave carefully. To protect and lubricate your skin, apply shaving cream, lotion or gel before shaving. For the closest shave, use a clean, sharp razor. Shave in the direction the hair grows, not against it.
• Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
• Moisturize dry skin. If your skin is dry, use a moisturizer that fits your skin type. For daily use, consider a moisturizer that contains SPF.

4. Eat a healthy diet

A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. The association between diet and acne isn't clear — but some research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low in unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin.

5. Manage stress

Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne breakouts and other skin problems. To encourage healthy skin — and a healthy state of mind — take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The results might be more dramatic than you expect.

Healthy Food Products Without Scary Ingredient Lists

If you walk into your local grocery store, many of the food products you'll find have long and scary ingredient lists with hydrogenated this's, and hydrolyzed that's. The things added to foods these days can be difficult to read and even more difficult to understand. Do you have any idea why disodium guanylate, sodium diacetate, or silicon dioxide is added to your food? Probably not, but the good thing is that there are plenty of healthy food products out there that have ingredient lists that are much less intimidating. Here are a few to help whet your appetite. (Full disclosure: this site and the writer of this article have no affiliation to the products or companies mentioned in this article)

1. Bolthouse Carrot Juice
Bolthouse carrot juice is a healthy and refreshing beverage that consists of a single ingredient: carrots. There are no added preservatives or sweeteners so you know you're getting the real deal. All you get is carrot juice, you can't get much simpler than that. If you've never had carrot juice before, it doesn't taste like it's derived from vegetables. It tastes very sweet, rich, and creamy.

  2. Mott's Apple Sauce
Apple sauce isn't just for kids and can make a quick and healthy snack for any grown man. Mott's Natural apple sauce consists of three simple ingredients: apples, water, and vitamin C. If you go and buy some apple sauce for yourself, make sure to look at the ingredients to make sure you don't get anything with added sweeteners. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are commonly added to apple sauce.  

3. Bottled Water
Drinking water instead of artificially sweetened soft drinks is a great way to improve your diet and overall health. Most soft drinks are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and just add empty calories to your diet. Drinking these types of soft drinks can lead to weight gain and tooth decay. Why not drink something better for your health and less expensive than buying soft drinks? To cut the costs of drinking filtered water, you can buy a water filter and get the clean taste of bottled water at your home without the high price.

 4. All Natural Peanut Butter
Peanut butter can be filled with unhealthy additives. For instance, hydrogenated vegetable oils, containing trans fatty acids, are commonly added to peanut butter to improve its smoothness and texture. Sugar is also commonly added to peanut butter to improve its taste. This can make peanut better less healthy than it should be. The only thing you really need in peanut butter though is peanuts and salt, and that's exactly what you get from some companies. Check the ingredient lists to find the healthiest peanut butter for you to snack on.

 5. Quaker Oatmeal
Eating oatmeal is a simple and cheap way to improve your diet and overall health. Quaker oatmeal contains only oats and can be easily prepared in the microwave. If you have trouble getting over the blandness of oatmeal, try adding fresh cut fruit and honey to improve the taste.

 6. Sunmaid Raisins
Raisins, unlike a lot of other dried fruit products, hardly ever contain any added sugar or oils. The next time you go to the grocery, read the ingredient lists for dried fruit products and you might be surprised at how much garbage is added to dried fruit. Another reason why raisins are great is because they're so easy to store. You can stash a bag in your car or office to help overcome unwanted food cravings. If you don't like eating raisins plain, try adding them to cereal, oatmeal, or salad.

 7. Fischer Mixed Nuts
Eating some mixed nuts is a great snack to hold you over between meals. Because nuts are so high in protein, they stick to your bones more and will make you feel more full than a candy bar will. The ingredient list on Fischer Mixed nuts is very unintimidating with just an assortment of nuts, oils, and salt.

 Bonus: FruitaBu Smooshed Fruit Flats
FruitaBu smooshed fruit flats, made mostly out of organic fruit, are a healthy alternative to Fruit Roll-ups and other fruit snacks. They are also sweet enough to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth. So if you love candy, but want to eat healthier, give these smooshed fruit flats a try.