During Ramadan, Muslims around the world focus on inner reflection and fast from dusk until dawn. Not only do they change their eating and sleeping patterns, but their body’s biological clock also undergoes a series of changes both physically and mentally.
Dehydrated and hungry due to fasting, your body slows down your metabolism in order to use energy as efficiently as possible.
But you can still enjoy fasting and capture the spirit of Ramadan simply by drinking enough water and watching what you eat during sehri (the meal period before sunrise) and after iftari (the meal period after sunset).
Understanding Your Nutritional Needs
During Ramadan, to meet the amount of energy and nutrients your body needs during the day, you should eat foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, and you should make sure to drink enough water.
At the same time, this does not mean that you should eat everything you need at once during sehri. If you do that, your body cannot utilize the energy intake all at once, which may result in weight gain. This is because your metabolism adapts to eating patterns during Ramadan.
Adults need to drink 3 to 4 liters of water a day. Even though you get 40 percent of this amount from foods, fruit juice, mineral water, tea, and other beverages, you should still drink 1.5 and 2.5 liters of water a day. This means you should drink two or three glasses of water every hour from iftari to sehri.
Just as we drink water to stay hydrated or fill up on fruits and veggies to maintain our health, it’s also important to nurture our eyes with food.
Keep your eyes in tip top shape with these great go-to ideas that are packed with nutritious foods for your eyes.
1. Bananas
Potassium is also great for eye health, particularly for dry eyes, as it is one of the important components that make up the tear film and help to maintain film thickness. Bananas are also a source of vitamin A which is also crucial for eye health. Vitamin A protects the cornea, which is essential for good vision.
2. Papaya
Papayas are full of nutrients that help support healthy eyes. Two key nutrients are the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. These act as a natural sunblock, absorbing excess light coming into the retina. They also protect the eye from harmful blue light.
3. Sweet Potatoes
You must love this food. We give you one more reason to love it. Sweet potatoes are as delicious as they are good for the eyes. Like carrots, mangos, apricots, sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene that help improve your night vision. Besides that, this vegetable also a good source of vitamin C and vitamin E you need in a day.
4. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like lemons and grapefruit are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body form and maintain connective tissue, including collagen found in the cornea of the eye. Vitamin C also supports the health of blood vessels in the eye. It may help with age-related vision problems like macular degeneration and cataracts.
5. Almonds
Last but not the least – almonds contain vitamin E which is good for your eye health. The regular consumption of this dry fruit also helps slow age-related macular degeneration, as well as cataracts. Because of its delicious taste and health benefits, almonds are everyone’ favorite.
Ramadan is indeed a sacred time of year and fasting is an important part of this holy month, but as you can see, there are plenty of options available to fast and stay healthy and nourished.
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