Healthy Ramadan fasting: what to eat at suhoor and iftar

Ramadan changes when you eat, sleep and move for a whole month. With a little planning, you can fast comfortably, keep your energy up, and even finish the month with healthier habits than you started with.

Suhoor: the meal that carries your day

Suhoor is worth getting up for. A good suhoor slows digestion and helps you stay full and hydrated for longer.

• Slow-digesting carbohydrates: wholegrain bread, oats, foul, brown rice or freekeh.
• Protein: eggs, yogurt, labneh, cheese, beans or lentils.
• Fibre and water-rich foods: cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, fruit.
• Fluids: water, and milk or laban if they suit you.

Eating suhoor closer to dawn, rather than at midnight, shortens the fasting gap.

What to limit at suhoor

• Very salty foods such as pickles, salty cheeses, processed meats and salty snacks, which increase thirst.
• Sugary pastries and sweet drinks, which can leave you hungry sooner.
• Lots of tea or coffee right before dawn, as caffeine can make some people need the toilet more often.

Iftar: break the fast gently

1. Start with water and, if you like, one to three dates. They give quick energy and are a tradition for many.
2. Have a bowl of soup (lentil or vegetable soups are good choices) and a salad.
3. Pause for prayer or a few minutes before the main meal. This gives your body time to register fullness.
4. Build your main plate: half vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter starches such as rice, bread or potatoes.

Fried food and sweets

Sambousek, fried dishes and Ramadan desserts such as qatayef and kunafa are part of the joy of the month. Enjoy them in small portions, not every night, and preferably after a balanced meal rather than instead of one. Baking or air-frying samosas and sambousek cuts a lot of oil.

Staying hydrated

You only have the hours between iftar and suhoor to drink, so spread your fluids out:

• Drink one or two glasses at iftar, a few between iftar and sleep, and one or two at suhoor.
• Eat water-rich foods such as soups, salads, watermelon and cucumber.
• Keep sugary drinks, including many traditional Ramadan juices, to a small glass.
• Pale yellow urine is a good sign that you are drinking enough.

Exercise during Ramadan

You can stay active while fasting. Choose the timing that suits you:

• Light activity before iftar: a gentle walk or light workout in the last hour before sunset, so you can drink soon after.
• Main workout one to two hours after iftar: best for strength training or harder sessions, because you have eaten and can drink.

Reduce intensity during the first days while your body adjusts, and stop if you feel dizzy or unwell. Avoid hard exercise in the heat.

Sleep

Late nights and early suhoor can cut sleep short. Try to get your total sleep across the day, for example with a short nap in the afternoon. Good sleep makes hunger and cravings easier to manage.

Who should talk to a doctor first

Islam exempts people for whom fasting may cause harm. Talk to your doctor before Ramadan if you:

• Have diabetes, especially if you use insulin or medicines that can cause low blood sugar. Your medication timing and doses may need to change.
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Have kidney disease, heart disease or another chronic condition.
• Take medicines that must be taken at fixed times during the day.
• Have a history of an eating disorder.

If you have diabetes and are fasting, check your blood sugar as your doctor advises, and break your fast if it goes too low or too high or you feel unwell. Checking your blood sugar does not break the fast.

How Fitlyn helps

Ramadan mode in Fitlyn shows suhoor and iftar times for your city, using the calculation method of your country, and adjusts reminders around your fast. You can log meals quickly at iftar and suhoor and track your water across the evening.

Sources

• International Diabetes Federation and DAR International Alliance. Diabetes and Ramadan: Practical Guidelines, 2021.
• World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Guidance on healthy eating during Ramadan.
• Trepanowski JF, Bloomer RJ. The impact of religious fasting on human health. Nutrition Journal, 2010.