Fasting, Healthy Lifestyle Every Time

Fasting, Healthy Lifestyle Every Time

Tuesday, 25 Mar 2025

The Ramadan fast will soon be over. However, this does not mean that the healthy eating habits that have been built must be destroyed again after the day of victory arrives. For those who have successfully started regulating their eating patterns throughout this month, they already have good capital to continue.

"Gosh, why is my weight increasing during fasting?" or "Fasting makes me sleepy and weak all the time," these kinds of expressions often appear when those who are fasting forget that fasting is not just about holding back hunger and thirst. But also training to regulate proper eating patterns through controlling lust.

Nutritionist, Nufri Afriansyah, said that the concept of the Ramadan fast that is currently being carried out is actually no different from intermittent fasting which is usually the general choice to start regulating eating patterns with various goals. "This Ramadan fast is included in intermittent fasting because the concept is limiting eating by calculating time constraints," said Nurfi.

Referring to the concept, this Ramadan fast should be an effective way for those who want to control weight, body fat, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. However, why is it difficult for most people to succeed?

Nufri also invited us to review the menu throughout the Ramadan fast, especially during sahur and breaking the fast. These two important times require different strategies to maintain body condition.

During sahur, the choice of drinks and food focuses on those that maintain body hydration and are low glycemic. In his explanation, Nurfi refers to the Beverage Hydration Index and Glycemic Index to determine the right menu.

The Beverage Hydration Index is useful for knowing how long the consumed drink can last in the body. The longer a drink can last in the body, the greater the chance of being absorbed and utilized effectively. Referring to this index, milk or orange juice can be an option other than water.

Coffee and tea, continued Nurfi, are not recommended to be consumed in large quantities during sahur because they have a low Beverage Hydration Index. "On normal days, caffeine consumption can be balanced by drinking hydrating fluids. During the fasting month, if we then only rely on coffee or tea during sahur without sufficient intake of high hydration fluids, it is feared that it could affect the condition of body fluids," he explained.

For the meal menu, ideally foods with high fiber content as a source of carbohydrates, such as brown rice or rice that is not too white. Plain white rice is actually also fine, it's just that it's better if the white rice is at room temperature because it has a low glycemic index. This glycemic index affects blood sugar levels in the body. On a scale of 0-100, the higher the number, the faster the blood sugar level will increase and vice versa.

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