Ramadan Tips for Everyone

Ramadan is a month of blessing, and it does require a lot of changes. Everything from your diet to your sleeping pattern changes. It can be a bit difficult to adjust at first. To help you out, here is a variety of Ramadan tips for health, weight loss, fasting, diet and daily tips that will help you with every aspect of this holy month.

If you are a wife, here are some great Eid wishes for your husband!

Ramadan Preparation

Planning meals and dishes ahead of time can help you be organized in this month and provide healthy recipes to nourish the family.
Create a Ramadan count down calendar keeping track of days left for Ramadan. This will help you stay organized and make the necessary preparations in time.
Seek to understand the principles and meaning of Ramadan. This can help you ensure that you are doing things appropriately and correctly for the holy month.
Ramadan is a gift for every Muslim. Prepare spiritually, everybody knows that Ramadan is Fasting, offering salat prayer, reciting Quran and giving to others. Start these worships early on instead of thinking to start on the first day.
Prepare your brain, fasting is more than just not eating. Begin working on your endurance; be extra vigilant with your actions: make sure you aren’t backbiting, hurting others or discussing useless things.
Get rid of bad habits, know what bad habits you have and commit to stopping them. Do it now, don’t hang on until Ramadan starts. It sounds easier said than done, but once you have dedicated yourself, purified your motives – made genuine Dua for assistance, Insha’Allah, these bad habits will be gone before you know it.
Plan your daily life around your prayers, rather than working through your prayer or appointments etc. Plan to have an escape at prayer time. Don’t take your mobile phone to you to the area you offer prayers. Pray with peace!

Fasting

Fast a couple of days in the last month of Shaaban. Some people fast two times weekly (Mondays and Thursdays), as was the practice of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him). This can help your body adapt in advance, rendering it better for Ramadan fasting.
Adjust your work and sleep to get enough time to heal. Awakening in the center of the night time for suhoor can be challenging with work the very next day. Try and rest earlier to be able to get a good four to five hours of sleep in the first part of the night and a few after the dawn (Fajr prayer).
In this particular hot April/May weather, it is easy to get dehydrated in heat throughout the day. Stay cool with light clothing and perhaps a cap or hat to limit sunlight.
Gargle and use a mouthwash to keep your breath fresh. You can even use Miswak regularly as it can help cleanse one’s teeth and controls mouth odor.
Remember to share your food with people around you. It really is considered a blessing to give food to other people who fast and the less lucky. It will create and deepen a human relationship and can enhance the sense of Muslim brotherhood.

Ramadan Tips for Health

Do awaken for ‘Suhoor,’ the first meal of the day, as suggested when fasting. Both metabolism and your stomach capacity will improve in a few days.
A balanced diet is most beneficial; however, a good mixture of fiber and health proteins is vital. Fibers and good fatty acids keep one satisfied and also allow a slow continual release of energy. Consider walnuts and avocados. Portions of greens fruit and veggies are also good for nutrition.
A wholesome Iftar goes together with the customs: you start with 2 dates, a glass of normal water or Laban, then start the meal with a warm plate of soup, a salad and then the main course. Naturally, moderation is paramount to health!!!
Always start your Iftar with a date. This is actually the Sunnah way and has lots of benefits. It helps give a good kick to your metabolism after having nothing to eat for the complete day.
Avoid foods that are too spicy or salty, and take in more vegetables & fruits to keep your digestive system working at its ideal.
People who have problems with headaches or dizziness or who are expected to have low blood sugar during the fasting period should break the fast at Iftar time by with 2-3 dates which help replenish blood sugar immediately.
Add dates, dry fruits and nuts in your diet during the holy month. These provide healthy nutrition and are filled with energy, thus assisting you in maintaining your daily functions this month.

Diet

Following are some useful Ramadan tips related to your diet.

Eating your soup and serving of mixed greens gradually at Iftar will help you feel full and keep you from indulging excessively into the dishes that follow.
Eating desserts instantly after Iftar will increase your stomach size and delay digestion. It will likewise, result in rapidly changing blood glucose level, which will only trigger hunger for more.
Make your dishes lighter in the meal. Opt for steaming, boiling or roasting your food instead of deep frying it to limit the oils.
You can get lower calorie desserts at home by utilizing low-fat dairy items, for example, low-fat cream and limited oils and sugar.
Meats, vegetables, eggs and dairy items are rich in proteins. Make a point to include at least one of these items in each Ramadan feast since proteins are vital for your body cells.
If you are an athlete used to energetic exercise, you can manage by including your exercise activity just after suhoor.
Be innovative with the vegetables you eat. The more different and bright vegetables you add to your iftar salad, the more variety of nutrients you will get.

Ramadan Daily Tips

Break up your meal into three sections. Have one fourth of the plate loaded with complex starches, one-quarter with lean meat, and half with vegetables. This will guarantee that you have a balanced, healthy and nutritious feast.
If you are unable to eat more and can’t finish your Iftar, you can postpone your food until after your Maghrib supplication.
Share with your neighbors, Ramadan ul Mubarak is all about caring and sharing with those around you and neighbors have a special respect in our religion.
Visit the poor and the needy and donate food and water to help those less lucky.
Plan ahead: split your chores between family members and handle one task at a time to make the most out of everything.
Be a role model for your children. Youngsters see their parents as good examples and copy their activities, intentionally and unconsciously.
Welcome family and companions over for Iftar. Children ought to be taught that there are huge blessings for providing food to a fasting individual.

Weight Loss

Here are some really workable Ramadan tips to lose weight. You can implement the instructions given below and feel the healthy difference as the month passes on.

To get rid of additional calories, try to be dynamic by going for a walk each day, 2 hours after Iftar which allows you to process your dinner.
Break your fast with weight loss foods like the ones high in fiber and protein, rather than fats.
Eat the right amount of calories and utilize a calorie counter to keep a record of how many calories you are ingesting.
Create a smart exercise plan, ensure 15-to-45 minute exercises like strolling, housecleaning, and so on, on a daily basis.
Get used to drinking about 1-to-3 liters of water for every day before the holy month starts. This will help limit your caloric intake.

Here is a good read on How to Lose Weight Fast in Ramadan.

Nutrition

Eat real food in your meal, not processed and junk foods which are generally loaded with unhealthy things.
Stay far away from ‘white’ foods, these are stripped of useful nutrients and only add extra calories.
Know the healthy foods that hydrate your body, since you need things that replace the water in your body, not exhaust it further.
Reduce the carbs; Carbohydrates are digested into sugars and can have their weight gaining effects on your body, once you are done eating.
To ensure great health of yourself, start Iftar with lighter dishes. Pace yourself so that you eat an appropriate amount of food.

Sehri – Starting Your Fast

People often ask what to eat before fasting Ramadan? So here are some useful suggestions on this:

Add a natural fruit or vegetable to each suhoor. These are healthy, high in fiber and offer a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals.
Drink up, aim to have no less than 2-3 glasses of water at suhoor. Keep a bottle of water at the table so you can drink more water all through your sehri meal.
Drink coconut water, which is extremely hydrating and exceptionally satisfying as well.
Add butter or coconut oil to your supper (fat slows down glucose digestion and utilization, making your stores last longer during the day.
Stay away from sweets. They will only lower your energy levels later in the day and result in exhaustion, fatigue, and thirst.

Iftar

Eat Carbohydrate dense foods, whole grains and oats give the important calories and sugars that the body has been denied of for the whole day. They give healthy supplements, various vitamins, and are great sources of fiber.
Try not to eat excessively at Iftar as this can lead to digestive problems. Your stomach needs time to get accustomed to the sudden inflow of nutrients after being deprived for an entire day.
Include foods that contain a high content of water and include as many liquids in your diet as possible. Drink adequate amounts of water to avoid lack of hydration. Water will help flush out toxic chemicals and byproducts and will help digestion.
Avoid deep fried and oily foods, they require a much larger time for processing and cause you to feel full, yet don’t really provide any useful nutrients at all.
Opt for a balanced iftar with the goal that you and your family can remain healthy, energetic and invigorated all through Ramadan.

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Health and Safety

Know your limits, don’t overexert yourself when you are fasting.
Advise your partners and friends and family of any health problem you have so they comprehend what to do in the case of an emergency.
Consult your doctor in case of serious illness before attempting to fast. ALLAH is the all-knowing.

Eating

Eat gradually, this will enable you to control the amount of food you eat.
To maintain your health, eat at meal times, rather than snacking all the time to control your caloric intake.
Begin your Iftar with dates, this will renew your sugar level and bolster your framework till you are capable you appreciate a full supper.
Eat together, this will promote a sense of family and unity. After all it’s a blessing.

What Food to Eat?

Keep away from salty foods as this disturbs the blood pressure and causes thirst.
Keep away from excess sugars as they can result in weight gain and lead to major health problems in the long run.
Prepare your food by boiling, steaming or roasting instead of frying to limit oil intake.
Make the spices, sauces and pastes that you will need throughout Ramadan beforehand so that you can make foods quickly.
You can make all the dishes partly after iftar, in preparation for the next day. this will lighten your burden and make the fast easy.

Drink

Decrease your consumption of caffeinated drinks before Ramadan to be able to limit the drawback effects of caffeine containing drinks throughout your fasts.
Drinking enough essential fluids and drinking water in this warm weather is important. This may include juices and yogurt refreshments, etc. Coconut water with added nutrition is rejuvenating and beneficial for health, as is fresh watermelon drink, which is abundant with glutathione (a robust antioxidant).
Try to drink water after you have eaten and keep a close watch on your intake. Loads of water immediately after a fast can make you feel queasy.

Exercise/Workout

Try to include as many chores in your day as possible, this is a type of workout.
Opt for walking and climbing the stairs instead of using cars or lifts.
Try to schedule your exercise session in the non-fasting period to avoid dehydration.
Carbohydrates in the Morning, to get some boost for the first exercise session.
Alter workout times, choose a time that is a couple of hours after suhoor as your glucose level will be high at the time.
Exercise when it feels best, this is important as every individual has his own stamina and energy levels.

Fitness/Healthy Routine

Don’t Stop Working out Your body keeps up bulk as long as it believes it’s required.
Modify Intensity, to what you can achieve when fasting.
Ramadan and Protein Timing, add a protein feast in at suhoor and one after iftar to adjust for your usual timetable.

Kitchen

Do a careful check each week to restock and prevent panic at the last minute before iftar.
Stock up on dishes and platters as everyone will be eating at the same time.
Involve your children in the cleaning and the dishes as this will hasten everything up.
Attempt to clean up the counter every now and then, this will prevent that massive mountain of dishes at the end.
Encourage everyone to clean their own dishes, this will reduce the burden on any one individual.

Cooking

Have a pre-Ramadan kitchen clean, to get rid of any undesirable items to make space for the things that you will require during the month.
Stock up on kitchen supplies, Items like stick wrap, paper towel, plastic bags, and containers are a must.
Go shopping, it is best to stock up on all non-perishable foods that you will require for Ramadan.
Get acquainted with cooking hacks. These suggestions will make cooking much easier and faster.
Keep things uncomplicated while hosting Iftar gatherings.

Beauty Tips

Apply aloe Vera gel on your face to detox.
Take green tea at suhoor to cleanse your blood. It is also great for your overall health.
Apply turmeric and yogurt blend all over your face to enhance your beauty.
Pray 5 times each day to get the inner glow.
Reduce intake of oily foods and load up with organic products, vegetables, and water.

Skin Care

Reduce your intake of dairy items. It has been said that dairy items cause skin break out and pimples.
Avoid soft drinks and caffeinated beverages as they can drain the minerals out of your skin.
Load up on nuts. Eating cashews and almonds can help in rejuvenating your skin.
Moisturization is important, to deal with your skin in Ramadan, you shouldn’t ever skip it.
Go for the shade. On the off chance that you are running errands in the morning, attempt to stay away from the sun and stroll in the shade.

Driving

Expect everything, we should drive responsibly and defensively.
Plan your timetable and leave ahead of time to avoid hurrying and speeding
Continuously wear your safety belt, during Ramadan and at all other times.

Travel

Time your travels during the evening so you can indulge in foods and fluids.
Plan ahead, if you are planning on traveling when fasting, arrange for some food to break your fast with.
Carry a Quran, to make the most of your time waiting when traveling.

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