Getting the Food Mania under control

zainab quadri

July 2, 2015 1:13 PM

In this Ramadan, let’s strive to substitute unhealthy items with healthy foods.

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Let’s discuss what’s hard to ignore in Ramadan – FOOD. Food, as we all know, becomes the center of attention in this month. Walk in any store frequented by Muslims a day or two during Ramadan and Muslims’ food frenzy becomes quite clear. The sight of a Muslim’s shopping cart – packed to the brim with a variety and volume of food offers an amazing as well as an amusing scene. Such a view is common only when people are restocking to get ready for an emergency like an impending hurricane.

It just can’t be that everyone’s kitchen shelves become empty immediately at the start of the month. More likely, this can be attributed to a defense mechanism that the subconscious triggers against an impending trauma – a defense to cope with the hunger and thirst while fasting during the day.

However, stocking for food isn’t that problematic usually until that shopping frenzy translates in overeating and other eating disorders and habits.

Read Is Fasting Healthy?

Barring any health and medical challenges, fasting otherwise is known to provide numerous health benefits. However, overeating during iftar and suhoor, eating fatty, fried and other unhealthy foods, and stuffing our bellies too quickly are some of the major health hazards that potentially can nullify the health benefits gained during fasting.

In addition to controlling the size of our portions, we do not have to eat or taste everything that crosses our tables, though our temptations may tell us otherwise.

In this Ramadan, let’s strive to substitute unhealthy items with healthy foods. Keeping our food and drink intake to moderate and light levels also provides the added benefit of helping us to stay focused in prayers that follow Iftar and Suhoor rather than feeling physically uncomfortable and guilty of unhealthy eating.

Remember, the prophet’s food intake was very light and he said:

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi

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