Dietician’s meal warning after Ramadan: ‘2 meals must continue’
The diet, which has changed during Ramadan and has become a certain habit, will now return to its old form with the festival. Specialized dietitian Tuğçe Çiçek, who gave advice on what to consider after fasting, where one is hungry for a long time and nutrition is only in a certain period of time, drew attention to the “meal” issue. Emphasizing that according to the latest studies, the number of daily meals should not be too high in terms of health, so that 2 meals should be continued in Ramadan while it is customary, Çiçek said: “We should end the day with a late breakfast and an early dinner.”
“They can pass as 2 main meals or 2 main meals and 1 snack”
Expert dietitian Çiçek said, “We have become accustomed to eating 2 meals during Ramadan, prolonged hunger has become the habitual state of our body. Therefore, my advice is to continue with this nutritional routine after Ramadan. Because we do not recommend 6-8 meals too much in terms of daily routine and energy in terms of chronic diseases. Let’s make our fasts healthy while our number of meals during Ramadan has decreased to 2. If 2 meals after Ramadan are too hard for us, they can continue as 2 main meals and 1 snack with a small snack. My advice is to have a late breakfast and dinner a little earlier. For example, if it is not possible to have a late breakfast, we can start with the main course at 11-12 and finish with dinner. Those who cannot stand the hunger between two meals can have a small snack.”
“It also helps to lose weight”
Çiçek stated that this order can also aid weight loss by reducing the number of meals and paying attention to carbohydrate consumption: “It is actually an opportunity to both lose weight and eat healthier. Because recent studies no longer recommend very frequent meals a day. That’s why we take a small step for our health. If he limits the calories in the foods he consumes in these 2 meals, and eats protein-weighted, those who want to lose weight will get rid of their excesses.
“We need to stay away from busy diverse tables during the holidays”
Çiçek drew attention to the consumption of sweets for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr and warned: “In our culture, the holidays are in a festive mood. Such tables are set up that, of course, we are blinded by these tables. First of all, we should stay away from tables with such intense nutrition and such intense variety. They should also avoid fizzy, sugary, and fruit-flavored drinks while consuming liquids. During Ramadan, we forget to drink water during the day. Now individuals should regain the habit of drinking water every hour by sending them a reminder when necessary.
We should definitely return to the consumption of water during the day. Thus, as we try to drink water in a very limited time during Ramadan, we cannot meet our fluid intake. In addition, milk desserts are preferable to sorbet desserts or heavy chocolates. The weather is getting warmer now, so maybe low-sugar ice creams or fruity desserts are getting a little cooler and lighter at the same time. But our first choice should still be milk desserts. Let’s be careful about consuming sorbet desserts at a very minimal level, provided it’s a few at most during the holidays.
Stressing that diabetics and pregnant women in particular should be careful about consuming sweet products, Çiçek finally said: “Diabetics, people with high blood sugar for three months and insulin resistance, people with high gestational sugar and even pregnant persons should also pay attention to both the consumption of carbohydrates and sweets. It is a style of consumption that all individuals should always pay attention to in terms of health, not just those in this category. Because we are always a candidate for a disease,” he concluded.