‘Water consumption between iftar and sahur must be careful’
Kastamonu University Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Lecturer Dr. dr. Tuğba Tatar made suggestions on where to think about nutrition during Ramadan. Tatar pointed out the mistakes made regarding diet and said: “Normally, if we have healthy dietary recommendations, it is recommended to eat little and often, but this is not the case with Ramadan fasting. There is such a thing as prolonged hunger. Therefore, it is possible for us to eat little and often in the post-iftar period in Ramadan. Our people want to eat a lot with the feeling of being full after a certain time of hunger, but this is one of the mistakes we make about nutrition. Because first of all we need to break our fast by consuming something light. In that sense, the method we use is actually a good method.
First we consume dates, then we drink our water. That’s right, because dates are a high-fiber food and contain good nutrients. After consuming our dates, we can open our fasting month of Ramadan with a light soup by consuming warm water, neither too hot nor too cold. Taking a break afterwards has a positive effect on health. Because, not only for Ramadan fasting, but in general, consuming food quickly causes us to over-consume before the signal of satiety is sent to the brain. That’s why you need to chew slowly. In this sense, it is important to eat slowly, we always talk about the importance of eating slowly, but we usually don’t stick to it. If necessary, it is important that we consume food slowly and stop our spoon with each bite. Then I said we should take a break. After drinking our soup, it is better to take a break so that our blood sugar can be maintained.”
‘We must consume water by sip and spread over time’
Tatar stated that water should be consumed in sips over time, saying, “Depending on the situation during Ramadan, we may not always be able to consume water as we would like. Our calorie consumption can also change. After iftar we have to do our water consumption and consume our water in sips as we remember in the section to sahur. Since we are dehydrated during the day, we should also consume 2-2.5 liters of water. Because we cannot consume it even if we are thirsty during the day. Therefore, to meet this need, we should consume 2-2.5 liters of water in the period between iftar and sahur.”
“An exercise program can be created close to iftar, in a way that ensures fluid intake immediately afterwards.”
Tatar stated that exercising while hungry is more recommended in terms of fat burning, saying, “If we talk about the nutrition-related parts of sports activities during Ramadan, the body’s metabolism works differently when exercise is normally done in a state of hunger, the body’s metabolism is different when an exercise is done in a state of satiety When we examine this basically blood sugar in the case of satiety the body burns carbohydrates because there are enough carbohydrates But in the case of starvation, because the glycogen stores in the body are no longer sufficient, the sugar content in the consumed blood is not enough, and in case of starvation, we burn our fat reserves.
In fact, it should be burned from fat stores. That is why exercising when hungry is more advisable in terms of fat burning. However, a problem arises as follows; When exercising, the fluid loss in the body is very high. Since we cannot consume liquid while fasting, some difficulties arise in replacing it. To replenish the water lost during exercise, that water must be consumed after exercise. In this sense, exercising while fasting can cause a problem in this case as it will increase the loss of fluid from the body along with sweat. A schedule can be made to ensure fluid consumption at an hour around iftar and immediately after.
“Diabetes patients should definitely get their doctor’s opinion on fasting”
Tatar said that diabetics should seek their doctor’s opinion to fast: “The condition of all of them may be different. That is why it is very important that they get an opinion from the expert who follows them. If they want to fast, they should definitely seek advice from their dietitians and health professionals. If health professionals indicate that there is no product for fasting, they can fast in this way.