Eating Right This Ramzan
Cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables best; experts warn of dehydration The devout will be fasting for 17 hours a day during the month of Ramzan, which begins on June 7. With daytime tempera tures still soaring, it is important to provide suffi cient hydration to the body during the two most important meals, sehri and iftar Nutritionists say that rehydrating drinks are important for people who are fasting. Senior nutri tionist Ms A. Ushasree said. “Dehydration is a common and serious risk. faced especially by the older people, the diabetics, those with high blood pressure and diabetic patients. It is very impor tant for these people to have the right balance of food and drink between fasts so that they have enough water to hydrate their body.” Pomegranate molasses, locust bean drinks and rose sharbats help main tain proper body fluids. Beverages with large amounts of caffeine must be avoided during sehri. Ms Ushasree said, “Drinking too much tea leads to passing more urine, leading to invalu able loss of mineral salts which are required during the day. Fruits such as bananas are good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates. But bananas are also found to cause constipation, hence the intake has to be bal anced with adequate fibre.” Foods like whole cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products must be opted for because they provide the required fibre. Lean meat products. like skinless chicken give the body enough protein. to sustain during the period of fasting. Patients need to be careful help in quenching the thirst for a short period. They are not of much help for longer duration. That is why it is better to avoid A.N. said, month of fasting, it also allows the body to remain cool. But very cold shar- bats and aerated drinks have a detrimental effect on the body. Such drinks them.” Their medicine dosage changes during Ramzan, and they must take it during appropriate times. Delayed doses or missed doses will have side-effects and they must seek medical help. Consultant endocrinol ing Ramzan, should stick to healthy and balanced diet. Their fluid intake must be increased and the pre-dawn meal must be taken as late as possi- ble so that they have enough energy to sus tain throughout the day” Dietician Malleswari Ms “Adequate hydration helps in eliminating toxins and also helps in cleansing of the body. During the said, “Calorie restric tions make a person with type 2 diabetes insulin sensitive and hence med. ications have to be adjusted according to the body type of the patient. Also, patients are instructed to avoid binge eating during both these mealtimes. Large meals with excessive amounts of carbohydrates can lead to complications. Hence a healthy meal plan with whole grains. beans, vegetables, lean protein and healthful ogist Dr V. Sri Nagesh fats must be taken.” Consultant internal medicine specialist Dr Srirang Abkari said, “Diabetic patients, dur Frequent monitoring of blood glucose has to be done for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who require insulin. Diabetic and hyperten sion patients have to change their medicine regime before fasting as there are risks due to fluctuating blood sugar and blood pressure level. DC CORRESPONDENT, HYDERABAD, JUNE 2 Say ‘no’ to heavy, rich food DC CORRESPONDENT, HYDERABAD, JUNE 2 Heavy and very rich foods with thick gravies must be avoided during Iftar as these foods cause heavi ness and indigestion. Senior general physician Dr M. Govardhan said, “Heavy foods delay diges tion. Eating foods contain ing complex carbohy drates are advised during the pre-dawn meal while simple carbohydrates are ideal for the evening.” Deep fried foods like pakoras, samosas and fried dumplings must be avoided during Iftar. High sugar and high fat foods like gulab jamuns and balushahis must also be avoided. High-fat cooked foods like parathas, thick gravies, olly curries and greasy pastries tend to cause uncomfortable feel ings and affect the body metabolism, which slows down. Dr G.K. Rao, senior gen eral physician, said. “Due to intake of very high fat based foods, there are also problems of severe acidity as the long hours without food tend to activate acidic reactions in the body. For patients who are already suffering from acidity, the sunset meal has to be light. Binge eating at sun. set must be avoided.” It is advised for middle aged and senior citizens to divide the meal into two portions so that the body metabolism works at a slow and gradual pace rather than going on an overdrive to digest food.
