9 Health Benefits And Tips For Beneficial Ramadan (and Otherwise) Fasting

Risks of fasting-Watch out for:

Dehydration and low blood pressure, resulting in dizziness
Low sugar resulting in headaches, irritability, and insomnia
Heartburns- acid produced in response to seeing and smelling food but with no food in the stomach.

During Ramadan, avoid:

Overindulgence at suhoor (start of the fasting) and Iftar. It beats the purpose of fasting and can backfire on you! Leave some space for air!
Hot, spicy food and fried food at suhoor and iftar, such as French fries, pakoras, fried samosas, nihari and other curry-rich food (apologies to my South East Asian friends).
It is a diuretic and may lead to dehydration. (Black) Tea may be less problematic, but it does contain caffeine.
Refined sugars and sodas. Avoid high-sugar drinks. Avoid breaking the fast with orange juice, as it is acidic in nature.

Do consume:

Vegetables and fruits, especially those rich in fluid and electrolytes content such as watermelon, pomegranates, oranges, cucumbers and bananas (high potassium content). Dates are a good source of fiber and potassium. Drinking lemon juice also provides water and potassium.
It helps to fill you up and helps digestion of food at suhoor more slowly rather than a fast burn, which may lead to feeling hungry early on during the fasting periods.
White meat. Limit red meat to 1-2 times per week. Meat and fish are reliable sources of proteins.
Plenty of fluids. Water is preferred. Drink at least two liters of water between iftar and suhoor. If you are working out or perspire a lot, you need to drink more.

Special precautions:

If you have diabetes, especially if you take insulin, consult with your doctor before fasting.
Pregnant and breastfeeding. Fasting is not recommended from a medical perspective (as well from religious perspective).
If you are taking multiple medications throughout the day. Consult with your doctor if fasting is feasible for you.
If you have other serious medical conditions such as heart arrhythmias, cancer, organ transplant, kidney, gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and liver disease. This is not an all-inclusive list. When in doubt, consult with your doctor.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26374764

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5394735/

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556503001694

[4] http://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-summer-2016/articles/are-there-any-proven-benefits-to-fasting

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