4 things to include in suhoor to survive the last days of Ramadan

Having a balanced, nutritious suhoor meal makes all the difference to our fasting experience, especially in these last few days, after weeks of pushing our body to its limits.

The key is keeping our blood sugar in control and choosing calories that are rich in nutrients and low in salt. The reason behind this is that drops in blood sugar result in hunger and irritability – two things we can all do without in these long hot summer days.

Also, each meal during Ramadan needs to be seen as an opportunity to meet our nutritional needs and therefore must include a variety of vitamins and minerals that are essential to our body. Salt makes us feel dehydrated, and most of the salt we consume in our diet is actually hidden in processed foods and restaurant meals.

So, skip the take-out and keep the sugar and salt to a minimum in your suhoor. Make sure to include these elements:

Why: Fibers make foods stay longer in your stomach and slowly release energy. This helps control blood sugar and keeps you energetic throughout your fasting hours.

Where to find them: Fibers are mainly found in legumes (like beans and peas), nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains (like oats, quinoa, bulgur and freekeh).

Why: Including healthy proteins in your suhoor means that sugar from your food will release more slowly into your blood. It also helps you reach your protein needs so that you maintain your muscle mass during this month.

Where to find them: The main sources of protein are legumes (like lentils and fava beans), chicken breast, turkey, tuna, eggs and low fat dairy.

Why: There are many vitamins and minerals that we skip during Ramadan because certain foods that are often dropped from our diet for a whole month. Whether or not a person develops a deficiency depends on the nutrient store they started with and the types of food they’ve been eating after breaking their fast. It is important to note, however, that most deficiencies only show symptoms when they reach an advanced stage.

Where to find them:  The key to this one is to try and include a variety of foods from all the different food groups (grains, dairy, meats and alternatives, fats and oils and fruits and vegetables). Some examples would be:

• Oat meal made with low fat milk topped with a variety of nuts, seeds and fruits
• Rocca, fresh mozzarella cheese, lentils and beetroot salad topped with an olive oil, lemon and garlic dressing
• Peanut butter and banana on toast sprinkled with chia seeds
• The traditional fool dish that includes a variety of vegetables and a lemon oil dressing
• Strawberry, banana, spinach, peanut butter and low fat milk smoothie.

Why: Ramadan headaches are likely due to dehydration and not necessarily skipping the morning coffee like most people assume. Eighty percent of our body is made up of water and fluids are needed for every single bodily function. Even mild dehydration can result in low concentration levels and fatigue.

Where to find them: Water, soups, fruits, vegetables, smoothies, coconut water.

Remember the power of the mind while fasting. Whenever you feel tired, hungry or thirsty, give yourself a little pep talk to remind yourself that you’re body is stronger than it seems. This is scientifically proven to work!

This is a StepFeed Community post, written by a guest contributor. Read more from Healthy Happy Us on its blog . If you’re interested in contributing to the StepFeed Community, please contact [email protected].