Tuesday 2 August 2011

Fasting made easier

Fasting in the month of Ramzan especially when it arrives in the extremely hot months of summer becomes extremely strenuous. More than the pangs of hunger, the craving of water and thirst is felt. The scorching heat of the sun and the drying winds make it even more difficult. Besides, the duration of summer fasts is almost 14 to 15 hours. Here are some tips which if you follow will make your Roza less difficult and the feeling of thirst will not prevail so much:

1) Eat juicy fruits like grapes, water melon, apples etc. at the time of Sehr. This increases the amount of natural water in your bodies and keeps you hydrated for almost the entire day.

2) Don’t eat liquid absorbing foods. Foods like eggs, liver, prawns etc. have a tendency of leaving you dehydrated and thus it becomes hard to end the fast easily.

3) Yogurt is one of the most advisable foods. It gives a cooling effect to an individual’s stomach hence making it easier to fast.

4) Try avoiding a lot of intake of tea or coffee. Studies have shown a decrement in water levels of our bodies after the consumption of these.

5) Try avoiding brushing your teeth a lot. 2 to 3 times a day is good but excessive brushing dries out the saliva in your mouth giving it a drying effect which not only leads to the feeling of excessive thirst but also leads to a bad breath after sometime.

6) Increase the intake of water and other liquids after iftar and also during the sehr time. Consume water little by little. If you drink water all of a sudden, it exits your body as fast as it enters. Taking water sip by sip is the most effective.

Follow these and make fasting easier for yourselves! Good luck :)