Fasting tips for beginners ( # week 3)

It’s been three weeks now since I began fasting and one thing that I understand well is the value of every drop of water and every grain of rice. I now understand the true essence of the Holy Month. Though I started it as a practice of self-restraint but now with each passing day, I can feel the spiritual connection through personal reflection.

In addition to that fasting has also helped me reduce weight, so it is a win-win situation. If you have been fasting religiously for the last three weeks, then I’m sure you can go another week comfortably. You’re doing extremely well, but for this week try to experience it in a sacred spirit and not as a challenge, as you’ve definitely accomplished the challenge. Here are some tips for the week that might help keep you going:

1 Avoid excessive salt in your food, especially during Suhoor. Sodium makes you thirsty and it will become very difficult to control the urge to drink water. Also avoid spicy and extremely sweet food for the same reason. The most difficult part about fasting is to control the water temptation so do everything you can to minimise it.

2 Instead what you could have for Iftar is food with high protein, fibre, and complex carbohydrates. I am not trying to sound like your gym instructor or nutritionist but you stay strong for the 15 long fasting hours. Go for barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour, fruits, vegetables, and gulp everything down with lots and lots of water.

3 It is important that you stay cool considering Oman’s rising temperature. If you are going out don’t wear black and make sure you carry an umbrella or a hat to keep the sun away. It would be better if you stay away from the sun as much as you can. This, however, doesn’t mean that you need to stay put at home by the fridge waiting for Iftar. Big No. Go to work, meet friends and relatives, join social communities, visit the library and get involved in many activities. There is a lot you can do while you are still at a safe distance from the sun.

4 So we all know that our breath doesn’t smell the best when we are fasting. Try washing your mouth with a fresh mouth wash every two hours. This won’t just keep the people around you happy, it will also hydrate the inner walls of your mouth, which is a temporary relief. — [email protected]