As Ramadhan 1435H/2014 enters its second week I would just like to share
my personal experience of my predawn meals and the effects upon my days.
- During the 1st week my sahuur had either been a
nutritious bowl of oats (complex carbohydrates/high fiber) topped with dried fruits (figs, dates, cranberries and nuts (walnuts,cashew nuts); an e
- gg, sunny side up on whole-meal toast with baked beans to provide the full protein goodness of eggs, the iron rich beans and high fibre whole-meal.
Banana, peanut butter wholemeal toast; w
- hole-meal/soy or barley tortilla wrap with fish fingers, and shredded chicken or nuggets with, tartar (tahini) sauce or tomato ketchup for my daughter.
Previous years I have had unhealthy roti pratas with lentil dip. Not surprisingly, I found that the bowl of oats provided sustained nourishment throughout my 14 hrs of fasting. On the fatty, simple carbohydrate sahuur meal however, I would start feeling lethargic in the afternoons.
Oats such as complex carbohydrates are a low glycaemic index food that releases sugars slowly and hence provide sustenance throughout the day rather then the sudden sugar rush from a simple sugar load. Oats are also known to have cholesterol lowering properties.
Cranberries, blueberries and the lot are packed with antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and inflammation of arteries and thereby prevent cholesterol plaque build up. Some of the sunnah and health benefits of the dried fruits follows:
Dates are high in iron, calcium and phosphorus and hence good for anemia and bone building.
Figs, as mentioned in surah at Tiin, are a fruit of Paradise. They are regarded as some of the fruits richest in vitamins especially, B1, B2, C, carotene and most especially vitamin A. Vitamin B1 is beneficial in nerve inflammation, and vitamin A is good for vision. Figs are also packed with minerals such as iron, an essential component of haemoglobin, the oxygen binding element in our red blood cells, and hence good in treatment of anemia. Being rich in fiber, they’re also good as a laxative.
Try these healthy predawn/sahoor meals. Detox and cleanse our bodies physically as well as spiritually this Ramadhan.
