Let me start off by saying meal plans are a funny thing – you have the ones that you make in your head at the start of every morning (“I’ll have cereal and fruit for breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, and tacos for dinner!”) but there are also the ones you find online that are geared towards planning out your week well in advance.
That sort of long-term planning comes in handy most of the time but is especially important during Ramadan. Fasting for so many hours of the day means you might not have the energy to prepare intricate meals leading up to iftar (the meal you have when breaking your fast). Coupled with how tired most of us feel at suhoor (the pre-dawn meal that prepares you for fasting) it’s no wonder meal planning has become essential for many families.
Amana Nutrition’s Ramadan Meal Plan aims to help healthy adults plan what meals and snacks they should have at suhoor, iftar, and other times during non-fasting hours. It is by no means a prescription for healthy eating, but instead a guide to help you determine what times it would be best to have food and drink so you can stay fuller for longer during the fast and make sure you’re not missing out on important nutrients along the way 😉. Remember that living with certain conditions such as heart disease and diabetes means you need to make some modifications to your diet, so talk to your doctor and work with a Registered Dietitian (such as myself!) to plan what you should be eating during Ramadan and outside of it.
The meal plan features foods from traditionally Arab, EastAfrican, NorthAmerican, and SouthAsian cuisines to ensure you’re not missing out on staying true to your cultural backgrounds. Better yet, try foods that you might not be familiar with as well and let Ramadan be a time of culinary exploration 🌟.
Have recommendations for foods that you’d like to see on next year’s Ramadan Meal Plan or my Instagram? Shoot me an email and I’ll get working on it 😊.
If you plan to eat healthy, you’re more likely to! Make a list of groceries that you need to prepare your meals and snacks, and try to make that trip during the hours you’re not fasting. As they say, never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach!
2. Have each major (“macro”) nutrient at every meal
Having a variety of foods with protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats [1] ensures you are nourishing your body with different nutrients, doing your best to sustain it during your fast, and replenishing it after.
Missing out on even one macronutrient can have negative consequences for your health.
If you skip protein, you may:
get hungry quicker
end up eating more carbs and fats to compensate
not eat enough protein and may lose muscle over time
If you skip healthy fats, you may:
not be eating enough calories
get hungry quicker
end up eating more carbs and proteins to compensate
If you skip carbs, you may:
get low blood sugars (leading to headaches, dizziness, weakness, etc)
be low on energy
harm your body as your brain needs glucose (a carb) as a source of energy [3]
get hungry quicker
For examples of healthy food options that provide these macronutrients, click here [2].
3. Have Suhoor! It’s a blessed Islamic tradition (sunnah) and will help sustain yourself for the long fast
Have Suhoor as close as possibleto the pre-dawn (fajr) prayer. It will help you feel energized for longer.
Suhoor is a chance to nourish yourself during the few hours you can, and breaks up your meal times so you’re not having just one huge iftar.
Suhoor can lower the chance of a low blood sugar and theside effects that come with it (headaches, fatigue, and irritability)
Include foods that have protein, healthy fats, fibre, and more complex carbohydrates that will raise your blood sugar slowly, so you’re sustained for longer.
4. Hydration! Hydration! Hydration!
Water is your best choice of drink. It’s an Islamic tradition (sunnah) to break your fast with water, and that makes sense because healthy adults generally require up to9-12 cups of fluida day (depending on your sex, activity level, and even the weather) [4].
Note: Fluid is not just water, but can be food and drinks that contain water such as milk, soup, etc.
5. Limit the caffeine
Try to limit your caffeine intake to less than 3 cups a day (400mg of caffeine/day) [5]. This is the amount that research has shown that does not cause your body to be dehydrated or make more urine (especially if you drink caffeine regularly).
6. Avoid overeating and have a small iftar
Prepare your iftar in advance and portion it out on your dinner table so you’re ready to make the best choices at the time when you’re most hungry and prone to overeating.
Have a glass or two of water ready (instead of sugary drinks like falooda, juice, or sodas) and some pre-cut fruits and veggies as well! Consider a bean/lentil salad too for a bit of protein, but leave the heavier meal for after maghrib.
7. Find fun ways to keep active without aggressive exercise training
It’s tempting in Ramadan to nap and be sedentary. Keep yourself active instead with light movements during the day and light to moderate exercise during non-fasting hours.
Aggressive training without proper nourishment (like when fasting!) can deplete your glycogen levels. Glycogen is a main source of energy in your body, so this can leave you less energized and can be harmful to your health.
8. Snacking is important!
Suhoor and iftar are only two meals. Would you have only two meals a day if you weren’t fasting? Try and sneak some snacks into your evening to try and give you extra nutrition instead. This will help give you more of those nutrients you missed during the day when fasting.
Consider snacking on your way to night prayers (taraweeh), on your way back, or before bed.
Make sure your snacks include sources of protein and carbohydrate. Consider greek yogurt and fruit!
9.Avoiding fried and sugary foods is hard in Ramadan, but it has to be done!
We all love a treat of fried/sugary goodness after a long fast. I mean, who doesn’t drool at the idea of samosas, pakoras, and baklava?
Fasting is super long, and you definitely do require calories and nutrients to replenish yourself, but fried and sugary foods aren’t it. It’s important to look at whereyou get those calories from, and the nutrientsthat come with it.
Let’s look at an example:
You’ve had a long fast and it’s now time for iftar. This is the time for your body to get the energy and variety of nutrients it needs! Two super tasty options are presented in front of you:
samosa and basbousa
nuts, bean salad, yogurt or fruit
Contains: saturated fat, refined sugar, little vitamins/minerals or fibre
While the first option is tempting, it will provide you with too much saturated fat and not enough healthy nutrients that your fasting body needs. The second option is also tasty but will give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Remember: Ramadan is a time of spiritual growth and cleansing. Your body is an amana too, and it is important to take care of it, by eating beneficial and nutritious foods.
Make healthy eating a habit in Ramadan, and not the exception.
*Please be aware that these are general guidelines. Nutrition and intake varies by age, sex, height, activity, being pregnant or breastfeeding, and medical conditions. For more information or to sit with one of our dietitians for an individualized nutrition counselling session, please contact us at amananutrition@gmail.com or visit our Contact Us page to book your first online appointment.
[3] Mergenthaler, P., Lindauer, U., Dienel, G. A., & Meisel, A. (2013). Sugar for the brain: the role of glucose in physiological and pathological brain function. Trends in neurosciences, 36(10), 587-597.
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