Rabat – Fasting during the month of Ramadan is an ideal way to recommit to a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. The holy month teaches people how to regulate their eating habits and maintain self-control and self-discipline.
Since Ramadan fasting only lasts from dawn to sunset, there is an opportunity to replenish one’s energy reserves from sunset until dawn. This is in fact the only period of the day when people eat meals: Iftar (the breaking-the-fast meal) and suhoor (the pre-dawn meal).
The amount of food people eat and the types of foods they select have a significant effect on their physical and moral well-being.
The prophet Muhammad, God’s messenger in Islam, emphasized the habit of eating less as a method of preventing sickness and disease.
He said: “A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air.”
In order to feel their best while fasting, people should avoid processed food that is heavy, sugary, and oily. In other words, fasting during Ramadan can provide extra motivation to enhance health and wellbeing. If people do not follow a good diet and choose their food poorly, however, fasting can then deteriorate their health.
For a healthy diet, it is important to include foods from all of the main food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein.
The way fasting benefits the human body
A Ramadan fast has a variety of health benefits for the body. Muslims refer to the month of Ramadan as the “healing month” since it helps them recover from minor to extreme health conditions.
The first benefit the body experiences is detoxifying. Abstaining from food and liquids helps the digestive system to detox and get rid of impurities and harmful toxins, as well as to improve blood circulation.
During the breaking of the fast, it is nearly impossible to eat a large amount of food, as the stomach shrinks due to food abstention. This often leads to weight loss.
Weight loss is another benefit that improves health for heavier people. For those with eating disorders who frequently binge, Ramadan fasting is one way for them to lose weight through curbing the practice.
Fasting during Ramadan can also improve brain function. Relaxation and meditation activities during Ramadan provide many Muslims with increased energy, mental concentration, clarity, and spiritual understanding.
The human body also absorbs more nutrients while fasting. The metabolism will become more effective as a result of not eating during the day, which means the amount of nutrients you absorb from the food you consume at night will increase. This is due to an increase in adiponectin, a hormone that helps muscles to absorb more nutrients.
Another physical benefit of fasting is an increased lifespan. Several studies have shown that by abstaining from eating for a certain period of time, such as Ramadan, a person’s lifespan lengthens. A slower metabolism is one of the primary effects of aging; the younger the body is, the quicker and more effective the metabolism is. The less food you consume, the easier it is on your digestive system.
Fasting during Ramadan is a safe and efficient way for the body to detox and rejuvenate. However, this will only happen if people adhere to a balanced lifestyle and do not overeat at iftar.
The spiritual benefits of fasting during Ramadan
Alongside the benefits Ramadan offers for the body, there are spiritual benefits that come with fasting as well.
Fasting entails far more than just abstaining from food and drink in the hopes of losing a few pounds. Fasting allows an individual to think better, act better, and improve their character.
It is easy to get caught up in the materialistic concerns of work, money, and food, which can contribute to ignoring the spirit and heart’s needs. Therefore, Ramadan is the ideal time to cleanse one’s heart and mind.
The holy month is an opportunity for people to become conscious and aware of their actions. It is also a chance to redeem themselves from bad habits and addictions such as lying, gossiping, smoking, and harming others.
Instead of negative thoughts and emotions, people should instill innocence and harmony in their hearts.
They can do that by getting closer to God and asking for his forgiveness and mercy through doing some good deeds, such as giving to charity or doing charitable work.
God mentioned patience in his book, the Quran, more than 65 times, and one way to obtain patience is fasting during Ramadan. As people fast by abstaining from eating, drinking, and sexual relations and desires, they acquire patience.
Being one of the five pillars of Islam, the main purpose of fasting during the month of Ramadan is to allow us attain self control and keep on a short leash the evil within our mind, heart, and soul.
Fasting during Ramadan allows us to control our mind and thus expel any negative thoughts that could tempt us into sinful acts, to always keep God in both memory and heart, and to bring under scrutiny our attitudes, behaviors, and actions towards other people.
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