Muslims in India marked Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar on Tuesday. During Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to fast from dawn to dusk by abstaining from all forms of food and drink.

While this form of intermittent fasting has a positive impact on the body in various ways, it also hampers the workout plans of many gym-goers.

Addressing this issue, Dr Sadia Chisty, nutritionist and academic counsellor at Jamia Hamdard, tells Outlook’s Intifada P Basheer on how one can maintain a workout routine while fasting, the preferred dishes one should have during suhoor and iftar and the precautions one should take to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic during Ramadan. Excerpts:

1) Is it okay to exercise while fasting? If yes, what is the best time to squeeze in a workout during Ramadan?

One should not start a new exercise routine during Ramadan. Intense exercise while fasting can lead to reduced muscle mass and muscle strength. However, it is advisable to do medium-intensity workouts during this month. Apart from going to the gym, one can go for a walk, cycle or even do light jogging.

Ideal time for exercising would be after iftar. Workouts spanning 20-45 minutes are ideal. One can also exercise before suhoor after having a small snack and plenty of water. This should be followed by a nutrient-dense meal.

2) According to you what’s an ideal suhoor meal?

During suhoor fibre and protein rich foods should be consumed. This helps in increasing the satiety value of the meal. Eggs, curd, milk, whole cereals, pulses, chicken and fish can be incorporated to achieve this.

Good meal options for suhoor are-- Egg and roti with ghee / egg omelette with brown bread/ Couscous (dalia) with milk and dates/ chicken with whole wheat roti/ oats with milk

Preferred drinks—Lemonade/ Thandai/ Sattu/ Green tea/ Tea/ Coffee.

3) What’s an ideal iftar meal?

Iftar meals should be rich in carbohydrate, electrolyte and must include protein-dense foods. Various options that can be added to iftar meals are--

Cereals
a) Wheat/Rice-brown bread sandwich/ Whole wheat cake/Idli
b) Fruits with boiled quinoa
c) Oats and cold milk with fruits/ Oats dosa
d) Poha- egg poha/ peanut poha/ sprouts poha

Pulses and other protein sources
a) Dal /Sprouts / Chana chaat/ Sprouts rolls/ Haleem/ Sattu
b) Tofu/Paneer- rolls/Sandwich/Salad
c) Chicken- rolls/Kababs
d) Boiled egg salad/ Egg custard / Egg sandwich / Egg pasta (whole wheat pasta)
e) Soya granules- stuffed in roti/ cutlet/ soyachops

Milk (toned)
Thandai/Milkshake/Curd/Buttermilk

Dates/Fruit chaat/Whole fruits/ Smoothie/ Fruit raita

Thandai/Coconut water/ Fruit shake/Shikanji/Lassi/ Iced green tea (mint leaves +lemon juice)/ Almond milk/Coconut milk/Tea/Coffee

Options for dinner: Rice and dal/ Veg soya pulav with green chutney/ Egg curry with roti

• Meals rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre like fresh fruits, green and leafy vegetables, salads, whole grains and whole pulses should be included in the diet.
• Fasting causes one to crave for sweet and fried foods. To deal with this one can include steamed, grilled, boiled, baked foods in their meals. Fruits can be used to substitute sweets.
• Oil should be used minimally.
• In case of acidity, ice creams, cucumber with curd or cold milk with Roof Afza can be taken.

4) What impact does fasting have on the body?

Intermittent fasting (IF) has become vogue in the West since the last few years. But it has been part of our culture for a long time, whether be it during Navaratri or Ramadan. IF aids weight loss, increases metabolism and reduces insulin resistance. Research has established that fasting also helps contain bad cholesterol and maintains healthy triglycerides levels.
Many studies have also proven that fasting augments human growth hormones by manifold levels. This helps speed up the healing process after injury and helps repair muscle tissues after exercise. It also increases muscle mass and boosts metabolism.

5) Anything that should be avoided?
Avoid heavy meals, fried food, cream, refined four, refined sugar and processed foods. Don’t eat fruits and cooked foods at the same time. Do not drink excessive coffee as it can have a "diuretic effect" and cause dehydration. Do not use high fat salad dressings like mayonnaise, cream, salad oils etc. Do not overeat as it might cause your blood sugar levels to spike.

8) Any special dietary precautions we should take keeping the covid-19 pandemic in mind?
Building one’s immunity is a long process. One should include all food groups to strengthen one’s immunity.

Time	Menu	Quantity
Sehri	Milk / tea/ green tea/ sattu Chapati/Rice Vegetable Dal/Curd Paneer / chicken/ egg Or Egg sandwich / veg + dal with roti/ milk with sevaiyyan and dates/ chicken biryani with raita	1 cup 2/3 chapati 1-2 bowl 1 bowl 1 bowl
Iftar At least after half an hour	Dates + fruit salad/ chaat + mango shake/ thandai/ shikanji/ milk rooh afza/ coconut water + amla murabba+ almonds soaked Boiled chana chaat/ bhelpuri/ Sandwich / roll/ cake/ oats cheela with lemon green tea/ tea/coffee
Dinner 8:30-10:00 pm	Rice/ Chapati Vegetable Dal/Curd Paneer / chicken/ egg	1/2 chapati 1 bowl 1 bowl 1 bowl
After dinner	Buttermilk/nimbu paani/ kairi panna	1 glass