Fasting is difficult in the hot and arid regions where Islam was born, due to excessive heat and dehydration caused by the merciless Sun, and the dry surroundings. Indeed the suffering of the Prophet and his companions are mentioned in the Islamic tradition. But in an island paradise such as our beloved Serendib this should not be the case.
When fasting, it is normal for many of us to get hungry during our regular meal times as our body follows a natural cycle, but you should not feel like you have no strength. Despite your stomach growling, you should not feel like you are fatigued or lethargic, usually expressed as feeling “lifeless”. Your Sahar meal should supply you with ample energy for the day. Because if you think about it fasting amounts to merely skipping Lunch. Similarly thirst should not bother you either. Unless you have spent time travelling in the hot sun, or engaged in physically demanding activities, regular Saraceni activities should rarely make you thirsty. Therefore if fasting creates lethargy, fatigue and thirst your problem maybe that you are consuming too much salt and sugar during your meal times.
Salt is an important constituent of our diet. Salt (Sodium Chloride, in scientific parlance) breaks down in digestion and the Chlorine that it releases goes to form various acids in our body, chief of which is your stomach acid. The Sodium that is released, dictates fluid retention which impacts our blood volume, and levels of water retained by our body’s cells. If you consume too much salt with your food, it will make you thirsty, as your body uses its water reserves to dilute the salt and reduce your body’s salinity. This is the reason why we feel so thirsty when we eat salty foods like potato chips. So though you may not be losing your water by sweating and dehydration, your body is using it up to control salt levels. If you feel that you are getting very thirsty during your fast you may want to reduce the amount of salt added to your Sahar and Ifthar meals. Beware of consuming commercially processed foods during this time, as many of them contain copious amounts of Salt.
Food companies love to make their food salty, because not only does it taste better, it also gives there produce a long shell life. Therefore if you are consuming any packaged foods during Sahar or Ifthar, make sure you do so with modesty to avoid too much salt in the body. Although rarely store bought, our humble Kanji is probably the chief offender in many Saracen households for containing too much salt, so be mindful of this.
Glucose is the fuel which our body burns to produce energy. Our body synthesizes Glucose from the carbohydrates that we eat. Sucrose (commonly known as Sugar) is a high power carbohydrate that can release large amounts of Glucose into our blood in a short time. And that is one of the reasons we love it so much. Consuming sugar (Sucrose) gives us a direct energy boost, which makes us happy and energetic. Significant amounts of sugar in our diet keeps Glucose in our blood high, making it unnecessary for our body to burn fat, which is one reason people consuming too much sugary foods tend to get obese. Converting Sugar to Glucose is far simpler for the body, than burning fat or breaking down other carbohydrates, and therefore regular consumption of sugar makes our body prefer it, and when it doesn’t get the sugar it will throw a tantrum.
Glucose in our blood is high soon after a meal, but as this glucose gets used up, our body should faithfully convert fat stores into Glucose without us even knowing it. However when you are used to consuming a lot of sugar, this behavior changes, and your body decides that demanding more sugar is much easier than burning fat stores, and therefore sits back and lets your blood sugar level drop, trusting you will eat soon. This drop in blood sugar is what makes you feel lifeless and lethargic. Your body will eventually start burning fat, but not until it has made you feel like a famine victim. If you are experiencing this symptom during your fast, I would strongly recommend reducing your sugar intake so your body once again goes back to its regular function of starting to burn fat without troubling you.
Some foods that maybe giving you a super dose of sugar during our Ramazan season may be those Bombay Sweets. These are nothing but sugar and flour that is mixed together and cooked. Your chocolate bar (… ladies?) can just as well be called a sugar bar, as they have more sugar in them than chocolate, so opt for dark bitter chocolates whenever you can. If you are in the habit of consuming commercial soft drinks and sodas, you may want to reduce them as they contain unbelievable amounts of sugar. Therefore reducing or eliminating these foods, can make sure your energy levels are maintained throughout the fasting day.
Sugar is addictive, and therefore unlike reducing Salt, reducing sugar will definitely take a toll on your mood. But persevere, as the changes recommended here will make your fast easier.
May god ease your pain and bring prosperity to you!
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