Healthy Fasting

Try introducing the following recommendations into your daily Ramadan routine – in the long-term they will improve your heart health and enable you to live better.

1. Know your numbers! The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to check your blood pressure regularly. This can be done at home, at many local pharmacies and at your GP practice. You can check your blood pressure against a blood pressure chart (bloodpressureuk.org) to see if it's in a healthy range.
2. Book an NHS health check. To book an appointment, contact your local GP or visit Be Healthy Bucks.
3. Make time for some light daily exercise – at Suhoor time or 2 to 3 hours after Iftar work well. lf you are unable to stand, try seated exercises after Iftar, this will help improve your circulation and increase your flexibility. Remember to consult your GP first if you haven’t exercised in a while or have existing medical conditions.
4. Reduce your salt intake. The NHS recommends that adults should eat no more than around 1 teaspoon per day.
5. Control your caffeine intake. Current NHS guidance suggests 400mg as the upper daily limit for caffeine consumption. Above this level, it may start to increase your blood pressure. Although coffee is the main culprit when it comes to high caffeine content, it’s found in many other foods and beverages including colas, tea, energy drinks and chocolate. A mug of tea usually contains around 75mg of caffeine. For more information about caffeine visit the British Heart Foundation’s website.
6. Go smoke-free and give up cigarettes.

5 reasons why you should give up smoking:

1. Smoking is one of the biggest causes of deaths and illness in the UK, and increases your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions including cancer, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels), cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain), impotence and reduced fertility. Smoking is the cause of around 70% of all lung cancer cases.
2. You’ll be protecting the health of your non-smoking friends and family.
3. It saves money! Use these savings to donate to charity instead. To see how much you can save, use the NHS cost calculator.
4. Within a few days of stopping smoking your taste buds will start to recover, so you can enjoy your food more.
5. Stopping smoking during daylight hours means half the hard work is done! Ramadan is a perfect time to stop smoking for good.

For further information visit What are the health risks of smoking? (NHS.UK)

Aurangzeb Ghani, from our Parking Services team, has recently become smoke-free:

"In the past I have always struggled with my nicotine dependency during Ramadan, as craving cigarettes made me irritable. At the beginning of this year I gave up smoking and I feel that this will really help me during the month.

"I have already started to feel the benefits prior to Ramadan. I am asthmatic, and the use of my inhalers has dramatically dropped. I feel much more at ease with breathing and my energy levels are up. Importantly, I have saved a lot of money. In the past I spent approximately £300 per month, which is an annual saving of £3,600. I wish I had done it earlier!"

Below are some tips to ensure that your body receives balanced nutrition this Ramadan. You could:

• eat slow-release carbohydrates such as oats, burghul, wholegrain bread, pasta or rice for a constant energy release throughout the day
• eat a balanced main dish that follows the 'plate' in the Eatwell Guide (GOV.UK) (PDF, 10.3 MB)
• at Suhoor avoid eating parathas, salty or high fat/sugary foods, as you will feel thirstier and hungrier sooner
• eat more refreshing fruits and vegetables (remember that some canned, processed foods, salted nuts, and pickles can also increase your thirst)
• try adopting healthy cooking methods such as baking, steaming, simmering or grilling and add plenty of herbs and seasonings. Now is the time to use your air fryer!
• delay your main course for after Maghrib prayer, if you feel full quickly and are unable to finish your Iftar
• reduce feeling thirsty during Ramadan by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day in small amounts
• include some healthy alternatives like baked samosas, boiled dumplings, chapatis made without oil, homemade single layer pastries, milk-based sweets and puddings, such as rasmalai and barfee

This is how Councillor Zahir Mohammed, Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health, approaches his Ramadan fasts:

"Ramadan is full of blessings but full of trials too, and none more so than not being able to enjoy life’s pleasures of food and drink! You can observe Ramadan and look after your health by being careful about what and how much you eat and drink. Perversely for me, the less I eat the more comfortable I feel because my body gets used to a set intake of food at set times. I try to resist the unhealthy fried foods and eat more healthy fruits, fibre and protein, and cannot start or end the fast without a date and a warm cup of tea…"

Here are some tips from Ahsan Sultan, a personal trainer, on how he looks after his health during Ramadan:

"The best foods to eat are by far the ones that keep you energised and hydrated. This means lots of fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, berries, cucumbers, tomatoes and grapefruit. I also love to eat soups, nuts and starchy carbs such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, as well as lean meat and fish. No fried food for me!

"When it comes to exercise I like to keep it simple. Stretch everyday to keep yourself mobile and exercise when you feel you have the most energy, even if it's for 10 minutes. I tend to do some bodyweight and resistance band training about an hour before Iftar, as that works for me."

Examples include:

• Homemade Turkish Iahmacun
• Healthier Shepherd's Pie
• Tandoori Lamb Wrap
• Harira Soup with Chicken
• Tepsi Kebab with Spinach Yoghurt
• Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Date Flapjacks

For more information on getting the right nutrition and energy while fasting, take a look at the government’s Eatwell Guide (GOV.UK) and the British Nutrition Foundation - Foods high in fat, salt and sugar (PDF, 255 KB).

1. Connect with the people around you, including family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them.
2. Be active. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
3. Take notice and be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Be aware of the world around you and what you're feeling.
4. Keep learning. Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving.
5. Give. Do something nice for a friend or stranger. Look out as well as in.

For more information see 5 steps to mental wellbeing (NHS.UK)

Abdul Rahim, from the Community Safety team, reflects on his upcoming Ramadan:

“After several years of long fasts 2023 is a change, as the fasts will be about 13 hours. I have no issues with the physical act of not eating or drinking for this time, instead I use Ramadan as an opportunity to focus on spirituality. I find during this month, I make a greater effort to attend my congregational prayers, pay in charity and abstain from those things which can impact my faith. This includes being kind in words and behaviour to others, which itself can be testing when your moods are affected by a lack of food. The end of Ramadan does bring a much needed celebration, and also a sense of achievement having successfully completed the full month of fasting.”