Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Ramadan is only a couple days away and both expatriate and Saudi families are gearing up for iftar (breaking the fast) or sahoor (pre-fast early morning) meals. Due to this traditional habit during Ramadan, many people are worried about gaining weight. Some faithfuls observing fast during Ramadan gain weight during the holy month because of their bad eating schedule and choice of food. Saudi nutritionist at Saba one Medical Clinic, Hiba Bakhriba, said many people have several bad habits and they should get rid of them this year to avoid gaining weight. Important steps, she said, include focusing less on food, cooking and shopping. "Some groups focus only on what they will cook, eat, and spend hours in malls and they prepare many dishes for the iftar. Some housewives spend the whole day and night in the kitchen. Other groups overeat during suhoor, all of these are bad habits that lead to gaining weight. People must focus more on worship than other stuff during Ramadan," she told Saudi Gazette. She, however, stressed on the importance of sahoor meal since it reduces the feeling of hunger, protects the digestive system and keeps the sugar in blood at normal levels. Bakhriba recommend eating light meals containing vegetables, fruits, eggs, light cheese with low salt, yogurt, a lot of water, and several kinds of beans. Asked about how people can keep their weights stable during the holy month, she suggested having a light iftar and eating small portions of food. "Concentrate on eating salads and soups since they are low calories food. Like normal days drink at least 8 glasses of water. It would help in achieving this goal. One should eat fruit and take juices without sugar. Rather than having sweets, people can eat fruit salad as an alternative. They should avoid eating fried dishes and also eat low fat meat, milk, cheese, and yogurt," Bakhriba advised. She suggested that people should divide their iftar in two meals; initially one should have soups, dates and fruit. The second meal should have the main course; for instance, grilled meat. Since many people complain of gastric troubles in Ramadan, Bakhriba was asked for tips that would help people avoid this issue. She advised people not to talk while having iftar. As well as, she said, cooked vegetables are better than raw vegetables. She mentioned that wearing loose clothes during iftar or sahoor would also help. "Drinking water or juices slowly is also recommended as well as drinking hot beverages like camomile," she said.
