Families all over the Kingdom are making spiritual and physical preparations to welcome the holy month of Ramadan. People are already reading more Qur'an, gathering supplication books and planning on the mosques where they would like to attend Taraweeh prayers. Ramadan shopping has already started to stock up on dates and juices. Supermarkets everywhere are decorated and adorned with tables piled up with Ramadan staples like dates, figs, apricots, drinks and lentils. Let's examine the most common Ramadan traditional foods to determine the ones that are healthy and which are bad habits that you should stop this year. u Dates are a must at the iftaar table in every house, regardless of ethnic origin, and for good reason. Dates are sweet and provide an immediate release of glucose in the bloodstream, much needed after a long fast. They are easy to digest which makes a smooth transition for the digestive system that has been idle for about 12 hours. Dates contain fiber, B vitamins, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Dried apricots are full of beta-carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant. They also have a good amount of vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, calcium, and iron. u Beverages are extremely refreshing because most people get very thirsty by the end of the day. Just be careful about what you drink. Start with pure water to replenish fluids needed by your body. Avoid products like powdered drinks and flavored syrups because they are high in sugar and artificial flavors and colors. Fresh orange or grape juice can improve digestion. A glass of water with the juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon and a little honey can improve the health of the liver and help break down fat. The cold licorice root beverage, popular during Ramadan, is tasty and refreshing and has many health benefits. Licorice is a mild laxative, a good remedy for treating flu, colds, fever, and coughs. It is good for the liver, relieves indigestion and nausea, is used to treat ulcers and can help the body deal with stress. Use the beverage with caution if you have high blood pressure because it may raise blood pressure. u Lentil soup has almost as much protein as meat, with half the calories and no fat or cholesterol. Avoid adding oil to your soup to keep it low in fat. u Sambusa is a favorite among children and adults alike during Ramadan. Fried sambusas soak up too much oil and are very high in fat which can cause indigestion and weight gain. Try to bake your sambusa in the oven instead of frying them, spreading the baking tray with very little vegetable oil. Be creative with your fillings and switch from meat to low fat cheeses or curried cooked peas, potatoes, and carrots, or spinach. u Sweets are spread out on stands at supermarkets and on the streets before the call of maghreb prayer and their appearance and smell are very tempting and attractive. However we have to break this habit because most sweets popularized during Ramadan are made of dough, fried in oil, and then smothered in syrup saturated with sugar. This Ramadan enjoy healthier desserts like chocolate coated dates, date or fig filled cookies, a big bowl of delicious fruit salad, or bake home made cakes using less fat. In many cake recipes you can cut the sugar in half and replace with applesauce or mashed ripe bananas, for a great fruity and sweet taste. __
