Uncanoonuc is a small mountain just outside Manchester, and it is not the most majestic view you’ll see in New Hampshire. But it’s a meaningful mountain for me — it is visible from the city, straight ahead on the horizon from where I used to walk home from middle school, down Bridge Street. But often I did not notice it’s beauty in the distance during those trying middle school days — looking is not the same as seeing, and what a pleasant and comforting sight it would have been. I hope we all see the beauty on our horizons.

Ramadan, our Muslim holy month of fasting (daily from dawn until sunset), is fast approaching this year. According to ISNA, the lunar month is set begin (insh’Allah) on sundown of July 19, 2012; thus, the first day of fasting will begin at dawn of Friday, July 20, 2012. Despite what some perceive as the great hardship of giving up a month’s daylight hours without food or drink (or cigarettes, swearing, and other stuff), most Ramadan-observers share a feeling of deep excitement and joy. Sisters and brothers around the world look forward to this special month of separation from worldly comforts, contemplation on the realities around us, and an increased sense of closeness with humanity and our local communities — including those within our communities that are less fortunate, and for whom days without food is an experience far from confined to one month a year.

For many, including myself, fasting for Ramadan often presents challenges in the first few days (the body, mind, and soul getting used to a routine-shift). Yet with each day the physical challenges become easier, and the spiritual benefits increase, culminating with profound feelings of physical detoxification and spiritual cleansing.

However, I think that many people who fast Ramadan make the month harder on themselves in their habits of consumption. In response to discussions with friends over the course of several years, I am writing this short piece that briefly discusses ideas about the physical, dietary, and nutritional DO’s and DON’Ts to maximize the benefits of Ramadan’s daily structure. I am not a nutritionist, but through my own experiences, those of friends, and personal observations of red-flag mistakes, this is one person’s humble attempt to begin the conversation on how to improve the physical aspects of fasting from dawn to sunset. Such strategies are especially critical in these upcoming years where Ramadan coincides with much longer days of the summer months (in New Hampshire, around 17+ daily hours of fasting). My hope is to decrease undue burdens of the physical, such that the spiritual, communal, and charitable blessings of Ramadan can flourish for the benefit of us all.

Eating plenty of vegetables and other wholesome, nutritious foods is vital during Ramadan.

I welcome feedback and discussion in the comments section, and preface this attempt by acknowledging the limits of my own knowledge, that there is not necessarily one “right”/”best” way to fast, and that God knows best.

A note on the spiritual

As we review ideas on approaching Ramadan from a dietary perspective, above all and as a foremost principle, one must remember that fasting for Ramadan is more than a physical absence of food/water. Rather, deep, spiritual blessings are what we seek by way of this abstinence. These tips do not replace the essential core of Ramadan, and this is not an opportunity to diet. Our consciousness and intention to attain that deeper fast is more important that any nutritional advice of the physical realm, so that we may attain spiritual growth that draws us nearer to God, and avoid the fate of those mentioned in Hadith; ”Perhaps a fasting person will get nothing for his fast save hunger [...].” In moments of fasting difficulty, nothing is more effective than a calm, inward focus that transcends our physical bodies.

Onwards to the dietary –

Top five (5) Ramadan fasting dietary best practices

There are only a handful of key pieces, from a physical standpoint of the Ramadan fast (sawm), which I believe are of critical importance. They are:

• Do not skip suhoor, the pre-dawn meal immediately before the fasting day begins.
• Hydration, hydration, hydration.
• Limit sugars, especially refined sugars, because of their volatile effect on blood glucose levels.
• At iftaar, the time of breaking the daily fast, eat slowly after a 20-minute break, do not over-eat, and plan for another small evening meal.
• Two weeks before Ramadan begins, gradually wean yourself off caffeine, nicotine, and refined sugars.

Snapshot of a well-planned day of fasting

The guiding principles to eating well and limiting physical discomfort during fasting are: spread out when you eat; limit sugar intake; and drink plenty of water.

Suhoor: About 30 minutes before dawn

Key to a successful fast is suhoor, and there is no more important meal to plan what you eat than this one. For starters, hydration for an entire day ahead should be foremost on the mind, something often overlooked. I recommend planning to drink 4+ glasses of water at this meal, to provide your body with the hydration it needs to function through sundown. By no means should you drink any sugary beverages (this includes juice, the hidden adversary) or sugary foods, which will both leave your mouth feeling “sticky” within a few hours, as well as create a sugar-spike that leads to a quick sugar-crash and heightened sense of hunger. Rather, the goal of suhoor is to consume food that will digest slowly throughout the day, letting you feel full as long as possible. Foods that are high on the glycemic index (GI) are to be avoided: white bread, most crackers, white rice, corn flakes, glucose, potato, pretzels, white muffins, as well as any other foods with obviously higher levels of sugar.

Eat oatmeal with lower sugar content — make your own, or if you buy mix packets, look for ‘high fiber’ or ‘low/no sugar’ versions.

Foods to target are those with low-sugar, and high levels of fiber, protein, and/or fats. My strongest recommendation for suhoor is oatmeal (if you don’t eat oatmeal, alternative options are quinoa or millet) without adding much extra sugar (e.g. syrups, sugar, or honey). Oatmeal is a simple dish to make — you don’t have to buy the little packets, its more economical (and you control the ingredients better) to mix water and breakfast oats directly from a larger container. Sweeten with artificial sweetener (e.g. Splenda) or a small amount of agave or brown sugar, plus some cinnamon and nutmeg. Oatmeal is a food that lasts a long time in your stomach and extends the release of energy to your body throughout the day. Other excellent suhoor ideas to mix-and-match include: yogurt (those with higher fat, lower sugar), beans/lentils (if you can stomach them that early), certain high-fiber fruits (most berries, apples, pears, bananas), nuts and seeds (although be careful of salt, which will increase thirst later), and all-bran cereals with low sugar levels.

As you near dawn, suhoor ends best with a warm cup of herbal tea, without caffeine or milk and unsweetened. I really like Yogi Tea’s “Calming” (see here) but the options are boundless. This cup of tea cleanses the palette with herbs that help your mouth feel fresh throughout the day, is one last burst of hydration, and encourages internal relaxation before the fast is set to begin. Holding a cup of tea lends itself to contemplation — to make one’s intentions for another fast, and ruminate on the meanings of that day to come. The commitment fasting is greatly eased by reflection on the deeper meaning in one’s actions, so this is actually your last bit of suhoor “food” — food for the soul as the Fajr (dawn prayer) approaches.

Throughout the day

From a dietary standpoint, there is little to comment on the day when you are not eating or drinking. There are a few things to note: first, it is permissible, especially when you first reawaken, to rinse your mouth — simply making sure to spit a few times afterwards to not swallow water. This is a good idea, as salts can build-up in the mouth, and rinsing refreshes the mouth. Mouthwash or brushing your teeth is also fair game.

Second, for those times that extreme hunger (or irritability) hits, focus on relaxing the body, accepting the feelings and thanking your body for it’s notifications system. Approaching these inevitable challenges with a relaxed, calm focus is one way to strengthen the power of mind over matter, and an important and intensely personal part of the fasting process.

Third, if your energy takes a dwindles dramatically, one idea is to go outside — take 15 minutes of fresh air, and even a few minutes of light exercise such as a brisk walk. Smelling freshly cut ginger or other herbs can also increase alertness. Some people find that taking a nap is a good strategy to conserve energy, and many sleep schedules shift during Ramadan. Yet, I would avoid sleeping for huge chunks of time. Personally, I prefer power-naps of about 20 minutes, or one full sleep cycle (around 90 minutes). There are some folks who essentially invert their sleeping schedules to be mostly awake during the time the sun is down (so they can eat) and asleep otherwise — but this strategy defeats the spirit of Ramadan.

Iftaar: Time to break the fast

Ah, break-fast time! Immediately on breaking the fast at sundown, the traditional food of dates is an ideal choice. This is the one time during the day that sugars are encouraged, to jump-start your metabolic process and restore normal energy production. Getting your sugars from fruits such as dates, oranges, apples, bananas, strawberries, figs, grapes, watermelon, etc. is the wisest choice, for their vitamins, minerals, and non-refined sugar content.

Make sure to hydrate often throughout the post-iftaar evening — drink plenty of water! (Source: Greg Riegler)

What is most regularly overlooked is how much water one should be consuming immediately on breaking the fast — quite often what is mistaken strictly as hunger in the brain, is actually overpowering an acute sense of thirst. Similar to suhoor I would recommend drinking 3-4 large glasses of water as soon after breaking the fast as possible. Replenishing your body’s hydration has a rapid effect on your mental clarity, feelings in your joints and muscles, and overall well-being. In combination with a small amount of fruit, this will often quell a ravenous sense of hunger, and you may temporarily not even feel hungry anymore.

The next important piece is not to eat a large iftaar meal immediately. Pray the Maghreb (sunset prayer), and after this prayer, spend the next 15-or-so minutes avoiding the rush to eat all at once — this is an ideal time for further prayer and reflection, and maintaining appetite control. When you decide it is time to eat, enjoy this meal slowly. Consciously aim to walk away from the meal not feeling over-stuffed. That said, this is your main meal after many hours, so do not feel timid to eat your fill, aiming for a good balance of proteins, [non-refined] carbohydrates, and vegetables. Keep drinking water, too, and try to avoid sugary beverages (regular soda, juice). Try to eat less desserts (fruits and yogurts are best in this category), and aim to end the iftaar meal with herbal tea or coffee. Iftaar is also an ideal time to take a multivitamin, which can be important in order to maintain a balance of vitamins and minerals, as there may be less opportunities to obtain the range of these nutrients compared to your average dietary schedule.

Post-iftaar evening until bedtime

There’s something magical about these night hours — the new-found freedom to eat and drink whatever we please! The greatest danger in the post-iftaar evening hours lies in over-snacking and, as a cumulative process, eating too much. Rather than leaving too much of one’s evening eating to spontaneous snacking (although this is part of the joy of Ramadan, I’m not saying to cut it off completely!), one strategy is to plan for one other pre-bedtime meal, in addition to your iftaar break-fast. This could be something simple and uncooked (e.g., a bowl of cereal with a banana and some almonds), but knowing that you have a later wholesome meal planned may psychologically affect the way you eat at iftaar. Plus, your overall digestive health will benefit from spreading your eating out as much as possible within the sun’s constraints.

Make sure to continue hydrating with plenty of water, keeping refined sugar consumption in moderation, and avoid caffeine before bed. You should head to bed feeling satiated but not over-filled; don’t worry, suhoor will be there in a few short hours!

Important note: especially in these longer summer months, if the iftaar meal finishes around 9pm… how late are we talking for this other evening meal? I would leave that decision up to your own schedule (in my own case I would shoot for 11:30pm, let’s say, which does indeed sound late); the larger point is to spread out the times you eat throughout the evening time period. It is healthier and you feel better if you are able to eat meals in two separate sittings, rather than one gigantic iftaar meal when the fast breaks.

Accepting bodily addictions *before* Ramadan 

‘Deprivation headaches’ are a common grievance of fasters, especially in the first few days of Ramadan (Source: Leland Francisco)

Many times I’ve observed that when the day of fasting ends at the sunset (Maghrib) call to prayer, and a room of hungry folks dig into piles of break-fast dates — there is a contingent of Muslims who immediately dash outside to light a cigarette. So deep is the need for nicotine that hunger and thirst are, at least temporarily, overruled. Perhaps the most common complaint heard by Ramadan-observers in the first few days are the deprivation headaches: the struggle of suddenly shocking one’s body that has grown accustomed to nicotine, caffeine, or refined sugars (many processed foods, white bread or crackers, candy/sweets) in regular doses results in a body that fights to get your attention in any way possible, to feed the addiction. Telling the body to wait until sundown often doesn’t stop the pain, which can last several days deep into the Ramadan experience.

Yet, there is at least one effective way to reduce these Ramadan difficulties that are debilitating to carrying on one’s daily life and spiritual reflection: begin weaning one’s self off of these additions in the weeks preceding Ramadan. This is by no means “cheating” and, in fact, any substance on which our bodies have grown overly accustomed or addicted is something that Muslims should be actively trying to limit and abstain from, generally, in the protection and respect of our bodies.

I recommend to begin a few weeks before the projected start of Ramadan — let’s say two weeks — with a dual-pronged approach: both reducing the amount of these substances we consume, and pushing the consumption until later in the day. The intention is to make this a gradual process, rather than a shock to your system. Push your morning coffee until the afternoon, then evening, and reduce overall consumption. Replace one refined sugar/carbohydrate food with something in the complex carbohydrate category (e.g., replace frosted flake with eggs and whole-wheat toast; or replacing regular soda with diet soda or water). Gradually cut down one cigarette less per day, and do it later in the day. An optional idea would also be to push food consumption gradually later, as a way of shifting one’s metabolic schedule to a later time-frame.

By the day before Ramadan, a realistic goal would be a lifestyle shift to less smoking/caffeine/refined sugars, with any consumption of such substances conditioned to happen later in the day. Such a beginning to Ramadan will make the transition to full-fledged fasting (e.g., deprivation headaches) much easier on the body, leaving you to focus energies on growth in faith, community, and thought. And, hopefully, any decrease in usage aided by the month of Ramadan can be an additional jumping-off point to continue working on abandoning those substances to which our bodies can become enslaved.

Concluding thoughts 

Prayers at Sayyida Nafeesa Mosque, Cairo

There you have it, a short sampling of dietary strategies to fasting Ramadan that could benefit overall digestive health, allowing you to better focus on the spiritual aspects of this special month. Feel welcome to take the pieces of this that work for you and change around others, but again the most important principles from a dietary standpoint are to spread out when you eat, limit one’s sugar intake (in favor of a balanced diet of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats), and drink plenty of water. The food you feed your soul must be supreme, and that goes for what’s on the plate as well.

As mentioned before, these are humble ideas borne out of experiences, observations, and conversations, and a starting point for further discussion. Most importantly, the dietary is one small slice of the Ramadan pie; the lion’s share belongs to matters of internal reflection, spiritual growth, and loving connection to our communities and the divine. May we all begin this special Ramadan guided by our best intentions and God’s limitless mercy, ameen.

Other advice not mentioned above? Favorite foods, dietary plans, or other ideas? Disagreement with something? Please share by posting a comment below!

As I mentioned in my last post, the two choices in the run-off Egyptian presidential election (Ahmed Shafiq v. Mohamed Morsi), did not represent the two poles of Egyptian political thought, but rather, a narrow slice of the intricate and nuanced spectrum that we see in the current Egyptian political conversation. Juan Cole took this idea a step further and made a “political shorthand” “ballpark” estimate of the citizenry’s five major ideological groupings from the current political climate, which I very much appreciate and find insightful (from Cole’s article, Mursi and the Brotherhood in a Pluralist Egypt):

1. The Labor Left, led by Hamdeen Sabahi (20.17%)
2. Classic liberals, led by Amr Moussa (11.13%)
3. Authoritarian secularists,led by Ahmad Shafiq (23.66%)
4. Muslim liberals, led by Abdul Moneim Abou’l-Futouh (17.47%)
5. Muslim fundamentalist, led by Muhammad Mursi (24.78%)

Egyptian Political Landscape Poll (via Juan Cole, Informed Consent)

He makes interesting observations that, if parliamentary elections do indeed happen later this year, the composition of Egypt’s parliament will likely look a lot different than the first-time around in November 2011 — when Islamist parties did so well, as Cole hypothesizes, as people were voting for the strongest, united from against ex-regime forces — and may look closer to something like the graph above. To note, I would not call Morsi’s grouping ‘fundamentalists’ — on one hand, the term is so loaded, but also I believe there is a more accurate split within this category, united in varying degrees in their stances on the worthwhile debate about the relationship of religion and state and legislating morality. Although, if you call the current ideological majority of America’s Republican party ‘fundamentalists,’ the Freedom and Justice Party could be seen as similar to them in parallel ways of approaching those questions.

Still, one of the largest insights from living in Egypt during early 2012 through the first round of the presidential election was how diverse the political conversation in Egypt is, with many nuanced stances and people falling into a huge range of categories on various issues, not simply one group supporting all “conservative” issues and another opposing group for all “liberal” ones. Rather, the very definitions and conflation of these ideological terms has been quite varied — Cole puts it well; “Egypt’s political geography has been revealed by this year’s elections to be diverse. It isn’t just puritans versus belly dancers.”

Morsi ‘ala Korsi; in other words, Morsi is on the [presidential] chair. In Egypt, another chapter in the transition-to-democracy drama has ended with the victory of Mohamed Morsi, of the Freedom and Justice Party (the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood), as president of the second Egyptian republic. Symbolically and in terms of several critical factors, this is a victory of people-power and a revolutionary process unimaginable 1.5 years ago. Morsi (perhaps best seen as a figurehead for the Muslim Brotherhood political organization) received a democratic mandate of Egyptians, who have rejected the alternate candidate, Ahmed Shafiq, another figurehead as enmeshed with former leader Mubarak’s tyrannical, oppressive regime as they come. Shafiq pledged to use brute violence to kill protesters disrupting public life, and just all-around a creepy, evil guy — he reminded me, in looks and demeanor, of the Emperor in Star Wars.

Troubling, though, are several things. First off, the ‘caretaker’ military council (SCAF) and a shadowy judiciary have strong-armed several frightening moves in the past few weeks, leaving Egypt with an elected parliament that has been unilaterally dissolved, no lasting constitution to stipulate the permanent powers of the president, and a still highly-corrupt, inefficient, and patronage-heavy political landscape for President Mosri:

It is still unclear what powers he [President Morsi] will have, whether he will be operating under SCAF’s June 17 Suplemental Constitutional Declaration or whether he will force SCAF to cancel it, whether he will be working with an elected parliament or SCAF-as-parliament according to the June 14 Supreme Constitutional Court verdict, whether the party and movement he is a member of (the Freedom and Justice Party and the Muslim Brotherhood, respectively, although he may officially quit both) will also be ruled illegal next September, and of course whether his presidency will last the four years stipulated in Egypt’s original Constitutional Declaration or only six months or so as the Suplementary Constitutional Declaration appears to indicate, since it calls for new general elections. (Source: The Arabist)

About a month ago, a greater diversity of candidates (including my preferred candidate, Aboul Fotouh) were narrowed to these two choices, which represent not the two poles of Egyptian political though, but rather, a narrow slice of the intricate and nuanced spectrum that we see in the current Egyptian political conversation. In the month before the run-off election, extreme polarization of the population proceeded, resulting in a scarily-close election, 51.7% of the vote against 48.3%. This contest should have been a home-run; it was against a candidate in Shafiq that was so obviously felool (ex-regime) that even unlikely voter profiles (e.g. the April 6th Youth Movement) rallied behind Morsi — less for his personal appeal (Morsi is as boring and un-charismatic as they come) and more to oppose Shafiq.

Yet such a close result, corruption percentage-points aside, means something very wrong happened with the way in which Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have sold their vision of the ways to improve and unify the country. I remain skeptical that Morsi could have won against any other major candidate, and I’m very upset to see such a close election; I hope that such polarization does not hamstring the great work that lies ahead. (To note, a parliamentary system may serve Egypt better given the multitude of political spectra that criss-cross issues, and the stark differences between Egypt’s regions, and this is something the Freedom and Justice Party support, at least rhetorically.)

Mohammed Morsi (Source – Fredrik Persson, AP via the Guardian UK)

Still, for today Egypt celebrates and there is much to celebrate for — or, at least, there has been a deep feeling of needing something to celebrate. It is a cathartic Sunday. So for everyone, “Morsi ‘ala Korsi.” The most heartening thing to note is that sit-ins in Tahrir Square and citizen engagement throughout the country have pledged to remain steadfast in continuing their important work, unchanged by today’s news. They teach us all that voting is just one piece of an engaged citizenry, and a piece that is often over-rated relative to the organizing required at 99% of the other days of the year. I believe that a committed core of citizens in Egypt will continue the slow, un-thanked, exhaustive work of pushing the country to have stronger, more just governance and institutions. I hope that their work can be enough, and that there are enough people that refuse to ‘settle’ and will continue this transformative process.

As one piece of that next step, here’s a neat new website that aims to track the pledges Morsi has made during his campaign (65 of them, currently) and how he does on fulfilling said pledges: http://www.morsimeter.com/. The next piece to watch closely will be the military leadership and their actions to preserve power and influence; there is a lot more drama left on the road ahead.

After living in Egypt since September 2011, I’ve now been back in America for four days. My first evening was in New York City, and since then, I’ve been back home in New Hampshire. Many things have struck me, and in no particular order or exhaustive listing:

• Trees. So many trees! The greenery and colors are fantastic, and the sheer amount of green space and vegetation is stunning upon re-entry. America really is a bountiful land (millennia of active stewardship by native peoples may play a significant role in this reality).
• The Internet is so fast! Even the year prior, living on a university campus in Northern Ireland, I rarely attained even a quarter of the reliable speed of the Internet back home. This has an appreciable effect on my own productivity — and scares me when I read about ideas floating around internet service providers about increasing rate caps on Internet usage and access.
• It is a wonderful thing to be able to completely communicate in your own language, including a mastery of embedded meanings and nuances. There are too many instances (most of them ‘invisible’ and hard to even explain) that just feel so good to be able to communicate at a higher level with your fellow human beings. My first day, I couldn’t believe how cheerful it can be — if you proceed with cheer in your own demeanor — to interact with people in public.
• As a converse, I find myself sometimes strangely nervous during some interactions (e.g., trying to return an item at a store, and with a waiter), and my quick thought on this is, perhaps knowing the ‘proper’/'correct’ way to act during certain circuimstances adds a certain normative burden on the entirety of that interaction. E.g., if I don’t answer the waiter’s query within a particular timeframe, I know they will assume something, so I try to prevent that from happening because its not what I want to convey, and so on. Sometimes ignorance to these particularities — or doing a better job ignoring their own creation in my mind — would be of great benefit.
• American media is staggeringly poor, particularly in what stories ‘it’ chooses to focus on. There has got to be a revolution in how we understand events around our communities and the world sometime soon.
• More coming soon…

All in all, its so wonderful to be back home. After living abroad for two years, I am thrilled for the chance to be back in my own country / community and to be able to live, work, and grow amidst the lessons here.

Its overly simplistic, biased, poorly edited, does not speak for everyone or contain all viewpoints, and gets a few facts wrong — BUT despite all those negatives, the article elucidates some insights, sharing several commonly-made arguments for and against voting for certain candidates in the upcoming Egyptian presidential elections. Worth a look.

US Population on Food Stamps: Percentage and Total (via Sudden Debt / USDA data).