Health Care & Technology

Diet In Ramadan

2011-09-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

Diet during Ramadan
By: Mohammad Zafar A. Nomani, PhD, RD
Professor of Nutrition, West Virginia University
It is a globally recognized and foremost part of dietary guidelines that eating a variety of food using principles of moderation and balance is vital. This is particularly true during the Islamic month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. To be healthy, one must consume food from the major food groups: bread and cereal, milk and dairy product, meat and bean, vegetable and fruit. During the month long fast of Ramadan the metabolic rate of a fasting person slows down and other regulatory mechanisms start functioning. Body and dietary fat is efficiently utilized. Consuming total food intake that is less than the total food intake during normal days is sufficient to maintain a person's health. Intake of fruits after a meal is strongly suggested but this does not straightaway after it. In fact, it should be taken at least half an hour after each meal. A balanced diet improves blood cholesterol profile, reduces gastric acidity, prevents constipation and other digestive problems, and contributes to an active and healthy life style.
INTRODUCTION
Fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan can be good for one's health and personal development. Ramadan fasting is not just about disciplining the body to restrain from eating food and drinking water from predawn until sunset. The eyes, the ears, the tongue, and even the private parts are equally obligated to be restrained if a Muslim wants to gain the total rewards of fasting. Ramadan is also about restraining anger, doing good deeds, exercising personal discipline, and preparing oneself to serve as a good Muslim and a good person during and after Ramadan. This is why the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has been attributed, by Hazrat Abu Hurairah in hadith, to say: "He who does not desist from obscene language and acting obscenely (during the period of fasting), Allah has no need that he didn't eat or drink." (Bukhari, Muslim). In another hadith by Hazrat Abu Harairah, the Prophet (Pbuh) said: "Fasting is not only from food and drink, fasting is to refrain from obscene (acts). If someone verbally abuses you or acts ignorantly toward you, say (to them) 'I am fasting; I am fasting." (Ibn Khuzaoinah). Restraint from food, water, and undesirable behaviour makes a person more mentally disciplined and less prone to unhealthy behaviour. In an investigation in Jordan (1), a significant reduction of parasuicidal cases was noted during the month of Ramadan. In the United Kingdom, the Ramadan model has been used by various health departments and organizations to reduce cigarette smoking among the masses, especially among Africans and Asians (2). Ramadan fasting has spiritual, physical, psychological, and social benefits; however, man-made problems may occur, if fasting is not properly practiced. First of all, there is no need to consume excess food at iftar (the food eaten immediately after sunset to break fast), dinner or sahur (the light meal generally eaten about half an hour to one hour before dawn). The body has regulatory mechanisms that activate during fasting. There is efficient utilization of body fat, El Ati et al. (3) . Basal metabolism slows down during Ramadan fasting, Husain et al. (4). A diet that is less than a normal amount of food intake but balanced is sufficient enough to keep a person healthy and active during the month of Ramadan. Health problems can emerge as a result of excessive food intake, or taking food that make the diet imbalanced, and insufficient sleep (5, 6). Ultimately also, such a lifestyle contradicts the essential requirements and spirit of Ramadan.
DIET DURING RAMADAN
According to Sunna (the practices of Prophet Muhammad, Pbuh) and research findings referred in this report, a dietary plan is given:

Bread/Cereal/Rice, Pasta, Biscuits and Cracker Group: 6-11 servings/day;
Meat/Beans/ Nut Group: 2-3 servings/day.
Milk and Milk Product Group: 2-3 servings/day.
Vegetable Group: 3-5 servings/day;
Fruit Group: 2-4 servings/day.
Added sugar (table sugar, sucrose): sparingly.
Added fat, polyunsaturated oil 4-7 table spoons.

Breakfast, iftar:

Dates, three
Juice, 1 serving (4 oz.)
Vegetable soup with some pasta or graham crackers, 1 cup

The body's immediate need at the time of iftar is to get an easily available energy source in the form of glucose for every living cell, particularly the brain and nerve cells. Dates and juices are good sources of sugars. Dates and juice in the above quantity are sufficient to bring low blood glucose levels to normal levels. Juice and soup help maintain water and mineral balance in the body. An unbalanced diet and too many servings of sherbets and sweets with added sugar have been found to be unhealthy, Gumma et al.
Dinner:

Consume foods from all the following food groups:
Meat/Bean Group: Chicken, beef, lamb, goat, fish, 1-2 servings (serving size = a slice =1 oz); green pea, chickpea (garbanzo, chana, humus), green gram, black gram, lentil, lima bean and other beans, 1 serving (half cup). Meat and beans are a good source of protein, minerals, and certain vitamins. Beans are a good source of dietary fiber, as well.
Bread/Cereal Group:
Whole wheat bread, 2 servings (serving size = 1 oz) or cooked rice, one cup or combination. This group is a good source of complex carbohydrates, which are a good source of energy and provide some protein, minerals, and dietary fiber.
Milk Group:
milk or butter-milk (lassi without sugar), yogurt or cottage cheese (one cup). Those who can not tolerate whole milk must try fermented products such as butter-milk and yogurt. Milk and dairy products are good sources of protein and calcium, which are essential for body tissue maintenance and several physiological functions.
Vegetable Group:
Mixed vegetable salad, 1 serving (one cup), (lettuce, carrot, parsley, cucumber, broccoli, coriander leaves, cauliflower or other vegetables as desired.) Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil or any polyunsaturated oil and 2 spoons of vinegar. Polyunsaturated fat provides the body with essential fatty acids and keto acids. Cooked vegetables such as guar beans, French beans, okra (bhindi), eggplant (baigan), bottle gourd (loki), cabbage, spinach, 1 serving (4 oz). Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, carotene, lycopenes, and other phytochemicals, which are antioxidants.These are helpful in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and many other health problems.
Fruits Group:
1-2 servings of citrus and/or other fruits. Eat fruits as the last item of the dinner or soon after dinner, to facilitate digestion and prevent many gastrointestinal problems. Citrus fruits provide vitamin C. Fruits are a good source of dietary fiber.
Fruits and mixed nuts may be eaten as a snack after dinner or tarawiaha or before sleep.
pre-dawn meal (sahur):
Consume a light sahur. Eat whole wheat or oat cereal or whole wheat bread, 1-2 serving with a cup of milk. Add 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil or any other monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats in a salad or the cereal. Eat 1-2 servings of fruits, as a last item.

DISCUSSION
Blood cholesterol and uric acid levels are sometimes elevated during the month of Ramadan (8). Contrary to popular thinking, it was found that intake of a moderately high-fat diet, around 36% of the total energy (calories), improved blood cholesterol profile, Nomani, et al. (9) and Nomani (10). It also prevents the elevation of blood uric acid level (8-10). The normal recommended guideline for fat is 30% or less energy. On weight basis, suggested fat intake during Ramadan is almost the same as at normal days. Fat is required for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and carotenoids. Essential fatty acids are an important component of the cell membrane. They also are required for the synthesis of the hormone prostaglandin. Keto-acids from fat are especially beneficial during Ramadan to meet the energy requirement of brain and nerve cells. Keto-acids also are useful in the synthesis of glucose through the metabolic pathway of gluconeogenesis. This reduces the breakdown of body proteins for glucose synthesis. Therefore, the energy equivalent of 1-2 bread/cereal servings may be replaced with polyunsaturated fat. During Ramadan increased gastric acidity is often noticed, Iraki, et al. (5), exhibiting itself with symptoms such as a burning feeling in the stomach, a heaviness in the stomach, and a sour mouth. Whole wheat bread, vegetables, humus, beans, and fruits -- excellent sources of dietary fiber -- trigger muscular action, churning and mixing food, breaking food into small particles, binding bile acids, opening the area between the stomach and the deudenum-jejunum and moving digesta in the small intestine, Kay (11). Thus, dietary fiber helps reduce gastric acidity and excess bile acids, Rydning et al. (12). In view of dietary fiber's role in moving digesta, it prevents constipation. It's strongly suggested that peptic ulcer patients avoid spicy foods and consult a doctor for appropriate medicine and diet. Diabetic subjects, particularly severe type I (insulin dependent) or type II (non-insulin dependent), must consult their doctor for the type and dosage of medicine, and diet and precautions to be taken during the month. Generally diabetes mellitus, type II, is manageable through proper diet during Ramadan, Azizi and Siahkolah (13). Pregnant and lactating women's needs for energy and nutrients are more critical than the needs of men (14). There is a possibility of health complications to the pregnant woman and the fetus or the lactating mother and the breastfed child, if energy and nutrient requirements are not met during the month of Ramadan (15-19). Governments, communities, and heads of the family must give highest priority to meet women's dietary needs. In African countries, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and many other places malnutrition is a major problem, especially among women from low-income groups. Further more, it is common among these women to perform strenuous work on farms or in factories, and other places. Malnutrition and strenuous conditions may lead to medical problems and danger to life. Under these conditions one must consult a medical doctor for treatment and maulana or shiekh for postponement or other suggestions regarding fasting. Quran Al-Hakeem and Hadith allow pregnant women and lactating mothers flexibility during the month of Ramadan. For practical purposes and estimation of nutrients a diet was formulated, given below:
Iftar:
3 dates, 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of vegetable soup, 2 plain graham crackers; Dinner:
1 cup of vegetable salad with two teaspoons of corn oil and two teaspoon of vinegar, 2 oz. of chicken, 1/2 cup of okra, 4 oz. of cooked whole chana (garbanzo), 3 tea spoon of oil while cooking main dishes, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 1 cup of cooked rice, 3/4 cup of plain yogurt, one orange, 1/2 cup grapes, 1 oz of nuts-mixed roasted-without salt; Sahur:
2 slices of whole wheat bread, 1 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of vegetable salad with two teaspoons of corn oil and two teaspoons of vinegar, 1 skinned apple, 2 teaspoons of sugar with tea or coffee. Nutritionist IV (20) was used to estimate energy and nutrient content in the above diet, which was as follows: energy, 2136 kilocalories; protein, 70g; carbohydrate , 286g; fat, 87g, 35 % of energy of the total intake, (saturated fat 16.9g; mono saturated, 28.4g; poly unsaturated, 34g; other 7.3g; - oleic, 25.6g; linoleic, 29.5; linolenic, 0.6g; EPA-Omega-3, 0.006g; DHA-omega-3, 0.023g; dietary fiber 34g; calcium, 1013mg; sodium, 3252 mg; potassium, 2963mg; iron 13.3mg; zinc, 10mg. When the nutrients were compared with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), for an adult non-pregnant and non-lactating female (14), the diet met 100% or more of the RDA for protein, calcium, sodium, potassium, and vitamin A, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folate, and C. The energy was close to the RDA, (97%). The dietary fiber level also was met as per the recommendation (11). Consuming food in the above amount by pregnant or lactating female may not meet the RDA for all of the nutrients. They may need supplementation of some minerals and vitamins such as, iron vitamin D, and more energy through bread or rice.
Further suggestions:
Drink sufficient water between Iftar and sleep to avoid dehydration. Consume sufficient vegetables at meal s. Eat fruits at the end of the meal but remember to wait for a while before so as not disturb the food processing in your stomach i.e. fermentation, bloating etc.. Avoid intake of high sugar (table sugar, sucrose) foods through sweets or other forms. Avoid spicy foods. Avoid caffeine drinks such as coke, coffee or tea. Caffeine is a diuretic. Three days to five days before Ramadan gradually reduce the intake of these drinks. A sudden decrease in caffeine prompts headaches, mood swings and irritability. Smoking is a health risk factor. Avoid smoking cigarettes. If you cannot give up smoking, cut down gradually starting a few weeks before Ramadan. Smoking negatively affects utilization of various vitamins, metabolites and enzyme systems in the body. Do not forget to brush or Miswak (tender neem tree branch, Azhardicta indica or other appropriate plant in a country, about 1/4-1/2 inch diameter and 6-8 inches length, tip partially chewed and made brush like). Brush your teeth before sleep and after sahur. Brush more than two times or as many times as practical. Normal or overweight people should not gain weight. For overweight people Ramadan is an excellent opportunity to lose weight. Underweight or marginally normal weight people are discouraged from losing weight. Analyzing a diet's energy and nutritional component, using food composition tables or computer software, will be useful in planning an appropriate diet. It is recommended that everyone engage in some kind of light exercise, such as stretching or walking. It's important to follow good time management practices for Ibada (prayer and other religious activities), sleep, studies, job, and physical activities or exercise. In summary, intake of a balanced diet is critical to maintain good health, sustain an active lifestyle and attain the full benefits of Ramadan.

Diet In Islam

2011-09-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

DIET IN ISLAM
All of the Koran's 114 chapters except one begins with the phrase

"Allah is merciful and compassionate."

A Muslim is expected to recognize the brotherhood of man and should treat a non-Muslim as a brother. Showing compassion and charity, Muslims believe, in doing service to God. Therefore, it is written in the Koran

"No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. God will not be affectionate to that man who is not affectionate to God's creatures. Assist any person oppressed whether he is Muslim or non-Muslim."

Mohammed repeatedly forbade cruelty to animals, saying in the Hadith popular tradition, "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God is kind to himself." Similarly, Mohmammed taught

"A good deed done to a beast is as good as doing good to a human being;

while an act of cruelty to a beast is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human being.

" The Koran (6:38) explains that such benevolence flows directly from God:

"There is not an animal on Earth, nor a bird that flies on it's wings, but they are communities like you."

The Koran does permit meat-eating, but it also encourages healthful food (which, many Muslims conclude, does not include animal products). Given these traditions, many Shi'ite Muslims and the Islamic mystics, such as the Sufis, see vegetarianism as the Islamic ideal and choose this diet. Islam teaches non-violence, except in extreme conditions in which God calls upon Muslims to fight in God's name -- Jihad. However, since militant groups receive most media attention, many people misunderstand Mohammad's largely pacifist message.

2011-09-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

Medical Ethics in Islam
In our lives, we often face difficult decisions. Sometimes these decisions are a matter of life and death. Should I donate a kidney so that another may live? Should I turn off life support for my brain-dead child? Should I mercifully end the suffering of my terminally ill, elderly mother? If I am pregnant with quintuplets, should I abort one or more so that the others have a better chance of surviving? If I face infertility, how far should I go in treatment so that I might, Allah-willing, have a child? As medical treatment continues to expand and advance, more ethical questions come up. For guidance on such matters, Muslims turn first to the Qur'an. Allah gives us general guidelines to follow, that are constant and timeless.
The Saving of Life

"...We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people. And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people..." (Qur'an 5:32)

Life and Death is in Allah's Hands

"Blessed be He in whose hands is the Dominion, and he has Power over all things. He who created death and life that He may test which of you are best in deed, and He is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving." (Quran 67: 1-2) "No soul can die except by Allah's permission." (Quran 3:185)

Human Beings Should Not "Play God"

"Does not man see that it is We who created him from sperm. Yet behold! He stands as an open adversary! And he makes comparisons for Us, and forgets his own creation. He says who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones? Say, 'He will give them life who created them for the first time, for He is versed in every kind of creation.'" (Quran 36: 77-79)

Abortion

"Kill not your children on a plea of want. We will provide sustenance for you and for them. Come not near shameful deeds whether open or secret. Take not life which God has made sacred except by way of justice and law. Thus He commands you that you may learn wisdom." (6:151) "Kill not your children for fear of want. We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin." (17:31)

Careful To Chose Zabiha & Non Zabiha

2011-09-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Careful To Chose Zabiha(halal)&Non Zabiha(Haraam)

You Can Be Sure There's No Pork(Khanzeer) In It
In the last few years, revelations of pork being mixed with meat have surfaced. According to Ahmad Sakr, Professor Emeritus of Food Science and author of “A Muslim Guide to Food Ingredients”, a group of prisoners in San Francisco sued the food industry after discovering this happened to the meat which they were being served. This type of an incident ensures NO Muslim can consume such beef or chicken, for example, which has been mixed with pork, as the consumption of pork is Haram. A more recent and widespread example of this is found in an NBC Dateline consumer investigation report that aired last month. Although in the United States it is illegal to sell “mixed meats” as pure ground beef, the report found it still takes place. This mixing is called adulteration and it is considered a health hazard. Adulteration happens when lamb, poultry, and of special attention to Muslims, pork, are added to and sold as pure ground beef. NBC Dateline went to small supermarkets, large chains and discount stores all over the U.S. that sell food. In each of the ten cities sampled NBC Dateline found supermarkets that failed the ground beef test. Read the whole report at NBC Dateline
Support Muslim Business
Buying Zabiha meat is an almost sure way to support a Muslim business. This way, you’re not only getting your next meal (or meals) by buying straight from a Halal grocery store, but you’re also helping another Muslim gain a livelihood. You’re giving back to the community more than you could if you bought your meat at the nearest supermarket. Today, there are Halal grocery stores in virtually every major city in North America. These were, in most cases, the second type of “institution” established by Muslims on this continent after the mosque. After all, following our need to worship in the house of Allah and gather together in an Islamic atmosphere, what could be as important as eating in accordance with Islamic guidelines, not to mention buying the necessary spices to make Muslim meals from the Middle East and Indian subcontinent? We should be giving them precedence, even if it means driving a little farther out of town, or paying an extra dollar or two for items.
Are You Sure It's From The People Of The Book?
And the clincher is this: in today’s farms and slaughterhouses, what guarantee does anyone have that the meat they are eating has been slaughtered by a Jew or a Christian? There is not, to my knowledge, anything in any existing labor code in Canada or the U.S. which allows only Jews and Christians to slaughter meat in “regular” farms and slaughterhouses. That means, it could be ANYONE-Hindu, Sikh, atheist, agnostic, etc. cutting the meat you decide to eat. So the people whose meat we think we are eating (the Jews and Christians) may not even be directly involved in the slaughter of the meat.
Zabiha Is Agreed Upon
While there are a few scholars who reluctantly allow some type of supermarket meat, all Islamic scholors agree that Zabiha must be preferred and is clear of all doubts.

What is Health

2011-09-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

What Is Health

"Everything good that happens to you (O Man) is from God, everything bad that happens to you is from your own actions". (Quran 4:79).

The Quran is not a book of medicine or of health sciences,but in it there are hints which leads to guidelines in health and diseases. Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him) has been sent as an example to mankind so his traditions in matters of health and personal hygiene are also a guide for his followers. Being healthy is vital in that it enables us to undergo our daily life with ease but also to carry out our responsibility as a khalifah of Allah. Surely a happy and healthy muslim can do a much better job compared to that done by a sickly one! Hence, being healthy is not only beneficial to our ownselves but also to others as well.

Health is something of an enigma. Like the proverbial elephant, it is difficult

to define but easy to spot when we see it. ‘You look well’ stands

as a common greeting to a friend or a relative who appears relaxed,

happy and buoyant – ‘feeling good’. Any reflection on the term, however,

immediately reveals its complexity. The idea of health is capable of wide

and narrow application, and can be negatively as well as positively

defined. We can be in good health and poor health. Moreover, health is

not just a feature of our daily life, it also appears frequently on the political

landscape.

Health scares such as BSE/CJD, SARS and even the

prospect of bio-terrorism have all exercised politicians and their medical

advisers in recent times, and have all provided a steady stream of media

stories.

Health risks seem to proliferate, even if, for most of us most of

the time, these are less than urgent concerns.

In all such instances, and in our more mundane experience, health is

also related to other complex ideas such as illness and disease. This constellation

of terms: health, disease and illness, and the experiences and

forms of knowledge to which they relate, are the subjects of this opening

chapter. In order to structure the discussion, the chapter is organized

round four themes:

• The medical model of health and illness

• Lay concepts of health

• Health as attribute and health as relation

• Health and illness – physical and mental

These themes comprise substantive topics in their own right, but the discussion

of them will also act as a lead into the subsequent chapters of

the book. Many of the wider dimensions of health and illness – including

their cultural and political features – will figure throughout the book.

Examples of the most recent controversies in health are dealt with particularly

in the latter stages. In this opening chapter, however, we need

to begin with the basics and establish a conceptual map of the field.