Yesterday I attended an event where a lady named Karimah was one of the speakers. I’ve never heard of her until last night but the talk she gave was very inspirational. She spoke about the importance of nutrition, especially during Ramadan. Her philosophy is healthy eating and as a (generally) healthy eater myself it got me thinking, for Ramadan we prepare mentally, but are we physically prepared?
The hours for fasting this year will be longer so we need to start thinking about the foods we eat. Will they give us energy throughout our fast or just for a few hours? Are we getting enough vitamins and minerals from our food? If the answer is no then I think you need to put down the pakora and pick up a pear.
Karimah suggested muesli to eat at zahoor time as it will provide all the energy to keep you going for the day. My husband is a fan of muesli for his breakfast so I have taken a leaf out of his book and will be having this for zahoor, along with fruit. I’m hoping to carry this on even after Ramadan. Karimah advised against going for cheap quality food and instead invest in good quality, which will be of benefit to our body. I have to agree with her as cheap is not always cheerful- if you spend a little more you will reap the benefits.
You can find muesli from most supermarkets or I believe you can make your own? Make it fun and delicious by adding blueberries/strawberries with milk of course.
During the talk we were given a drink Karimah made which contained ginger (and I think honey?) with other ingredients but I forgot what they were, sorry! The ginger in the drink gives you an energy boost and is a great alternative to carbonated, sugary drinks. I’m not a huge fan of ginger, although I will add some to hot water if I’m feeling poorly. But I have to say the drink wasn’t that bad!
So I've devised a menu for the next few weeks. This will help me to prepare a meal every day. If like me you don’t want to spend a long time cooking during Ramadan then follow these tips:
1) Prepare your food a few days beforehand or even the day before
2) Planning is key, so write down a menu a week ahead. I can guarantee you will thank me for this ;-)
3) Food can also be frozen and taken out when needed
4) You don’t have to prepare everything from scratch. I love Asda for the simple fact that my local one sells halal meat, some which has been pre-garnished! I like to buy peri peri chicken and masala chops from there so all I have to do is add to the grill, cook and just prepare my sides (yummy veg and potatoes) How easy is that?! The biggest advantage is that I don’t have to taste it beforehand, which is great when I’m fasting. Asda also have pre-made lamb or chicken kebab mixture which I like to make koftas or burgers from. Again no tasting before hand involved, I simply shape into balls or burgers and cook! I can also freeze to cook for another time. Time taken to prepare: less than 5 minutes!! You can also go to your local halal butcher and ask them to add garlic, ginger, chilli, etc to the meat (tell them you want it for kebab mixture) and they should prepare it for you. Again minimum preparation. Is this lazy? No it’s smart.
Do's
1) Do eat plenty of fruit-in fruit salads, smoothies, cocktails
2) Do break your fast with water and dates only-no fizzy drinks!
3) Replenish your body with foods that contain water-i.e melon, soup, cucumber, etc
4) Have a salad with every meal
Dont’s
1) Don’t consume too much fried food, concentrate on foods which will give you energy
2) Don’t over eat, and eat slowly to give time for the food to digest
You can find out more about Karimah from her facebook page and she has a cooking book which you can find more about on her blog
I have made a few cooking videos on my YouTube channel so please do check them out here
I Hope these tips have helped. If you have any others please let me know :)
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