How do I stick to my diet with all the good food and pasar Ramadan everywhere?
I won't have time to go to the gym.
There is no time to workout.
These are just some of the excuses I hear.
So how do we prepare ourselves for the Holy month of Ramadan?
What is one of the things that attract tourists to Malaysia? Yes, food! It's a fact that when Ramadan arrives, you will find some of the most amazing food available. Some you could hardly see on other days. Ramadan in Malaysia is a food festival (And here I thought it was to supposed to be a month of fasting).
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| [A sight at a typical pasar Ramadan.] |
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| [There are so many types of "kuih-muih" available.] |
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| [The questions on most people's mind "What do I want to buy today?"] |
This makes it hard for people who would like to go on a clean diet. Most of us would be thinking, "Heck, why should I give up on these food? They only come by once a year". Then, you spend the rest of the year to burn off what you consumed in that one month.(I learnt the hard way.)
Then there is the workout dilemma. You're fasting the whole day. And you need to go home and break fast with your family, perform Tarawih after Isyaa' and maybe even listen to tazkirah. "That's my whole night gone".
[And how can we forget the "buka puasa" deals and gatherings. All the food and time taken up.]
So whatever reason people give, it all comes down to two things: diet and time. This post is especially for fellow Muslims in Malaysia who may be struggling to figure out how to balance their diet and how to get their workouts done.
The question then should be: How do we keep fit? or how do we use this month to our advantage?
The Damage
To get the whole idea of how much damage we are doing to our body, we have to break things down. Yes, I agree with everyone out there that pasar Ramadan provides some of the tastiest food you can find. But it doesn't matter which one you go to, they will always have 5 things in common: oil, sugar, coconut milk, white rice, flour.
[This is what pasar Ramadan is primarily made up of.]
I won't be explaining about how much damage each of these ingredients can cause to your body. There are plenty of information out there. But if you can find any food stalls during the Holy month that does not have any of these ingredients, do tell me.
Alone, these ingredients can be dangerous if not controlled, but to bring them together is a recipe for disaster. C'est une catastrophe.
Does that mean we should skip pasar Ramadan?
We are not professional athletes. At least I'm not. And we are Malaysians, which means we love our food. So I am not going to tell you to ignore pasar Ramadan. This is our culture after all.
If you try and avoid the 5 ingredients above, good luck. I've tried several times and ended up just walking around at a pasar Ramadan for and hour and going home empty handed (At least I burnt some calories).
What we need to do is to know what we can take. Try to minimize the number of times you actually go to a pasar Ramadan. Trust me it's better to cook at home. Saves you time and money. (You can use those times to workout which I will explain later.) But if you can't, enjoy the bazaar.
Choose food that are the least "dangerous". Avoid deep fried food (you don't know how many times they've used the oil. Recycled cooking oil is harmful to your body). Avoid the drinks stall (Do you see how much sugar they put in your drink? Almost half of the RM1 cup is sugar.) Don't be greedy. Not too much rice and cut down on the "kuih-muih".
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| [After a whole day of fasting, don't we all need some sugar in the body?] |
If you need to go out for "berbuka puasa", choose the food that is less harmful to your body.
We fast for a whole day, so our body needs all the nutrition it can get. From fats to sugar, carbohydrates, fiber, iron, zinc and protein. Our body also needs water. That is why the prophet Rasulullah (pbuh) broke his fast with dates. A ripe date contains 80% sugar. It also has other nutrients like protein, fiber, magnesium and zinc. (That's like eating chicken, vegetables and chocolate ice cream! Just kidding.)
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| [A ripe date contains sugar, protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc.] |
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| [Unfortunately it is hard to find fresh dates in Malaysia, so these would do.] |
Avoid sweetened drinks! The dates are already high in sugar. And they are natural sugar.
Alhamdulillah, I've learnt a thing or two last year while performing umrah during the Holy month. I've seen how the Arabs in the Holy Land break fast. The menu seemed simple but it is just what the body needs: Dates, Arab bread, yogurt with a sprinkle or splash of cinnamon, and some nuts. And of course they drink Zam-Zam.
And there you have it. Complete nutrients. You can't shock you body into eating too much food when breaking fast, so you have have a another meal later after Maghrib. This will make sure you have enough energy for Isyaa' and Tarawih.
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| [Dates, yogurt, bread and nuts] |
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| [They got it right in the Holy Land] |
So what if you had to go for "berbuka puasa" gathering? Simple. Control what you eat. If it's buffet, don't be too greedy. Don't think of it as a waste of money if you didn't eat much. Appreciate the company instead. If it's a la carte, choose something more healthy. It's better to spend and eat less or little, than to spend the next few months on a personal trainer and dietary supplements. Which do you think is cheaper? You do the math.
The Gym Monkey's Diet
After giving it much thought, I have decided how to plan my diet for the month. I would need the energy to last me for the day, so for Sahur it is important for me to get some carbohydrates, protein and fats. My Carbohydrates here will most likely come from dark green vegetables, brown rice or wholemeal bread. These are slow release carbohydrates which are much better for the body. For vegetables I'll stick to mainly broccoli.
My proteins will come from either eggs, fishes or chickens. If it's eggs I'll scramble it. For fish or chicken it's either oven grilled or steamed. The fats of course will come from the cooking. I'll drink green tea and water.
Breaking fast, I'll try to adapt to they way the Arabs do it. The only hard part is the yogurt. I would need a whole month supply of Greek yogurt. Then my main meal would be after Maghrib.
And if you thought that good food can't taste good, look below:
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| Brown rice with grilled chicken |
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| Broccoli juice |
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| Original yogurt |
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| Dates |
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| Grilled tilapia |
For the main meal I'll take in protein source and carbohydrates. They will most likely be the same as Sahur. I would need the energy to perform Tarawih and also workout afterwards. (Yes I'll be working out late. I'll discuss workout in part 3). Once Ramadan starts, I'll be posting up my meals and dishes.
I won't lie, there will be times when I will get myself to a pasar Ramadan or a "jamuan buka puasa" but I'll eat in moderation and I'll check what I eat. Like I said, I am not a professional athlete.
This is a chance to enjoy good food the right way. Eat clean and you are more than halfway through to benefit from the month of Ramadan.
Next, I'll discuss about training and working out during Ramadan.
Next: Return of the Monkey: Preparation for Ramadan (Part 3) - The Training
