“O children of Adam, adornment [i.e. wear your clothing] at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.” Al-A’raaf-31.

God is great when he commanded us not to be extravagant. This habit is always associated with undesirable consequences. For this Quranic advice in our lives in general, we will talk in this article about one aspect of extravagance, which is fatty and heavy suhur.

In the beginning, we should know that many people who are used to eating large amounts of food in Suhur may not do so out of extravagance in the first place. Often this behavior is motivated by a desire to avoid hunger during fasting the following day, and to provide energy to help him perform his duties. In fact, eating a heavy meal during Suhoor will not help during the next day's fasting as some people think, but on the contrary, may cause complications and problems that bother the fasting person throughout the day. Now we will list the bad effects of the heavy suhoor meal on the body and the healthy alternatives we can take on suhoor.

 

Acidity:

Eating large amounts of food before sleeping causes increased gastric acid secretion in the stomach, and while sleeping and lying on the back immediately after eating, the incidence of acid reflux is increased, which can cause an unpleasant feeling of acidity during sleep and during the long day after waking .

 

Sleep problems:

Eating a large amount of food before bedtime increases the metabolic rate in the body and energy production, which increases the state of alertness. In addition, lying down to sleep with a stomach full of food, may not be comfortable and suitable for sleeping anyway, and these problems result in the inability to sleep comfortably and quietly long enough, making the next morning full of laziness and tension.

 

Thirst:

Eating large amounts of foods with high salt content causes water to be withdrawn from the cells and a strong feeling of thirst may extend throughout the fasting period the following day.

 

Feeling bloating:

The heavy suhoor causes bloating and indigestion due to eating fried food in suhur. It may cause slow digestion, causing an annoying feeling of bloating for a long time during fasting the next day.

 

Food that should be avoided in suhur for healthy fasting are processed foods, white bread, waffles, pastries and desserts, fried foods, salty foods.

When we think about healthy alternatives to be taken at Suhoor meal, we mainly target two problems that the fasting person encounters during the month of Ramadan. The first is the problem of obtaining energy that helps working during fasting. And the second is the problem of maintaining sufficient fluid in the body.

There are many healthy foods that can be taken on suhoor and give people an appropriate amount of energy during the fasting period. These alternatives do not depend on large quantities to supply the body with energy, and the idea is that fibers and carbohydrates have slow absorption rates leading to slow rates of energy supply. These include: oats, wheat, lentils, barley, potatoes, vegetables and most types of fruits.

The most important tips of Suhoor that help to support the body with liquids are as follows:

- Avoid salted foods and foods with high sugar contents.

- Drink sufficient amounts of water before fasting during the hours after breakfast upto Suhur.

- Add some vegetables to the suhur meal that will supply the body with liquids such as cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes.

For children who fast, they can eat eggs, bread, dates or a teaspoon of honey with a glass of milk. These foods contain vitamin B, calcium, protein and carbohydrates, as they help to stimulate digestion and provide the children with energy. Thus, the greatness of the divine advice is revealed, "Do not be extravagant gan" and we pray to God to protect us from being extravagant, to grant us the grace of health and reason, and to accept from us and you the benefit of deeds in the holy month of Ramadan.