Iftar and Suhoor Suggestions for Those with Reflux

During iftar and sahur in Ramadan, stomach disorders may occur as a result of overloading and wrong nutrition. As a result of the rapid consumption of large amounts of indigestible foods following prolonged hunger, gastric emptying time is prolonged and the amount of acid produced by the stomach for digestion increases.

Those who spend the day in an intense working tempo and fasting and who are malnourished in this way, the need for sleep after meals is inevitable and they feel the need to lie down and do not eat. As a result of all these, it is inevitable that reflux will occur or the existing disease will exacerbate! Liv Hospital Gastroenterology Specialist Prof. Dr. Binnur Şimşek made suggestions to reflux patients.

It should not be fed much more than the daily calorie requirement. Additional meals should be taken between iftar and sahur, and overeating in a single meal should be avoided.

Iftar should be opened with liquid foods such as water or soup. After finishing them, you should wait 15-20 minutes and switch to other foods.

Meals should be chewed well and avoided fast food. Chewing helps to secrete saliva and mucus, and protects the covering of the esophagus and stomach against stomach acid.

You should not go to bed immediately after iftar or sahur, and you should wait 2-3 hours.

Foods that increase or facilitate reflux (fatty foods, fried, spicy-spicy food, excessive coffee and brewed tea, carbonated drinks, smoking, alcohol, etc.) should be avoided.

Medications that reduce gastric acid secretion recommended by your doctor for reflux disease should be taken at iftar and sahur.

In order not to gain weight during Ramadan ...

In fasting people, the eating pattern changes completely, and with the decrease in the number and frequency of meals, as soon as our body receives the signal that it is not getting enough energy, it reduces the metabolic rate up to 30-40% in order to save energy. When factors such as excessive and unbalanced nutrition and decreased physical activity are added to this defense mechanism, weight gain occurs in most of the fasting people during the month of Ramadan. Thus, excessive weight gain that occurs in a short time can lead to fat in the liver. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an additional meal between iftar and sahur.