📩 05/04/2023 15:51
Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü made recommendations regarding the correct and balanced nutrition of people who fast during Ramadan. Emphasizing the importance of fasting people getting up for sahur, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü drew attention to the necessity of protein intake in sahur. Örkçü, who recommends consuming eggs, cheese, greens and whole grain bread at sahur, warned that if sahur is not taken, the 16-hour fasting period may be prolonged and blood sugar may decrease.
The body's protein, fat and carbohydrate needs should be met
Stating that the body basically works on protein, fat and carbohydrates, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü said, “At this point, a solid protein, fat and carbohydrate source is needed. Foods such as bread and pasta are foods consumed to meet carbohydrate needs. Even choosing a whole grain bread instead of white bread and pita bread in sahur shows that we choose our carbohydrate source as healthy. If there is difficulty in eggs, there must be some kind of cheese in the sahur meal. Olives can be consumed as a source of healthy fat. Eggs should definitely be on the sahur table. Of course, greens and even fruit should not be neglected on the sahur plate. Care should be taken to consume milk and yogurt in the same way. Thus, a healthy sahur meal will be planned. In fact, the breakfast meal must have been carried over to the sahur.” said.
You should definitely have sahur.
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü said that most people wake up hungry in the morning and continued as follows:
“People go to sleep after 3-4 sahur. When they wake up and start the day, they start hungry. In such a case, the stomach empties prematurely. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right foods. When sahur is made with more oily fries, leftovers from the previous day and pasta, the day can be started a little more hungry. People who say, 'I keep before sahur, I can't get up at all,' are also divided into two. Those who succumb to sleep have some difficulty getting up. There are those who are patient until 12-1 am after having their iftar and sleep by eating a small amount, there are also those who get up for the sahur and go to sleep with a glass of water. This prolongs the 16-hour fasting period, and it can even reach 20-24 hours because they are fed with a single meal. During prolonged fasting, blood sugar can drop. Even a normal healthy person may experience discomfort during the day due to excessive blood sugar drops. For this reason, it is absolutely necessary to make sahur.”
Fasting for 16-17 hours can cause hypoglycemia.
Örkçü, who stated that while an individual without health problems secretes insulin normally, insulin is not secreted enough or on the contrary, it is secreted too much. Hypoglycemia attacks can cause tremors and cases that require going to the emergency room. On the contrary, with the increase in insulin after iftar, people can have sudden increases in sugar. Diabetes patients need to know what type they are, as they cause disruption of the systems in the body. It would be beneficial for them to consult their physicians on the correctness of their keeping. Fasting does not seem healthy for those who take 16 doses of insulin a day.
Those with kidney failure should consult a doctor
Emphasizing that individuals with kidney failure should definitely consult a physician in the relevant field, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Özden Örkçü said, “This can be a problem due to the filtration of this fluid and minerals and vitamins absorbed from the kidneys. The body can become too dehydrated. In such a case, it would not be right for kidney ailments to fast, since the electronic balance of fluid discharged from the body will be disrupted. Maybe they have a lot of intention to live spirituality. They do not see these as reasons, but on the other hand, their health is deteriorating.
Those who do not use more than two drugs can fast.
Expressing that fasting is healthy, Örkçü said, "If the daily amount of calories is taken, there is no harm in fasting for healthy elderly individuals who do not have a health problem or do not need to use more than 1-2 drugs a day."