5 Helpful Tips on How to have a Filling and Healthy Suhoor
Making the right choices for our pre-dawn meal (suhoor) is essential for keeping up our energy and mood levels throughout the fast. Choose wrongly and you could fall victim to fatigue, exhaustion, dehydration, headaches and mood swings. Picking the right food and drink for suhoor can set you up for the rest of the day keeping you fuller for longer, therefore letting you concentrate on the things you love and also save you from overeating at iftar time!
There are no hard and fast rules to what exactly to eat as everyone is different but today I'm going to discuss 5 helpful tips that I use as general guidelines for the suhoor meal:
1) Keep to High Fiber Carbohydrates: Eating high fiber carbohydrates like brown rice or whole grain bread provides you with energy at a slow rate and sustains your energy level for a longer period. Whole grains are rich in dietary fiber which reduces bad cholesterol and lowers heart disease risk. Avoid all refined carbohydrates and sugar including white bread, pastry and sugary items which are very low in nutrients and also provide enough sustenance for a few hours and will most likely leave your hungry mid fast.
Put it into practice: Overnight oatmeal with fresh berries.
2) Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water is key during Ramadan due to the lack of water during the day. A good rule of thumb is around 8-12 glasses of water from iftar time until suhoor time. Its best to take a refillable water bottle with you wherever you go in order to consume this. It is also helpful to note that you can obtain water from fruits and vegetables with a high water content such as watermelon, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, cucumber , lettuce etc.
Put it into practice: A salad filled with all of those wonderful high water content vegetables with a big glass of water.
3) High Protein Foods are a Must: High protein foods like greek yogurt, normal yogurt, eggs and lean meat keep you fuller for longer just like high fiber foods. These food help you build muscle and maintain a healthy balanced diet.
Put it into practice: A bowl of greek yogurt and some healthy granola
4) Stick to Healthy Fats: Often we associate fats with something negative however, fats are integral in the healthy functioning of your body. They will also keep you healthy for longer during suhoor time. A good source of healthy fats include avocados, seeds such as sunflower and hemp seeds, plain nuts, homemade nut butters, olives etc.
Put it into practice: A whole grain piece of toast topped with homemade peanut butter or some avocado.
5) Add your Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables not only are hydrating and fiber rich but also give you essential vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that help you sustain you during your fast and are important for your health.
Put it into practice: Add some dates and watermelon to your suhoor meal.
Those were Sprout's 5 tips on how to have a filling and healthy suhoor. Many of the items are on Sprout's healthy food menu. You can find us on Talabat or call us on 71577355 to know more about our Ramadan menu.