MUSCAT, MAY 23 - Feasting on foods immediately after breaking fast will land you in danger, warn medics. Overburdening your body with foods after approximately 14 hours of starving can not only jeopardise some of the internal organs, but also lead to permanent damages, if not death, in some cases. “Overeating stresses our body, stomach gets distended and suffers from indigestion, reflex, nausea and sometimes vomiting,” says Dr Noor al Busaidy, Oman Diabetic Association.
“The pancreas gets stress from the high load of dense carb, and it secretes lots of insulin which causes drop in blood sugar and lethargy and feeling of fatigue with fast drop in blood sugar and feeling hungry again. “This can lead to consuming more food and gain more weight by the end of the month,” adds Dr Noor al Busaidy. Ramadhan is all about spiritual well-being. It is about moderation and training to give break to our system from all the material items.
There is a common tendency among the people to eat large quantities of food immediately after breaking fast.
“Overeating is the main cause of various ailments that lead to obesity, blood pressure, diabetics and hyper cholesterol among others.
“A study of patients we received after the holy month revealed overeating during the month,” says Huda al Zidi, Clinical Dietician, Royal Hospital.
Similarly, consuming cold, fizzy or carbonated drinks or artificially coloured drinks after drying up the kidneys throughout the day is sure to damage your kidneys, besides triggering a number of other health issues, say doctors.
“The body metabolism slows down during fasting as body goes without food for more than 15 hours.
“So overeating after breaking fast, which is less than 40 per cent of whole day and less physical active period, leads to digestive disorders and even lead to weight gain,” says Jishy Seby, a clinical dietician at a private hospital.
“A fasting person should stick to fibre-rich and less-spicy, low fat foods which include whole grains and water-rich fruits and vegetables after breaking fast,” she adds.
Dr Ambika, a homeo practitioner, adds on to the wrong kind of foods that we take at iftar.
“The foods that we intake at iftar should wake digestive system slowly.
“Hence, breaking the fast with so much carb and fried items leads to abdominal pain and bloating which is not good for heart patients,” said Dr Ambika.
Dr Mohammed Younis, a rehabilitation expert, believes that Ramadhan is the month of moderation in everything that we do and food is no exception. “Overeating will lead to obesity and cardiac issues and other associated health issues. Ramadhan is not a period for overeating.”
“It’s better to have more fruits, vegetables and protein-rich snacks. They are less sweet or bit salty and are better than high fatty and carbohydrate foods,” says Dr K Abdul Nizar, a dermatologist with a private hospital, adding that carbonated and caffeinated drinks are also causing indigestion and gastric issues during the month.
Dr Dilip Sangvi, at a city hospital, says the mindset of most people is promoting the concept of having rich and high calorie foods.
“The risk of having heavy meal at iftar is because people usually are of the notion that after fasting for 15 or 16 hours, especially when Ramadhan is in summer, they tend to compensate with high calorie, high carbohydrate diet which is wrong and leads to various problems.
“Instead, rely on water-rich vegetables and fresh fruits which can compensate the dehydration during the day.”
It is quite common to see patients visiting hospitals with complaints of gastroenteritis, vomiting, acute stomach pain, acute inflammation of the stomach and diarrhoea caused by eating too much after the fast in the holy month.
KABEER YOUSUF
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