1.8 Billion People Stopped Eating!
The secrets behind fasting and its many benefits.
This month marked the beginning of Ramadan in which billions of Muslims around the world have given up eating food for around 16 hours a day. Muslims give up all food and water and regard this month as one of the holiest throughout the whole year.
I'm sure many of you reading this know at least someone that is fasting during Ramadan. However, why do they do this, what do they do, and are there really any benefits of skipping meals for a month?
The basics:
For those of you who don't know what Ramadan is and what it entails here are the basics.
- Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims — Prophet Mohammed(PBUH) reportedly said, “When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed and the devils are chained.”
- Muslims believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran, Islam’s sacred text, to Mohammed(PBUH), on a night known as “The Night of Power” (or Laylat al-Qadr in Arabic).
- Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset for the whole month.
- Muslims use it as a time to get closer to God and will focus on their spiritual discipline.
- At the end of Ramadan, there is a big Christmas-like celebration called Eid al-Fitr, or the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast.
How does fasting work:
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam (this is sort of the main five duties). The pillars include;
- Testimony of faith (Shahada)
- Prayer (salah)
- Charitable giving (Zakat)
- Fasting (sawm)
- Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Ramadan is Obligatory for all Muslims who have hit puberty. Certain people are exempt such as those who are ill, pregnant, menstruating, traveling, and elderly.
While fasting Muslims will abstain from food/drink and sexual activities. Even Chewing gum is not allowed while fasting(Although I only found that out recently).
If you do break your first with any of the above then your fast for that day is invalidated.To make up for days you didn’t fast, you can either fast later in the year (either all at once or a day here and there) or provide a meal to a needy person for each day you missed.
What a typical day while fasting is like for me:
Wake up 4:00:
I live in the Uk and the time for Dawn is around 4:35 therefore, I wake up around 4:00 during this time I try to read some Quran and make prayers to Allah. The hardest part I find about Ramdan is forcing myself to stay awake and eat at 4 in the morning.
I am quite lucky that my mother is willing to cook for me at this time. I typically eat;
- Toast
- scrambled egg
- Dates
- Lots of water
- banana
During the day:
I argue that for me the first week is the hardest as your body is still getting used to the new food schedule.
During the day I try to go about my usual business and keep myself busy at work so that I don't think about food. But for some reason I always find myself scrolling through youtube videos of people cooking and doing food reviews.
Break my fast :
After surviving the last couple of minutes without food I sit eagle-eyed opposite a table ladened with all my favorite foods such as Pakoras (A sort of deep-fried spiced fritter). If you haven't tried a Pakora I would wholeheartedly recommend you do.
Oddly enough For some reason, I find myself unable to eat as much food as I thought I would.
I feel as though your stomach shrinks while fasting as after a couple of bites of food I am quite full.
I have to admit fasting really does make you appreciate the taste of food more. I remember when I fasted during High school I would end up missing the horrible school lunches they used to give us.
Are there any benefits from fasting:
Many people might not know this but fasting during Ramadan is a highly scientifically researched topic with people winning Nobel prizes with their work on fasting.
So what are the benefits of fasting if any;
1.Cells Eat Themselves:
Yoshinori Ohsumi a Japanese Scientist Explained How Fasting Prolongs Youth and Won the Nobel Prize for His Work.
Yes you read that right it helps prolong youth but how you ask. Well, there is a healthy process called autophagy which is where dead/damaged cells eat themselves and the by-product is used to create new healthy cells.
It was found that while fasting your body doesn't receive the normal daily nutrients so it goes into survival mode this is where autophagy comes into play and the body uses old/damaged cells which eat themselves so the body can get nutrients from the inside.
So by the end of Ramadan, many of your old/damaged cells are destroyed and new healthier ones take their place.
2.More Weight loss/boosted metabolism:
Many people lose weight during Ramadan largely due to the fact their portion sizes change.
As your body gets used to eating less it learns to adapt and your stomach tends to get smaller. This leads to many people eating fewer calories after fasting and finds it easier to stay in a caloric deficit.Moreover, the endless snacking that is getting in the way of your dream body is significantly reduced as your body gets full up quicker.
But that's not all scientific research has found that fasting can help boost your metabolism (1)by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which could enhance weight loss.
Also, one review showed that whole-day fasting could reduce body weight by up to 9% and significantly decrease body fat over 12–24 weeks. (2)
3.Promotes Blood Sugar Control:
There have been a plethora of studies showing a link between fasting and blood sugar control.
One study found that fasting led to lower insulin resistance this can increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin, allowing it to transport glucose from your bloodstream to your cells more efficiently. (3)
This can help prevent fluctuations in your blood sugar levels and keep them at a low and stable rate.
4.Mental and spiritual health:
However, for Muslims, there are more benefits than just health. During this time we find ourselves closer to God and many people use this period as a reset button.
Spending one whole month a year focussing on yourself and evaluating all the good and bad things you have done during the year and trying to make a change in your life has no quantifiable value. During Ramadan, I find myself more focused on my goals, and my self-control when it comes to my vices is greatly increased.
Sense of community:
The most humbling part of Ramadan for me is that Billions of people are doing this together.No matter how rich or poor you are.No matter where you live for hours a day, you are hungry together, you pray together and you eat together.
If you have any questions about Ramdan or have any of your own experiences you would like to share please comment below.
