Eid-ul-Fitr 2021 is just around the corner. Muslims are going to mark the end of the Holy month of Ramazan on this occasion. Muslims all over the world celebrate this festival with great zeal and zest. They prefer family gatherings and Eid-Milan parties for expressing jubilation. People try to start the day with ‘sewiyan’ and ‘sheer khurma’ and prefer bringing traditional foods to the table for other major meals of the Eid day.

Celebrating the “Festival of Breaking Fast” with closed ones and preparing feasts for them brings a lot of joy. Besides com­memorating this festival, it is also important to practice caution while eating. As our body has gone through a month of fasting, it is not ready to get back to pre-Ramazan eating schedules instantly. Every year hospitals report a great bur­den of cases of digestive prob­lems like vomiting, nausea, bloat­ing, dyspepsia, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), and heart­burn on Eid days. Hence, it is very important for one, either healthy or having chronic illnesses, to stay informed about reasons and solu­tions to these digestive issues. 

The traditional foods of the In­dian subcontinent are usually very high in salt, sugar and fat. So, the body fails to cope up with the sudden transition from fasting– a schedule of eating a few times a day – for an entire month to heavy meals. Not only the type of food that matters, usually it is a normal practice in our people of overeat­ing on festivals. As a result, indi­gestion and related issues occur.

With good meal management and precautionary measures, we can go smoothly through our Eid days. As meal management starts with the phrase: “prevention is better than cure”, we can proper­ly plan our meals to stay healthy.

First thing first, moderation in eating is the key to healthy eating. It includes controlling the portion sizes by dividing larger meals into two or more smaller ones. For this purpose, it is necessary to take breakfast as skipping breakfast leads to overeating at other meal­times. To avoid excessive food in­take, one should start one’s meal by taking a bowl of raw vegetable salad. Vegetables are high in fibre and loaded with micronutrients. They fill up the stomach leaving comparatively less room for other foods according to the adjustment intended. Also, it is necessary to take a gap of at least 5 to 6 hours between major meals as our intes­tines take some time to bring their normal mechanical and secreto­ry activities as performed in pre-Ramazan routines. 

Secondly, there is no other op­tion for having a healthy gut oth­er than eating a balanced diet. Your meal should contain food items from all six food groups – bread and cereals, fruits, vegeta­bles, milk and milk products, len­tils and meat, and healthy fats – along with staying well-hydrated all day long. Besides moderate eat­ing and selecting diversified foods, it is important to keep a check on food choices. One should pre­fer nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains over calorie-dense. Calorie-dense foods are digested quickly as they are mostly the re­fined ones and keep the body de­prived of required nutrients and eventually push it to the hunger phase quickly.

On Eid day, cravings for sweets are natural. It is recommended to have two khajoor or two pieces of anjeer before going ahead with the sweet dish as the natural sugar content of these fruits helps in re­ducing the urges for larger quanti­ties of these dishes.

Other than indigestion issues, weight gain is also very much like­ly to occur due to overeating. Con­sumption of fried foods, sugary cakes, chocolates, candies, cook­ies, etc is usually quite higher at festivals and gatherings. These lead to high spikes in blood sug­ar levels too, making it problemat­ic for diabetic patients as well. In our societies due to lack of aware­ness, people use fizzy drinks with heavy meals to ease digestion. In reality, they just add more bur­den to blood sugar levels and the excretion of calcium from bones. The best alternatives for smooth digestion include lemongrass tea, peppermint tea, lemon-mint juice, falsa juice and warm water.

The best meal management for best outcomes is the one that ac­companies well-scheduled exer­cise plans. The physical activi­ty – yoga, brisk walk, jogging and running – also aids in good diges­tion. People who have respiratory issues and those who are not been involved in these kinds of activities in a while should consult a doctor before starting any heavy activity. These exercises help in mobilising stored fats for fuelling the body activity, thus lowering the health risks due to weight gain.

Another important aspect relat­ed to careful food intake is food handling and its safe ingestion. In summers, due to the favoura­ble temperature available for bac­terial growth, food poisoning is a common issue. To avoid the pain­ful consequences of food poison­ing make sure to store and cook food at recommended tempera­tures and ensure proper hygiene throughout.

All these recommendations are comparatively more important for people suffering from chronic illnesses – diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, peptic ulcers and heart diseases. Sufferers can bring their own food to gatherings where required. This practice can add more variety to the menu of the host and give good gestures. 

In the end, spread more love and happiness through sharing and caring on the coming Eid-ul-Fitr in this pandemic-hit era. 

The writer is Assistant Professor of Food and Nutrition at Dept of Food Science and Human Nutrition, UVAS, Lahore. He can be reached at muhammad.shahbaz@uvas.edu.pk