Dehydrating during Ramadan?

[Kayz]

We know how important it is to drink plenty of water during Ramadan. Keeping yourself hydrated is crucial especially if you are fasting. Each year Ramadan is shifting backward by 8 to 12 days, as for this year, Ramadan 2011 is on par with the British summer and it will continue to do so for the next 4 to 5 years. Then again the British summer is hardly 'summer' but only miserable cold weather and tropical flash storms with the odd heat wave now and again.

Fasting or not if you're exposed to the sun for long periods of time it is only natural for our bodies to dehydrate and lose water. Typically you would top up by getting yourself something to drink if you're feeling hot, but what if you're fasting? The simple answer to that is you can't; you can't drink anything unless you feel your life is going to be at risk.

So how can we prevent ourselves from dehydrating very quickly? You're always making sure you drink enough water before Suhoor to keep you hydrated for the rest of the day, but is that enough? Sometimes do you get the feeling even after having drank a lot of water for Suhoor you still feel thirsty and weak during the day? Your mouth begins to dry up and you slowly begin to develop a headache, those are symptoms of mild dehydration. What more could you have done to prevent yourself from dehydrating? If the weathers going to be like it has been here in the UK with temperatures soaring up to 30 degrees Celsius last week, then you need to take up a new strategy if things are to improve.

Have you ever thought about your diet and the food you've been eating lately from your Iftar to your Suhoor? Having done some research not only can the heat and warm weather dehydrate you but also the food that you eat. Your selection of food during Iftar and Suhoor needs to improve as eating foods which are high in Salt or high in Sugar can dehydrate you very quickly. Ingredients such as salt, sugar and oil are some of the top contributors to dehydration or it tells your brain that you need more water than you normally do. I'm not saying we must completely eliminate salt and sugar from our diets, but we must be more selective and careful as to what we eat and how much of it we allow our bodies to take. Remember it's not just another ordinary day, during the summer the days are longer and you are expected to fast for up to at least 18 hours a day, which means no food or water during that period.

Here is a list of different foods and ingredients to avoid or take in small portions during your Iftar and Suhoor:

• High in protein foods (needs water to break it down)
• High in fibre foods (water is excreted with the fibre)
• High in Salt food
• High in Sugar food
• Process foods (High in Salt)
• Oily and greasy food,
• Drinks high in caffeine,
• Alcohol (For our non-Muslim readers who may be fasting, assuming our Muslim readers don't drink)

Here are some foods which are always high in salt because of the way they are made:

• Anchovies
• Cheese
• Olives
• Pickles
• Prawns
• Salami
• Salted and dry roasted nuts
• Salt fish
• Smoked meat and fish
• Soy sauce
• Stock cubes
• Yeast extract

Salts and Sugars in food can vary from brand to brand so don't eliminate everything, take smaller portions, mix and match with healthier options, compare different brands and choose foods that are low in salt. With nutritional labels on almost every item in our supermarkets, choosing the healthier options couldn't be easier.

Ramadan Timetable 2011 for Ramadan Timetable's and to find out When is Eid

[Evil_Genious]

Good post... I need to eat some of that stuff - coz I'm waking up all achy and painy cozof the lack of water... Funny thing I'm pissing buckets too.

[M4RN1]

1. You can survive for three hours without shelter( cold)
2. You can survive for three days without water
3. You can survive for three weeks without food