At this point in Ramadān, more and more Muslim owned restaurants are staying open late, and some even all night…
🧵 At this point in Ramadān, more and more Muslim owned restaurants are staying open late, and some even all night. I hate to say this, but avoid eating at these places too much. Those foods are acid triggering and full of unhealthy oils and trans-unsaturated fatty acids.
Consuming such unhealthy food so late at night is a terrible idea especially when you’re fasting. The true physical benefit of fasting is your body going into Autophagy. If you’ve got a brick of Biryani sitting in your gut, you’re not allowing your body to reach that state.
“Autophagy allows your body to break down and reuse old cell parts… It’s a natural cleaning out process that begins when your cells are stressed or deprived of nutrients. Researchers are studying [it’s] role in potentially preventing and fighting disease.”—Cleveland Clinic
If you do go to these places —as I understand many go just to support Muslim businesses, and it’s fun— just be mindful of what you order. Don’t eat fried or other oily foods. Stick to grilled. If you get rice, get plain rice. Most rice served has lots of oil and and/or butter.
A lot of these places serve fruit juices and smoothies. They charge an arm and a leg for them so if you buy one, you’re definitely supporting Muslim business. The problem is these drinks are loaded with added sugars. It’s still a better choice. Just tell them to hold the sugar.
I can’t stress the point of Autophagy enough. You need to allow your body to starve a little bit during Ramadān for this to happen. Don’t always try to remain full. This is the biggest mistake people make in Ramadān and it’s why they get fat.
You’re supposed to suffer during Ramadān. The name itself comes from “scorching heat”. Just make sure you’re benefitting from that suffering. Hunger = beneficial suffering. Acid reflux, indigestion, glucose spikes, etc = harmful suffering.
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Shibli Zaman
