Beyond Hunger: How Fasting Enriches Mind, Body and Spirit

New Delhi: As the predawn twilight fills with the peaceful call of the Azaan, Shabir wakes up to have his first meal of the day. It is called Suhoor and it is the only meal he will have in twelve hours. It is Ramadan and he is fasting. “Fasting is a good way to detoxify. It leaves me feeling energised,”says Shabir as he talks about the advantages of not eating or drinking anything throughout the day.

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Ramadan fasting comprises of Suhoor–a full meal and water before daybreak–and Iftar–the second meal at sunset. The time gap between Iftar and Suhoor is anywhere between 12 to 17 hours.

Javid keeps it healthy,

I avoid oily food and hog on fruits, dry fruits, and other nutritious foods to maintain my energy levels while fasting for prolonged hours.

Fasting in general allows the body to take a break from the constant activity of digestion, helping in detoxifying and eliminating accumulated toxins from the body.

Javid has company in Shifa, another rozedar, , who goes for fruits and simple sweets to break her fast every evening. Her plate includes homemade goodness like lentils, rice, and chapatis. Shifa says,

Fasting makes me more patient. I don’t feel less energetic. In fact, it’s just a normal day for me.

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Break your fast with dates, suggests Imran. ‘Dates are a quick source of energy,’ he says. Imran sells fruit juice while on fast through the day.

As Ramadan is observed all over the world, The WHO has also shared some tips to stay healthy in Ramadan.

• Consume water-rich foods to stay hydrated
• Eat a balanced diet during Suhoor (pre-sunrise meal) and Iftar
• Cut down your sugar intake

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.