Watch what you eat for sungkai

IT IS not a surprising scene. In fact, the sight of people lining up to the buffet line and filling their plates with as much food they can fit would almost appear to be an acceptable standard as Bruneians wait to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadhan.

Perhaps it has something to do with how much fun and how close a family feels spending time with each other during sungkai. But after being without food the whole day, is pouring a myriad of food and drinks down the throat the best way to break the fast?

Community Dietitian Nurasma Aini Hj Mat Yassin from the Community Nutrition Division of the Health Services Department under the Ministry of Health puts it simply, "attitudes need to change".

From the three to four meals and snacks in between, there may be individuals who feel that they have been reduced to only two and there is a greater urgency to replenish the day's supply of food and stock up for the next day.

Nurasma Aini explains that people can still take three meals a day sungkai (during the breaking of the fast), after Tarawih prayers and during Sahur.

She points out a good practice where people break the fast with dates and water first, go for Maghrib prayers and then have a proper meal.

"Dates are high glycemic food," Nurasma Aini explains. "It is easily absorbed into the body." She said that three dates are approximately equivalent to 15 grammes of carbohydrates. Aside from giving the body a boost of energy to perform prayers, the dates can also signal that there is more food coming so the body can adjust accordingly. She emphasises that people tend to binge and end up not being able to finish all the food that they have bought from the stalls and thus the food becomes a waste.

"When you're hungry, everything is delicious," she said with a grin, obviously speaking from experience. "But it's OK to say 'No'." On the topic of cravings or "tais liur", she said that most of the time, people who crave can make do with a little bit of whatever it is they are craving for. "If it's chocolate, have a small piece. Don't grab the whole bar."

Following a massive sungkai, most would then be set up for a host of problems which starts off with stomach discomfort. This then has a domino effect, causing individuals to find it difficult to perform prayers and instead find themselves fast asleep thanks to being so full.

And when sahur comes round, they would struggle with filling up and end up ill-prepared for the next day's fast.

Nurasma Aini commented that sahur can be anything from sandwiches to an actual meal containing rice and dishes.

A breakfast-style sahur is acceptable too but she recommends low glycemic index food such as basmati rice, pasta and whole grains which burn slower as well as plenty of water to last the day. Diuretics such as coffee and tea should be minimised or avoided during this time as it is crucial to keep hydrated during the day.

In general, she added that a person should not need to consuming more than 2,000 calories a day while fasting due to reduced activity. But there are still people who make an effort to go to the gym or jog a bit right before breaking the fast.

The attitude towards food that makes Ramadhan lose part of its meaning is that since it happens once a year, one has to make up for it by grabbing what is available in front of them.

Instead, people should be taking the opportunity to train themselves to eat healthily and in moderation, which is what the spirit of Ramadhan is all about.

Ideally, the patience and moderation should continue even during or after breaking the fast and not reserved only when one is experiencing hunger. It is common perception that due to fasting, Ramadhan is seen as the best time to try to lose weight but the complete opposite can happen. Nurasma Aini believes that people should focus more on eating healthy and that weight loss should be looked upon as just one of the many benefits that come with it. She lists out how healthy eating can also improve cholestrol levels, sugar in blood and blood pressure. But once Ramadhan is over and life returns to normal, the threat of overeating during Aidilfitri then looms over celebrants.

Now instead of four to five meals, visitors to open houses have to face the onslaught of food.You may have thought that the battle against your innerself may be over once Syawal rolls in but the reality is that the war has only begun.The Brunei Times