10 tips to avoid weight gain during Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is round the corner. After fasting for several hours during the day, people are often unable to resist the temptation to binge eat after breaking the fast, and end up gaining weight.
Here are 10 simple steps to avoid gaining weight during Ramadan:

1. Avoid overeating. Have a light Iftar that includes reasonable food portions.

2. Chew your food slowly to avoid indigestion.

3. Have your soup and salad first. These are low in calories and make you feel full.

4. Drink at least eight glasses of water during the non-fasting hours.

5. Have fresh fruits and fresh juices without added sugar, instead of the readymade ones, which may contain high amounts of sugar.

6. Choose low fat dairy products and lean meats.

7. Eat a fruit salad instead of Arabic sweets every now and then.

8. Walk everyday for at least half an hour to one hour in order to burn the extra calories.

9. When cooking, make your favourite Ramdan recipes healthier by avoiding deep frying whenever possible. Instead, reduce the amount of fat in your meals by cooking your food with a little bit of vegetable oil, baking, roasting, steaming or grilling.

10. Avoid eating continuously, especially between Iftar and Suhour, which is sometimes accompanied by tiredness because of the feeling of fullness.