Ramadan: The month of Feasting or Fasting?

“No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath.” – Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

In the mid-nineties, I had a great-grandmother who lived in Zaria. My mother was particularly fond of this old woman, whom she praised at the slightest opportunity. She told us stories of how her grandmother had supported her during her university days at Zaria and would insist we follow her whenever she (my mother) went to visit. Unfortunately, my sister and I did not share this sentimentality, and the reason was simple- that old woman made eating a nightmare. She would heap a plastic tray with food, fit for an army, and insist we finish it. A dry cane, plucked from a Moringa tree in her compound, lay by her side as we swallowed morsel after morsel until the tray was well and truly polished by our reluctant fingers. The cane was by no means an empty threat, as many a time we felt its lash across our backs and buttocks whenever we uttered the words ‘Na Qoshi’ (I am full). I still remember how my sister and I would beg our mother to leave us behind during those trips to Zaria so that we could be spared the torture of over-eating.

Once again, Ramadan is here and for Muslims around the world, it a time of mercy, forgiveness and generosity. All over the globe, Muslims fast by abstaining from eating, drinking and intercourse from dawn till dusk. Unfortunately, it has also become the month of feasting. The evening meal (Iftar) which is eaten to signify the breaking of the fast has now become a banquet of sorts. Families seek to outdo themselves by displaying dish after dish of salads, soups, small chops, chicken, lamb, fish, fried foods and deserts. It has become a common sight to see an assortment of food, laid on tables, ready to gorged by those fasting.

However, do you know the funny thing? As soon as the call to prayer is made for Maghrib (signifying the end of fasting) and people eat a few dates, juice and on or two Kosai they become full! Ordinarily, one would think that after abstaining from food and drink for an entire day, the stomach would be completely empty and require a whole variety of food to fill it, but that is not the case. Once a few bites are eaten, we automatically become satisfied and alert. Such is the miracle of fasting.

Yet, even when people are full, a vast majority still continue eating. We eat and eat and still have plenty food left at the end the day.  I wonder why? Is it the sight of the mouth watering dishes that drives us to gluttony? Or is it the rationalisation that since we fasted, we must make up for all that we did not eat during the day? Or is to show off our extravagant eating habits? Whatever the reason, the fact remains that we have completely lost focus of the purpose of Ramadan.

Spirituality aside, several studies have shown how beneficial fasting is to the human metabolism. When done correctly, fasting is responsible for remarkable physiological changes in the human body. The key phrase here is: ‘When done correctly’. Most of the benefits are lost, if we abstain from food and drink throughout the day, only to succumb to gluttony and gorge on fried food, refined sugar and high carb diets during Iftar.  Some consume so much calories during Ramadan, that they actually add weight when the month is over. Medically, Over-eating and lack of exercise is a deadly combination.

So, what are some of the benefits of fasting that we deny ourselves by over eating?

Firstly, fasting helps us to lose weight. Normally, when you eat, your body burns the food you ate to provide fuel for your body. Any extra food that does not get used up as fuel is converted into fats and stored within the body for future use. This is what leads to weight gain. When you start fasting, there is less food to convert into energy, therefore your body is forced to start converting the stored fats into energy. This occurs through a process known as lipolysis. One of the greatest advantages of fasting as a means of losing weight is that it is more effective in burning through fat cells compared to regular dieting. Additionally, when fasting is incorporated as a lifestyle change, it serves as a more sustainable and effective method of weight loss when compared to many crash diet weight loss solutions.

Another impressive benefit of fasting is that it promotes detoxification of the body. Many of the processed foods we eat today contain lots of additives, some of which are toxic to our bodies. As the food is digested and absorbed into the body, these toxins are also absorbed into the body and stored in fat deposits around the body. During fasting, your brain treats the nutritional deprivation as a threat and reacts by activating adaptive stress responses to help it deal with the threat. The brain also starts contemplating how it will provide the body with energy in the absence of food. To ensure that metabolism keeps running, the brain triggers the conversion of glycogen stored within the liver into energy. However, glycogen is not a very great source of energy, and after about 12 hours, the glycogen deposits gets depleted. At this point, the body must find an alternative source of energy, and it therefore turns to the fat stored within various parts of the body. As the fat deposits are burnt to provide energy, the toxins stored within the fats are released. These toxins are then removed from the body with the help of the liver, kidneys and other organs, leaving your body free of accumulated toxins.

Fasting also helps boost your metabolism. When fasting, you provide time for your digestive system to get some rest. Therefore, when you eat next after your digestive system has rested, your metabolism receives a boost, which means that your body burns calories more efficiently and gets more energy from the food you eat.

Another great benefit of fasting is that it improves brain function through a number of ways. Fasting boosts the production of a brain hormone known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Increased production of BDNF has been shown to protect the brain cells from the degenerative changes that are associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s, while low levels of BDNF have been associated with depression and several other brain problems.

Have you ever noticed that when animals and fall sick, they stop eating? Have you ever wondered why this happens? It’s a natural instinct through which the animals try to reduce the stress on their internal systems and focus their energy on battling the infection. Fasting therefore helps to improve the immune system. According to one study,* a three day fast can lead to the regeneration of the entire immune system and the production of totally brand new white blood cells which have a stronger ability to fight disease. And so, the next time you fall sick, resist the temptation to overeat and focus on nutritional food instead.

For the purpose of brevity, I will stop here. However, there are several more benefits of fasting which include improved insulin sensitivity, especially among Diabetics. Some studies even show that it helps in the prevention of cancer!

So, whether you are a religious person or not, incorporating fasting into your daily routine can be a great way for you to give your health a boost and unlike my ancestors, please resist the temptation to eat yourself to stupor as it can only end in premium tears.

Ramadan Mubarak.