LUQAIMAT IN RAMADAN
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Elhashemy
September 01, 2008
Luqaimat diet is not ordinary diet, but it is a lifestyle plan which combines training on daily frequent intake of micro-meals (Luqaimat in Arabic Language) with eating favorite foods.
And here are my advices to the million of fasting Muslims in Ramadan built on scientific and religious basis:
1. Just when you are about to sit to the Iftar table, you have to select between two choices:
a. The first choice: we celebrate the end of the fasting day by eating huge amounts of delicious foods till we get complete fullness of our stomach. This will lead to dyspnea (due to the raising of the diaphragm by the inflated stomach), abdominal distention (due to inflating the colon with gases), and by the end of the month their will be an increase in the body weight by around 10 pounds.
b. The second choice: we celebrate the end of the fasting day by eating few Luqaimats which give us the sensation of being followers of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH. And this gives us a new taste for enjoying religious life and in the same time we will lose by the end of Ramadan about 10 pounds.
Clearly, the second choice gives a powerful spiritual and psychological boost.
This Luqaimat in Ramadan are of course gathered together in order not to feel much hunger at Iftar time, while still obeying the orders and rules of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH as conveyed to us. This rule is that we should not eat and drink more than two thirds of our stomach-size (the volume of standard stomach when moderately inflated is around 1000 cubic ml). So we are allowed to eat and drink in about the volume of 3 cups divided between food and fluids.
2. I advise to the fasting Muslims to have the following Iftar meal:
a. Two thirds of a cup of fruit juice (to supply sugar for the brain activity).
b. Two thirds of a cup of soup (to block the hunger hormone of the stomach).
c. Two thirds of a cup of green salads with olive oil (to supply vitamins and minerals and the oil to extract the health-boosting lutein).
d. Two thirds of a cup of starchy food (pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or bread) and cooked vegetables.
e. Small piece of grilled meat, chicken, or fish (to increase satiety sensation).
f. Small piece of sweets or a small cup of ice-cream (to reward the brain).
3. After praying Taraweeh, we can take a glass of water and one piece of fruit every one to two hours.
4. Sohoor meal (before dawn): A glass of water then a cup of coffee or tea and a cup of yoghurt plus one piece of toast and three spoonfuls of beans or a piece of cheese plus a small piece of sweets.
Although this diet seems extensive, its total volume is around two thirds of the normal full stomach which is in compliance with the orders of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH. In my practical clinical experience during the last four years, thousands of my obese patients lost during Ramadan an average of around 10 pounds using this scientific diet plan.
And here are my advices to the million of fasting Muslims in Ramadan built on scientific and religious basis:
1. Just when you are about to sit to the Iftar table, you have to select between two choices:
a. The first choice: we celebrate the end of the fasting day by eating huge amounts of delicious foods till we get complete fullness of our stomach. This will lead to dyspnea (due to the raising of the diaphragm by the inflated stomach), abdominal distention (due to inflating the colon with gases), and by the end of the month their will be an increase in the body weight by around 10 pounds.
b. The second choice: we celebrate the end of the fasting day by eating few Luqaimats which give us the sensation of being followers of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH. And this gives us a new taste for enjoying religious life and in the same time we will lose by the end of Ramadan about 10 pounds.
Clearly, the second choice gives a powerful spiritual and psychological boost.
This Luqaimat in Ramadan are of course gathered together in order not to feel much hunger at Iftar time, while still obeying the orders and rules of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH as conveyed to us. This rule is that we should not eat and drink more than two thirds of our stomach-size (the volume of standard stomach when moderately inflated is around 1000 cubic ml). So we are allowed to eat and drink in about the volume of 3 cups divided between food and fluids.
2. I advise to the fasting Muslims to have the following Iftar meal:
a. Two thirds of a cup of fruit juice (to supply sugar for the brain activity).
b. Two thirds of a cup of soup (to block the hunger hormone of the stomach).
c. Two thirds of a cup of green salads with olive oil (to supply vitamins and minerals and the oil to extract the health-boosting lutein).
d. Two thirds of a cup of starchy food (pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or bread) and cooked vegetables.
e. Small piece of grilled meat, chicken, or fish (to increase satiety sensation).
f. Small piece of sweets or a small cup of ice-cream (to reward the brain).
3. After praying Taraweeh, we can take a glass of water and one piece of fruit every one to two hours.
4. Sohoor meal (before dawn): A glass of water then a cup of coffee or tea and a cup of yoghurt plus one piece of toast and three spoonfuls of beans or a piece of cheese plus a small piece of sweets.
Although this diet seems extensive, its total volume is around two thirds of the normal full stomach which is in compliance with the orders of the Prophet Mohamed PBUH. In my practical clinical experience during the last four years, thousands of my obese patients lost during Ramadan an average of around 10 pounds using this scientific diet plan.
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