Healthy Alternatives to High-Cal Foods

CULTURAL traditions during Ramadan such as indulging in elaborate feasts, eating a large iftar meal of heavy foods, eating out at open-buffet restaurants, and giving in to sweet cravings are counteracting the health benefits of fasting.

July 18, 2013
Healthy Alternatives to High-Cal Foods
Healthy Alternatives to High-Cal Foods

Amal Al-Sibai

 


Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette


 


CULTURAL traditions during Ramadan such as indulging in elaborate feasts, eating a large iftar meal of heavy foods, eating out at open-buffet restaurants, and giving in to sweet cravings are counteracting the health benefits of fasting.



Whereas fasting should make one feel lighter, cleansed, and more mentally alert, eating the wrong foods at iftar causes us to feel heavy, lethargic, bloated and drowsy.



By taking simple steps, we can replace some of the oily, high fat Ramadan foods with healthier foods and change some of our eating habits and cooking methods to positively affect our health for the 30 days of Ramadan and beyond.



The smell of cardamom infuses through the entire home right before sunset as the Arabic coffee is brewed and dates are laid out. The passion for Arabic coffee that originated with the Saudis has caught on and the Saudi coffee pot is now a mainstay of the Ramadan Iftar meal in most homes of the expatriates living in the Kingdom. This Saudi tradition is not necessarily problematic for your health unless you are consuming a pot full rather than a moderate amount of two to three cups. Remember that even Arabic coffee contains caffeine and caffeine is a diuretic, which increases the loss of fluids from your body and this effect is unwanted after a long fast, especially during these hot days.



Dates are eaten at the breaking of the fast across cultures “East and West” and for a sound reason. Dates provide an immediate release of glucose in the bloodstream and are easy to digest, which makes a smooth transition for the digestive system that has been idle for over 12 hours. Dates contain fiber, vitamin B, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Enjoy your dates plain and simple; just as nature offers them. Ignore the urge to buy the expensive, fancy dates that are filled with nuts and coated in either honey, sugar, molasses, or chocolate because that piles up sugar and calories.



Across cultures, most people like to have soup after breaking the fast. The health advantage is that soups are gentle on the stomach and the nutrients in soups are easily digested and absorbed.



However, soup can be tricky. When chosen correctly it can be a ticket to weight loss and good health but with wrong choices it can be a dieter’s nightmare. As a general rule, stay away from the rich, creamy soups as they are too high in calories and fat because they are made with cream or full fat milk. For example, one serving of cream of mushroom soup contains 194 calories and 17 grams of fat whereas vegetable soup in clear broth contains 35 calories and zero grams of fat.



Other excellent soups that are high in flavor and important nutrients but low in calories and almost void of fat include lentil soup, tomato soup, and oat soup cooked in chicken stock with diced carrots and celery.



What could an Iftar meal be without the crispy, golden fried samosa? They are too high in fat so one evening I decided to omit the samosa but I received unhappy looks, upturned faces, and panicky questions: “Where is the samosa?”, as if I had deprived my family of their indisputable, fundamental rights.



Since my family obviously could not survive without samosa during Ramadan, we came up with an alternative to fried samosa that turned out just as tasty. Put as little as 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large baking tray, line the samosa evenly on the tray, and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes; turning them over to make them crunchy and golden on both sides.



The baked samosa taste equally great and their amount of fat is drastically reduced. Try out different fillings such as low fat, low salt cheese, curried cooked peas, potatoes, and carrots, or spinach and onions.



The main course should be centered on steamed, sautéed, or stewed vegetables and rice. A piece of low fat protein can accompany the veggies, such as chicken breast or fish, grilled or baked; not fried of course.



The suhoor should not be viewed as a full meal but as a small meal filling enough to give you energy for the fasting day but not large enough to cause weight gain. Some ideas for a healthy suhoor are: grilled cheese or labneh sandwich with mint leaves on whole wheat toast, boiled egg and pita bread, or yogurt with carrot sticks and whole wheat crackers.



Always have a piece of fresh fruit as a late night snack and another one with your suhoor meal to make sure your body gets the vitamins it needs.



The sweets offered in the holy month are enough to make blood sugar levels soar. The dough shaped into dumplings are deep fried in oil, and then drenched in sugar syrup and they finally reach your plate dripping in oil and sweet syrup. This is the worst combination of foods nutritionally as it is fried (high in fat) and also high in sugar and calories. Pick out other desserts that are lower in fat and calories even if you stray slightly away from the Ramadan traditions. Bake a plain chocolate cake without any whipped cream or frosting; enjoy it guilt-free with a cup of tea because a slice of plain cake has just 140 calories. You can make oatmeal cookies or buy fig and date filled cookies. Fruit salad is a delicious and healthy dessert.


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