During Ramadan, pay attention to the type of iftar food you prepare to prevent uncontrolled weight gain.
So many tempting foods may derail diet programs, causing less optimal results.
But don't worry—this article features a selection of delicious yet healthy Ramadan diet menus for iftar to help you stay on track. Let’s check out the recommendations!
Ramadan Diet Menus for Iftar
To support your diet program during Ramadan, prioritize low-fat and low-calorie foods.
Here are several choices of healthy foods for a diet you can consider preparing for iftar:
1. Three Dates and Tea
Muslims are urged to break the fast with sweet food or drinks. A suitable iftar menu for this is three dates and tea.
Drinking tea and eating dates at iftar can help restore lost energy. Dates contain plenty of nutrients, aid digestion, and help you feel full.
2. Fruit Salad
Fruits are a reliable diet because of their health benefits, one of which is maintaining ideal body weight. A fruit salad can be an option for a low-calorie iftar menu.
Prepare fruit salad in moderate proportions; the fruit should make up the majority of the dish, rather than high-calorie toppings or dressings. This way, you can get the optimal health benefits of the fruit.
3. Capcay
In addition to fruit, vegetables are an excellent choice for a diet-friendly iftar meal. They have low-calorie content while being rich in vitamins and minerals.
For those who may not be familiar with the menu, capcay is a stir-fried dish containing mixed vegetables. To make it solid, you can add chicken or shrimp that are rich with protein.
4. Eggs and Boiled Potatoes
Eggs and boiled potatoes help maintain weight because they can make you full easily.
Eggs contain protein, vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin B12, selenium, and fats, while potatoes contain potassium and resistant starch, aiding weight loss.
For a low-calorie Ramadan diet menu, you can boil eggs or prepare them as a low-calorie omelet. You can also cool potatoes before eating them to enhance their resistant starch content.
5. Vegetable Soup with Chicken Breast
People who maintain a diet plan often include chicken breast in their menu due to its low-calorie content.
Every 172 grams of chicken breast contains 284 calories and 53 grams of protein.
To maximize the chicken breast benefit, add it to warm, healthy, delicious soups, such as vegetable soup.
6. Brown Rice
Even though brown rice has a higher calorie content than white rice, brown rice is better for supporting a diet plan.
Brown rice has a variety of mineral content, high fiber, and a low glycemic index number, making it a suitable Ramadan diet menu.
Consuming brown rice during fasting doesn't only help you maintain weight but also promotes other body health.
7. Clear Spinach Soup
Spinach soup is a simple and easy-to-make dish. You can prepare clear spinach soup in a short time.
With this dish as your iftar menu, you can get high micronutrients that benefit your diet and overall health.
8. Stir-fried Kale
Regular consumption of vegetables can help you maintain weight, and one excellent option you can try is kale.
Kale is a green vegetable with high nutritional content. It's a good diet menu because it helps burn body fat.
For a delicious and healthy iftar dish, you can prepare a stir-fried kale.
9. Stir-fried Bean Sprouts with Tofu
Bean sprouts are low in calories but rich in nutrients and fiber. Similarly, tofu contains high fiber and protein.
A tofu and bean sprout combination in a stir-fried bean sprout dish can help maintain your diet agenda during Ramadan. The dish is easy to make and doesn't take long to prepare.
10. Steamed Fish
Fish is rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein—beneficial nutrients for the body. Preparing fish over meat for iftar can greatly benefit your diet plan.
To make it diet-friendly, avoid frying fish. Instead of frying it, you can steam it.
Diet Tips During Fasting
When undergoing a diet program, you should implement a healthy lifestyle.
Besides limiting high-calorie and high-fat foods, consider engaging in healthy activities below:
1. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise can support your diet program. This routine helps burn calories and stimulate muscle growth, shaping ideal body proportions.
Don't let fasting stop you from exercising. In fact, exercise is recommended during fasting because it helps burn more fat.
2. Maintain a Healthy Sleep Schedule
For optimal diet results, maintain a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed on time so you get enough sleep. This way, you can maintain your body's metabolism and optimize the fat-burning process.
3. Choose High-Fiber and High-Protein Foods
As you know, low-calorie foods are good for dieting, but fiber and protein are no less important.
High-fiber foods can keep you full longer, thus helping you not to get hungry easily while fasting.
On the other hand, protein can boost your metabolism and help your body burn more calories.
4. Drink More Water
During Ramadan, you need to drink plenty of water for suhoor and iftar to stay hydrated.
A research study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism states that drinking plenty of water can increase the body's metabolism by about 30%.
This means that drinking water can help the body to burn calories and fat faster.
Those are some Ramadan diet menus for iftar that are delicious and low in calories.
In addition to preparing the right food, consider implementing healthy lifestyles, such as exercise and drinking plenty of water.
Drinking water doesn't only maintain hydration but also helps increase the body's metabolism.
For that, you should always have #AQUADULU at home to meet your daily hydration needs.
No need to doubt the quality, because AQUA water is taken from the best water sources.
So, don't forget to drink AQUA DULU when breaking your fast. Created by nature, AQUA is 100% PURE mineral water for Ramadan.
