As previously mentioned, dehydration is the biggest challenge we face during Ramadan. It is also rarely properly tackled, because once we break our fast, we are more consumed with getting enough food in our bellies and not thinking about how much fluids we need to sustain through to the next day.  This is especially true with children and young adults, most of whom forget that they were even thirsty after 1 or 2 glasses of water.

Believe it or not however, drinking plenty of water is not the only way to avoid dehydration when fasting. Though it is certainly important, there are other things we should be doing, or rather, NOT doing.

The fact is, Ramadan meals tend to be quite decadent, but what we don’t realise when cooking is our use of large amounts of salt and spices that in fact contribute to the dehydration problem. The meal is then concluded with tea, coffee and sweets; also contributing factors as mentioned in the previous post. So, what should we NOT be doing you ask? In short, we should not be eating salty or sugary foods.  Things in particular to avoid are desserts, pickles, olives and even fish and seafood as these are naturally quite salty. Of course, the occasional treat is fine, but the best way to avoid feelings of thirst and fatigue would be to keep things simple when cooking and focussing more on wholefoods and clean eating.

For more tips on Ramadan meals and meal planning, check out our blog post on “Energy Boosting Suhours“.