Fasting has become somewhat of a buzzword over recent years, with people choosing to fast for a variety of reasons.
For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Monday 11 March, involves fasting during daylight hours and only eating and drinking before dawn and after sunset. This means that a fast could last for 12 hours.
During Ramadan, a meal known as Suhoor is eaten just before dawn, whilst a meal known as the Iftar, is eaten straight after sunset.
As you can imagine, fasting during Ramadan isn’t always easy and energy levels may dwindle. That’s why it’s important to eat plenty of foods that are high in energy. You may also choose to take vitamins to support energy release.
Not sure how to maintain energy while fasting? We reveal the best foods to eat and the vitamins you may choose to support your energy release to help make fasting a little easier.
Foods That Are High in Energy
The foods we eat have a huge impact on our energy levels. Choosing foods that are high in energy can help to support your day-to-day life whilst fasting for Ramadan. Here are five high-energy foods to include in your diet.
Bananas
There's a good reason why athletes turn to bananas for energy. This bright yellow fruit is rich in carbohydrates as well as vitamin B6 and the mineral potassium. Vitamin B6 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism plus it contributes to normal psychological functions. Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal muscular and neurological function as well as the maintenance of normal blood pressure.
Dates
For something small and sweet that could help with energy, turn to dates.
These jammy dried fruits contain the minerals magnesium and potassium, as well as iron and vitamin B9 (folate).
Iron helps to support energy release, whilst folate contributes to normal blood formation as well as normal homocysteine metabolism and normal function of the immune system.
Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Chickpeas and Lentils
These fibre-filled legumes can help to keep you full, plus the protein that they contain means a slower, longer release of energy.
Chickpeas also contain folate whilst lentils contain iron.
As super versatile foods, both chickpeas and lentils work well in stews, salads and soups.
Eggs
Eggs are a great source of B vitamins, many of which contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue as well as normal energy-yielding metabolism.
Eggs also provide protein, which helps provide slower energy. Protein can also help to keep you fuller for longer. The beauty of eggs is their versatility as they work well whipped into an omelette, as well as fried, scrambled, poached and soft or hard boiled.
Nuts
Mini but mighty nuts can help with supporting energy levels. Almonds contain vitamin B2 (riboflavin), which contributes to normal energy release and it contributes to the normal metabolism of iron.
Other good nuts to include in your diet include cashews, macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts.
Oats
For slow release energy, turn to a bowl of oats at Suhoor. Oats contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan which ensures a slow-release of energy. Plus, the fibre in oats will also help to keep you fuller for longer whilst also supporting a healthy digestion.
Add nutrient-filled fruit, sweet dates and crunchy nuts to a bowl of porridge for extra benefits and more energy.
Can you drink herbal tea while fasting?
No food or drink is to be consumed during the fasting hours, and this includes herbal teas. However, between sunset and sunrise, it’s a good idea to ensure you take on plenty of fluids (along with food) to help maintain healthy hydration levels during the fasting hours. You may wish to consider a vitamin tea.
Vitabiotics TEA+ Energy Vitamin Tea has been specially created with vitamins B6 and B12 to help reduce tiredness and fatigue. The blend also includes green tea, folic acid and biotin, along with the herbs Yerba Mate and Ginseng.
Ideal for drinking at Suhoor, this raspberry and pomegranate flavour tea can help to support hydration and safeguard your intake of vitamins.
Can You Take Vitamins While Fasting?
When fasting during Ramadan, vitamins shouldn't be consumed, however before Suhoor and after Iftar, you may choose to take supplements to safeguard your intake of certain nutrients. Plus, some vitamins and minerals can help to support your energy levels, which is useful during fasting as energy levels can often decrease.
Vitabiotics offers a range of Halal vitamins, which are suitable for those following a Halal diet.
What vitamins help you maintain and give you energy?
There are a number of vitamins and minerals which can help to support energy levels. These nutrients can often be found in various energy-rich foods however you can also safeguard your intake with a supplement.
Iron
The mineral iron is well known for contributing to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It helps to support energy release as it contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin as well as normal oxygen transport in the body. This means that the brain, heart, muscles and tissues throughout the body are supplied with oxygen.
Vitamin B
There are eight B vitamins in total. These are all water-soluble, which means that we need to ensure we’re getting enough every day. B vitamins, which are found in an array of foods including beef, tofu, salmon, beans and lentils, can be helpful in maintaining energy levels during Ramadan fasting.
Vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin) and vitamins B5, B6 and B12 all contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
Vitamins B3, B5, B6 and B12 all contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue too, whilst vitamin B2 contributes to the normal metabolism of iron. Added to this, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) contributes to normal mental performance.
Magnesium
The mineral magnesium, found in dark chocolate, whole grains and spinach, is an essential mineral involved in hundreds of biological processes in the body. Magnesium has many benefits however when it comes to energy, magnesium has been found to contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Calcium
Calcium is another important mineral which can help maintain energy during fasting. Found in dairy foods and leafy greens, calcium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
Fasting during Ramadan can be challenging, particularly if you plan on living life as normal. Eating a nutritious diet filled with high-energy foods, staying hydrated and taking Halal vitamin supplements between Iftar and Suhoor with specific nutrients to help to maintain energy levels and safeguard your intake of important vitamins and minerals. The Vitabiotics Feroglobin range offers a complete range of iron supplements available in capsule and liquid form, plus there are several other energy supplements which include vitamins B6 and B12 to help reduce tiredness and fatigue during Ramadan fasting.
