How housewives prepare healthy/creative ‘Iftar’ meals

The month of Ramadan is important and it offers opportunities to focus on a balanced and healthy lifestyle, as it helps Muslims manage their eating habits while improving self-discipline, in addition to worshipping Allah. As the body enters a fasting state for about eight hours, there are limited nutrients available, thereby making the body absorb […]

The month of Ramadan is important and it offers opportunities to focus on a balanced and healthy lifestyle, as it helps Muslims manage their eating habits while improving self-discipline, in addition to worshipping Allah.

As the body enters a fasting state for about eight hours, there are limited nutrients available, thereby making the body absorb glucose stored in the liver and muscles, which becomes the body’s main source of energy.

As the Ramadan fast only extends from dawn until dusk, there is ample opportunity to replenish energy stored at pre-dawn and dusk meals. This provides a progressive and gentle transition from glucose to fat as the main source of energy, thereby preventing the breakdown of the muscle for protein.

In order to replenish energy, housewives are saddled with the herculean task of preparing healthy meals throughout the fasting period while also making such dishes fun and creative.

Mrs Amira Abdulrahman, an entrepreneur and a housewife in Minna, said she started off with fruits. She said fruits were the first course of meal they took after breaking off with Zamzam water and dates. She explained that fruits came first before taking anything else, and was the only part of the meal that did not change.  

“The best way to break your fast is with fluids and so I serve fruit salad. Once we have quenched the thirst and said our prayers, we then proceed to take either pap and moimoi; sometimes with fresh fish pepper soup, or pap and akara, depending on what falls on the timetable,” she said.

“I had to make a timetable to guide me through this Ramadan and make it easier for me. The fasting period is not like every other day that allows one to cook anything with ease. In Ramadan, we have to replenish the energy lost and hence the need to do that effectively,” said the mother of two.

Faiza Mohammed, a Banker in Abuja, also told Home Front she broke her fast with fruits and vegetables first before going for any other meal. Her reason was that the body could not handle the stress of quickly digesting heavy food, so she made fruit juice for the family.

Due to the nature of her job, Faiza said she made a variety of soups every two weeks and stocks them in the freezer which made it easier for her to just warm them and make whatever food felt appropriate for her.

“My husband cannot fast without eating ‘swallow’. So after we have quenched our thirst with whatever light food, I later prepare ‘swallow’, be it pounded yam, Semovita, amala or wheat for the food we eat in the early hours of the morning (sahur), that is the only way I can be assured that he does not suffer during fasting,” she said.

Binta Musa, a PhD student at the University of Abuja and a mother of four, told our reporter that she made heavy food at “buda baki” (iftar) followed by serving of lighter food later at night.

Her reason is because, “by the time we pray Isha and tarawih the food would have digested and we would have gotten all the energy and nutrients we need from it. And the reason for a lighter food in the early hours of the morning is so that it doesn’t make us heavy and restless during the day.”

A nutritionist and chef at one of the hotels in Abuja, Musa Ibrahim Zamani, however, suggests that housewives should put considerable amount of caution in preparing what their families eat, stressing that what is eaten outside the fasting hours is crucial to the health.

He said it was important to have some fluids with vitamins first, such as fruit juice or fruit salad. Also, as it is customary for Muslims to break their fast with some dates in accordance with the prophetic traditions, he added that, dates provided a burst of energy.

The nutritionist further stated that a diet should consist of a simple meal and not a feast that consisted of numerous foods. He also added that the diet might not necessarily differ from everyday diet plans, adding that foods high in fibre could help in keeping the bowels healthy.

He advised that to fully reap the benefit from fasting, Muslims should put a great deal of thought into the type and quantity of food they consumed throughout this month, adding that, to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet, a person should consume food from all the major food groups, equally distributed between the two meal times; including fruits, vegetables, cereals and so on.

Mrs Kabira Balogun owns a restaurant in Lugbe. She tells our reporter that the way to approach and prepare the family’s diet during fasting is similar to the way one should eat outside Ramadan.

“You should have a balanced diet, with the right proportion of carbohydrates, fat and protein,” she said. She recommends approaching the fast with discipline, adding that the underlying message behind Ramadan is self-discipline and self-control which every Muslim should strive to achieve.

She warned that housewives should try to limit the amount of sugary foods eaten and include healthier sources of carbohydrate in their diet, such as whole grains, potatoes, vegetables, and also fruits which she emphasised was very important.

She also noted that the importance of water intake could not be over emphasised because of the amount of heat experienced during the day. 

“Start by drinking plenty of water, which helps rehydration and reduces the chances of overindulgence,” she noted.