Step Up Your Health
at: Sheikh Zayed Festival

Lentil Soup - A nutritious and filling soup that is ideal for breaking a fast.

What you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 cup dry green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the carrots and celery, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the lentils, broth, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
4. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Season the soup with salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until smooth (optional). If using a regular blender, be sure to vent the lid to avoid steam buildup.
6. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers. Optional toppings include chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, a dollop of plain yogurt, or a drizzle of olive oil.

Baked Falafel - This is a healthier version of the traditional fried falafel.

What you'll need:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt and black pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely ground.
3. Add the flour to the mixture and pulse until well combined.
4. Form the mixture into 12 small patties and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Brush the patties with olive oil.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
7. Serve hot with pita bread, hummus and your favorite toppings.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs- This is an easy-to-make, protein-packed dish.

What you'll need:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Skewers

Instructions:

1. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and set aside in a bowl.
2. Cut the bell peppers and onion into bite-sized pieces.
3. Thread the chicken, bell peppers and onion onto the skewers, alternating between the chicken and vegetables.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
5. Brush the marinade onto the chicken kebabs, making sure to coat them evenly.
6. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
7. Place the chicken kebabs on the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping them occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender.
8. Remove the kebabs from the grill and let them rest for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy your delicious grilled chicken kebabs!

Quinoa Salad - This refreshing and nutritious salad is perfect for Iftar.

What you'll need:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and drain well.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and the water is absorbed.
3. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let it cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, diced bell peppers, diced red onion, cherry tomatoes, parsley and mint.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine.
7. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy your delicious and healthy quinoa salad!

Breaking Your Fast the Healthy Way: A Guide to Ramadan Nutrition.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is mandatory for Muslims. Fasting benefits the human body in many ways, and people of all faiths and cultures participate in it. For Muslims, food and water are prohibited from the dawn prayer (Fajr) until the dusk prayer (Maghrib), which approximately takes 10-19 hours depending on where in the world you're located. Going long periods of time without stimulating your digestive system can put a toll on your metabolism – this is why breaking your fast the right way is essential for your digestive health.

Steps for Iftar:

Step 1: Hydrate yourself.
Having a glass of warm water to kickstart your metabolism is a good way to start your iftar before you have anything to eat.

Step 2: Break your fast with dates.
Dates are known to provide the necessary sugars and nutrients to kick-start your digestive system without making you feel too full.

Step 3: Take it slow.
A big meal right away will overload your digestive system and make it tough for your stomach to process it. Before you begin your Maghrib prayer, drink some water and eat a small number of dates. These steps will allow your stomach to process the meal smoothly after prayer.

Step 4: Limit sugar intake.
Sugar overload, especially from carbonated drinks and juices, is a fast track to increased blood sugar and weight gain.

Step 5: Choose food wisely.
Choose grilled or baked foods over fried and light sauces instead of creamy, heavy ones. Limit your portions of white rice and bread. Opt for meals like soup or green salad and high-protein foods such as lean chicken, eggs and lentils. Unsaturated fats, such as avocados, fish and walnuts are also good options to include in your meals.

In-between Iftar and Suhoor:

Avoid processed foods to curb your post-iftar cravings as these cause bloating and water retention, which will make you thirsty during the day. Instead, having nuts, yogurts, fruits and vegetables will provide you with the right nutrition and keep you well hydrated for your next fast.

During Suhoor:

Avoid caffeine – caffeinated drinks are diuretics and can cause dehydration. The suhoor you have should provide you with 25% of your daily nutrients, so have a good mix of fibers, complex carbohydrates and protein. There are several easy and fulfilling meal options available, including eggs with vegetables, a slice of multigrain toast, sandwiches, wraps or manakeesh with greens, fattoush, chickpeas with guacamole and traditional Arabic fattoush. Make sure you avoid drinks that are high in sugar.

In case of chronic illnesses, or intake of medication, consult your doctor or nutritionist for a meal plan for Ramadan.

The Mind-Body Connection During Ramadan: Maintaining Balance and Wellness

Although rewarding, Ramadan is often a challenging time; this month is more than just about going without food or water for long periods of time – it's about maintaining a state of peace and balance in your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. It's challenging to fast during daylight hours, but it's also a great way to focus on your spiritual and mental health, something that's often overlooked.

Here are some tips for maintaining mind and spiritual balance during Ramadan:

Set aside time for reflection: Take some time each day to reflect on your faith, your goals and your relationships with others. Use this time to pray, meditate or read religious texts.

Focus on positive thoughts: During Ramadan, try to focus on positive thoughts and emotions. Avoid negative self-talk and instead, think about your blessings, your strengths and your accomplishments.

Practice gratitude: Express gratitude for the blessings in your life, both big and small – this can help cultivate a sense of contentment and inner peace.

Connect with others: Use this time to strengthen your relationships with family and friends. Engage in acts of kindness and charity to help others and build a sense of community.

Take care of your body: In addition to fasting, take care of your physical health through exercise, healthy eating and getting enough sleep.

Maintaining mental and spiritual balance during Ramadan can help you get the most out of this blessed month. By setting aside time for reflection, focusing on positive thoughts, practicing gratitude, connecting with others, and taking care of your body, you can cultivate inner peace and spiritual renewal.

Ramadan is a time for self-improvement and spiritual growth. Use this time to focus on your faith, your relationships and your innermost self. With these seemingly small tips, you can maintain mental and spiritual balance during Ramadan and beyond.

Sleeping Soundly: Regulating Your Sleep Cycle During Ramadan

Sleep deprivation is linked to a whole host of health problems – our “normal” sleep schedule and eating patterns get thrown off by social gatherings and erratic work timings during Ramadan.

Some common ways in which lack of sleep regulation affects our well-being are as follows:

• Headaches and mood swings: Our body operates on a circadian rhythm, which is an internal 24-hour clock that regulates our sleeping patterns. Changes in this pattern can disrupt the circadian rhythm, causing mood swings, irritability, and in extreme cases, headaches and migraines.
• Slow cognitive function: Sleep improves our ability to think clearly and to retain information. A lack of sleep impairs our ability to pay full attention, slows our reaction times and impairs our creative and problem-solving abilities.
• Weight gain: Sleep deprivation can cause hormonal imbalances, affecting appetite and hunger. It can also affect your eating habits, making you crave fatty and sugary food, leading to weight gain.

Tips to regulate your sleep during Ramadan

Getting used to a sleeping schedule that lets you sleep and wake up at the same time every day is vital.

1. Consistency: It's more efficient to sleep for longer periods at one time rather than take multiple shorter naps. Sleep at least four hours every night after iftar before rising for suhoor and Fajr. Once suhoor is over, try returning to sleep for a few hours before starting your day.
2. Grab a nap: A 20-40 minute power nap in the afternoon can help keep you going until iftar.
3. Eating habits: Eating a heavy meal during iftar can disturb your sleep as your body tries to digest your food. Having caffeine several hours before sleeping can also disrupt the quality and quantity of your sleep.
4. Create a sleepy environment: A dark and quiet space is ideal for restful sleep. Screen time can affect how quickly you fall asleep and the quality of your sleep, so limit your screen time after your nightly prayers.

Although Ramadan is a month in which fasting is mandatory for Muslims, there are conditions in which Muslims are excused to fast (assuring that they make up for them later) in case of severe medical conditions that affect their health.

How Ramadan Can Support Your Journey to Quit Smoking

In the UAE, smoking is a significant health concern, with approximately 25% of the population being smokers.

During this holy month, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, and smoking is prohibited during fasting hours. That means you'll have fewer opportunities to light up and more time to focus on your health and spirituality.

Going smoke-free: the benefits

Quitting smoking can have immediate and long-term health benefits - within just 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure start to decrease. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood decrease, allowing for more oxygen to be delivered to your body and after just one year, your risk of heart disease and stroke drops by half.

Quitting: a step-by-step guide

If you're a smoker looking to quit, here are a few tips to help you get started:

Set a quit date: Choose a date to quit smoking and stick to it.

Get support: Inform your family and friends about your decision to quit smoking and ask for their support. You can also seek professional help, such as nicotine replacement therapy or counseling.

Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water during non-fasting hours can help reduce nicotine cravings.

Keep busy: Find activities to keep yourself occupied with, during fasting hours, to take your mind off smoking.

Practice mindfulness: Keep reminding yourself that quitting smoking has many benefits, especially during this month of self-reflection and spiritual devotion.

Quitting smoking during Ramadan can be a challenging but rewarding experience. By quitting, you'll not only improve your health but also demonstrate your commitment to self-improvement during this holy month.

Headache-Free Fasting: Tips for Managing Migraines during Ramadan

Approximately 40% of people who fast during Ramadan are afflicted with headaches – people who are prone to headaches before Ramadan are more likely to get them during it for a variety of reasons.

The Ramadan headache is a mild to moderate or constant pressure on both sides of the temple. Migraines are headaches that begin on one side of the face and may spread to the other side depending on their severity.

Prevention is better than cure, so knowing your migraine triggers can help you treat them. There are several factors that might lead a person to have frequent migraines when they fast:

1. Dehydration: Human beings’ constitution is 60% water so the lack of water during long periods of time, or the lack of proper hydration practices during Ramadan, can lead to migraines resulting from dehydration.
   Tip: Initiate hydration by intaking at-least two glasses of water with your iftar. It is mandatory to drink between 8-10 glasses of water from iftar to suhoor. Pace yourself by having at-least 1 glass of water every hour. Avoid salty, processed foods as they cause water retention which may lead to dehydration-induced migraines.

2. Sleep cycle: Migraines can be triggered by an interruption in your sleep cycle.
   Tip: Adapting your schedule to get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night can prevent migraines caused by lack of sleep. How you can attain good quality sleep is by having light meals for iftar and suhoor and assuring enough time for your food to digest before you go to bed. Choose a quiet, dark place, after iftar to get at least 4-5 hours of sleep before waking up for suhoor. After suhoor, try to sleep for an additional 2 hours before waking up for your day. If possible, try to take a 20-40 minute power nap at noon to revive your energy and keep you going until iftar.

3. Caffeine intake: Coffee drinkers, particularly morning coffee drinkers, might suffer migraines due to caffeine withdrawal.
   Tip: The best way to avoid caffeine withdrawal generated migraine is by cutting back from caffeine a week or two before Ramadan. However, if your lifestyle does not allow you to do so, try to have a cup of coffee as early as possible during your iftar, followed by a quick workout. The workout should help you use up the energy you got from your coffee allowing you to get a restful sleep after isha (night prayer). If you must absolutely get one cup of coffee a day, make sure to bump up your water intake accordingly.

4. Hypoglycemia: This occurs when your blood sugar levels crash. People who frequently get headaches are more prone to migraines caused by hypoglycemia, particularly before iftar.
   Tip: Limiting your intake of sugar a week before and during the month of Ramadan can keep migraines at bay. Also avoid drinking soft drinks as they lead to sugar crash in your body which can cause a migraine.

Natural home remedies

If all else fails, opt for natural home remedies to alleviate the pressure on your head. Use a modest amount of diluted essential oil (such as eucalyptus, chamomile, lavender, rosemary or peppermint) to gently massage your temples. If you are adverse to scents, opt for a cold or warm compress instead. While some people prefer warm compresses, cold compresses on the head or the nape of the neck have been proven to alleviate the pressure of migraine attacks. Make sure to not leave the compress on you for longer than 15 minutes.

Fasting and Medications: Safely Navigating Ramadan with Proper Medical Compliance

Medicinal compliance is the accuracy with which a patient follows their prescribed medication.

In order to maximize the health benefits of fasting, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your fasts do not negatively impact your well-being or the progress of your treatment.

Scholars from across the Muslim world have supported the claim that an ill Muslim is excused from fasting if they believe that fasting will impede their health or slow down their recovery.

With expert advice from Dr. Fatima Ghulfi, we'll discuss how to manage medications safely during Ramadan:

1. How do you pace time-sensitive medication?

If you’ve ever gotten a medication prescribed for a specific time of day, or not to be taken before your time to sleep, it’s important you take it into account, as there are scientific reasons behind the time restrictions. As the window of taking daytime medications is shortened during Ramadan, you can adapt your medication intake according to the advice of our medical expert, Dr. Fatima Ghufli:

“Patients who take long-term medications need to adjust their medication schedules so they can be taken between the evening meal of iftar (sunset) and the morning meal of suhoor (dawn).
Thyroid medication should be taken once a day, half an hour before having food at iftar.”

2. Be cautious when taking medications that interact.

If you take several medications at once, the chemicals in them may interfere with each other – mixing some medications can lead to serious side effects. Any medication you’re prescribed should be discussed with your doctor so that they can either suggest a gap between the medications or suggest a different medicine entirely.

Dr. Fatima Ghufli recommends a safe gap between medications during Ramadan (excluding medications you must take in unison).

3. Stay hydrated.

You should be drinking 8-10 glasses of water during Ramadan to stay adequately hydrated for your fast. This water intake can be impacted by the medication you’re taking, requiring you to increase your water intake.

Dr. Fatima Ghufli suggests:

• Drinking plenty of water in Ramadan and increasing the intake of food with high water content (watermelon, grapes, apples, cucumbers and celery).
• Avoiding coffee, tea and soft drinks that contain caffeine, as they will dehydrate you by making you go to the bathroom more often.
• Avoiding foods that contain high levels of sugar (like soda) and fatty meals, especially fast food and spicy food.
• Avoiding the sun and excessive heat as much as you can. Remain in a cool, shaded area.
• For hypertension and kidney disease, diuretic medications should be taken immediately before iftar to minimize urination during sleep.

4. Is it acceptable to take multivitamins during the month of Ramadan to make up for the reduced amount of nutrition you get during the day?

The best course of action if you have a condition that depletes you of nutrients in your body is to adjust your diet accordingly, but taking multivitamins can fill the gap if it’s more cost-effective for you.

Multivitamins shouldn't be taken on an empty stomach right after breaking your fast, as they can make you feel sick. Fat-soluble multivitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K should be taken with rich foods to help them absorb better.

In theory, water-soluble vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, folic acid and Vitamin C can be taken on an empty stomach, but they may cause stomach discomfort in those with sensitive stomachs. B-complex vitamins with suhoor are an excellent choice for those who have long days ahead of them. Vitamin C should be taken during or after meals.

Dr. Fatima Ghufli states that vitamins play an important role in achieving normal cell function, boosting the body’s immunity and vitality, along with providing important antioxidants that protect our body cells from disease. Although she believes that the best source of vitamins is from natural food sources, she recommends supplements and dissolvable tablets as safe sources of vitamins.

“Rich sources of vitamins and minerals include vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits (fresh, dry, or juiced). Additionally, milk and laban provide calcium, vitamins and minerals for good bone health.”