Fit and Fasting: A guide to Staying Healthy During Ramadan

First of all, lets look at the many benefits of fasting:

• Increases longevity• Lowers LDL and triglyceride blood numbers• Decreases risk of cancer• Increases growth hormone production• Good for brain health• Turns on the process of autophagy (which is when cells

recycle waste material, eliminate or downregulatewasteful processes, and repair themselves)

• Increased mental well being and clarity• Use of your own body fat for fuel

Ramadan, Fasting, and Intentions• Ramadan is a month when we need to look past ourselves and our

desires and focus on the true meaning of our lives. It’s a time to really look at our shortcomings and improve as Muslims. Its about being selfless. Its about feeding our souls rather than feeding our desires. Its about making all things with the intention of doing things for the sake of Allah.

So, before we talk about anything, it is good to remind ourselves why we are fasting in the first place and to renew our intentions.

• Islam teaches everything in moderation. Nothing is ever good in excess. If during the day, we are fasting so that we can have complete focus on bettering ourselves as Muslims, cleansing our bodies and souls, shouldn’t we be doing the same at night?

• When it is time to break fast, we should again always remember Allah. Eat in moderation, just enough to satisfy, not too much. It may be difficult at first, but with each day it will become easier.

Guidelines when breaking fast• Break your fast with Dates and 1-2 tall glasses of LEMON

water before you eat your iftar to help avoid overeating and to rehydrate your body.

• Why Dates? After the body has been in a weakened state from fasting, the body needs a boost of energy. The liver starts the process and accepts the dates due to their high level of natural sugars. The liver then is able to transfer these benefits to the rest of the body’s organs, which in turn prepares the body to digest your meal.

• Otherwise, eating large amounts of food prior to this will cause fatigue as it is too much for the organs to handle.

• Remember that food is fuel. Eat to fuel your body for prayer and worship.

• Eat until you are satisfied, not until completely full. This will give you energy to make taraweeh prayer, whereas overeating will drag you down and make you tired. If you are hungry when you come back from prayer (or just later in the night if you stay home), eat another small meal from the leftovers at iftar.

• Limit the amount of dessert and sweetened drinks you have (and absolutely NO artificial sweeteners!). One to two different pieces of dessert should be enough. If you find you can’t control yourself after one bite of something sweet (like me…) try eating desert only every other day. Also, get your berries in (you can add real whipping cream and granola) for a nice healthy and satisfying dessert.

• EAT PROTEIN. This is a must. To maintain or gain a lean body, you must consume some protein at your meal(s). This includes chicken, beef, eggs, turkey, lamb, etc.

• Eat lots of healthy fats! Contrary to popular belief, saturated fats are healthy and necessary for brain function, regulating hormone levels, cholesterol production, fertility, maintaining a healthy body weight, and for healthy skin and hair. Avoid all trans fats which are NOT healthy. Trans fats are found in processed foods. Examples of healthy fats include avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, butter (YES, butter), extra virgin olive oil, and naturally occurring fat from meat.

• Avoid excess carbohydrates (the bad ones)

• Flour, bread, pasta, muffins, pastries, and cookies for example are very unhealthy and damaging to the body. They are extremely processed and genetically modified, which means you are eating artificial food. Our bodies do not know how to handle genetically modified foods. Because of this, our body packs on processed carbohydrates as FAT.

• Try going thirty days without wheat this Ramadan and see how you feel. You may be surprised not only how much weight you will lose, but how much energy you will gain. Introduce it after the month is over and notice how you feel. You can still get plenty of other carbs from other sources listed below.

• Eat FULL fat dairy. When something is labeled “low fat” it means they have taken out the fat and replaced it with sugar and additives that make your taste buds believe it is fat. Fat causes NO insulin spike, meaning NO fat storage, whereas sugar causes an insulin peak which is needed to store fat in your fat cells. Eating fat does not store fat. Avoid processed dairy unless you can tolerate it. A good rule of thumb is to go 30 days without dairy and introduce it back in your diet and see how you feel. If it makes you feel lethargic, or causes breakouts for example, this could mean that you have an intolerance to dairy.

Don’t we need to consume carbs at every meal?

No. Our bodies and brain function better on ketones, the pure energy source that comes from the breakdown of fats. Most people aren’t fat-adapted, meaning they do not know how to use their own body fat stores efficiently because they are constantly eating carbohydrates (sugar-burner). To become a fat-burner rather than a sugar-burner, you must decrease the amount of carbohydrates in your diet and increase the amount of protein and fats. The first two weeks you may have withdrawal symptoms, as processed carbs are literally addicting to the brain.

Q. What are some healthy sources of carbohydrates?

A. Anything that comes from the earth. Sweet potatoes, squash, potatoes, carrots, quinoa, rice, fruit, and beans (if you can tolerate them).

Q. When is the best time to have carbohydrates?

A. Carbohydrates tend to help you sleep. They cause serotonin to be secreted which then turns into melatonin. The best time to have carbs is at night or after a workout.

Should I exercise during Ramadan?

“You’ll hear that you should never exercise on an empty stomach. You’ll hear that fasted training will burn your muscles and cause you to waste away. You’ll hear that performance will surely suffer.” None of these things are necessarily true – and they are even less so if you are well-adapted adapted to a low-carb eating strategy.

Fasted training can actually result in better metabolic adaptations (which mean better performance down the line), improved muscle protein synthesis, and a higher anabolic response to post-workout feeding (you’ll earn your meal and make more muscle out of it if you train on an empty stomach).

Studies on Muslim athletes during Ramadan show no effect on performance while fasting, as well as better lipids in those who exercise and fast rather than just fast. When you train in a fasted state, glycogen breakdown is blunted and more fat is burnt, leaving you more glycolytic energy in the tank for when you really need it and less body fat. Those are just a sampling of the benefits to fasted training; there are dozens more.

(Taken from Marks Daily Apple)

So how can I exercise without water?

• Make sure you wake up for Suhoor and if nothing else, hydrate yourself. Drink 1-2 glasses of water. If you are a coffee drinker, it’s ok to have 1 cup of coffee, especially in the beginning of Ramadan to avoid caffeine withdrawal.

• And as stated earlier, not only drinking water before Iftar, but during the evening hours is very important. Keep bottled water with you at all times (preferably a non-disposable bottle), even during your Taraweeh prayers.

Ok so, what exercises should I be doing?

Basically, try to stick to weight/resistance training, yoga, pilates, and walking during Ramadan. Don’t workout TOO intensely, as you are already going to be burning your body fat during the day. Take your intensity down to 70% and don’t plan on trying to break any weight lifting records during Ramadan.

Having a brief 20-45 minute workout will get your blood flowing, maintain your muscle mass, and most importantly will give you energy to make a yummy dinner filled with lots of veggies and meat!

Drink water, water, and more water!!!

Part IISupplements

The power of whole food vitamins

• There is no comparison of the typical vitamin pills with real whole food supplements. Whole food vitamins have natural energy that vitalizes and energizes the body. The human body thrives on the energy it gets from real whole food substances, like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Vitamins are no exception. The body responds far more energetically to the intake of real vitamins, as made by nature, which have light- and electrical-energy, completely lacking in the synthetic counterparts.

• With Purely-PAK you get all the major vitamins, including vitamins A & D, vitamin E, the B complex, and vitamin C, plus associated bioflavonoids and trace minerals.

Chaga Mushroom

The “Gift from God”

Rather than soft like a mushroom, chaga is hard, almost as hard as wood. It is unique, nothing like common mushrooms. In fact, chaga is the most nutritionally dense of all tree growths. Known by the Siberians as the “Gift from God” and the “Mushroom of Immortality,” this vibrant growth has been used by humans to support health for thousands of years. The Japanese call it “The Diamond of the Forest,” while the Chinese deem it “King of Plants.” For the Chinese that is saying a lot, since they have an immense history with countless plants. Despite this exceptional status, most Americans are unaware of it.

Q: Where does chaga come from and why are birch trees important?

A:Wild birch trees in northern climates. To survive in these harsh climates, chagaconcentrates natural compounds for its protection, and that is why it is so powerful. To strengthen the tree, as well as heal, it makes potent phytochemicals, including sterols, phenols, and enzymes. Researchers have inoculated sick trees with chaga to strengthen them. People benefit by consuming these forest-source phytochemicals and nutrients.

Q: What is so special about chaga?

A: It is a dense powerhouse of 215 potent and unique phyto-nutrients. Some of these nutrients, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), polysaccharides, betulin and betulinicacid only come from a limited number of sources. Chaga is nature’s richest source of these unique compounds, and it delivers these nutrients in a whole-food, bio-available form. Chaga, and it’s constituents, are the subject of extensive research.

Nutrient dense

In particular, it is highly rich in special phenols which are pigment-like. These phenolic compounds are known as chromogenic complex. Chaga can be up to 30% chromogenic complex by weight. The chromogenic complex is highly protective for all tissues and is only found in chaga. In the cream base this chromogenic complex is hightly protective of the skin. Rubbed on the skin it even helps people develop a tan, because it contains the pigment melanin, the same pigment responsible for dark-colored skin.

Chaga also contains wild-source minerals and is particularly high in copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and iron. Yet, its most potent ingredient is a special substance known as superoxide dismutase (SOD)..

Q: What is superoxide dismutase?

A: SOD is an antioxidant enzyme needed the entire body. SOD is the main antioxidant responsible for counteracting superoxide, which is one of the most common and most damaging free-radicals in the human body. Normally, SOD is created by the body, but by ages 25-30 the levels of enzymes needed to create SOD in any significant amount have diminished. This makes chaga an essential supplement to any diet, especially for those 25 years and older.

More specifically, SODs function is to halt oxidation, especially the toxicity of a free radical known as singlet oxygen. This is the type of oxygen which is responsible for oxidizing and damaging the tissues, which results in aging. It is the same oxygen which rusts a nail. SOD blocks this damage by quenching the singlet oxygen free radical. The SOD content per gram of chaga is exceedingly high and accounts for many of its historical powers. Tests performed on North American Herb & Spice’s wild chagaprove that it contains some 10,000 to 20,000 active SOD units per gram. This is an exceedingly high amount, far higher than that found even in typical SOD pills. The typical SOD pill contains from 200 to 2,000 units per serving. So the difference is considerable. Plus, the type in pills is virtually impossible to absorb, while the wild chaga type is well-utilized by the body

Q: What are the benefits of supplementing chaga into a daily diet?

A: There are many benefits to the use of chaga. Commonly, it is used as a daily tonic. It is a powerful adaptogenic herb with an amazing nutritional profile to support the body’s general health and ability to balance itself. Chaga is an excellent natural source for B-complex, plant sterols, SOD, and beta glucan. Benefits include improved vitality and well-being due to the high amount of antioxidants and nutrients.

Ancient Chinese regarded it as a longevity factor

Chaga is a health food which supports the entire system. The Siberians drink it daily. This is why they are long-lived. The chaga drinker lives 85 to 100 years, while the non chaga-drinking person, the Inuit, lives only about 50 years. This proves that natural phytochemicals, the ones found in chaga, do make a difference. Yet, there is more traditional use that offers evidence. Ancient Chinese regarded it as a longevity factor, which is why they deemed it the most complete of all growths. Japanese and Koreans use it regularly, and look how powerful they are today. In much of Siberia, Russia, and Eastern Europe it is an essential beverage. While the U.S. government restricts medical claims, here is what can be said: chaga has been used as an essential whole food supplement for many years by Russia’s long-lived peasants, as well as long-lived villagers of Japan and Korea. These village people consume it as a daily beverage. They prefer it over common drinks such as tea and coffee. Because of its cleansing properties, in primitive Siberia the chaga drink was known as “soup water,” although its taste is a pleasant combination of tea and coffee.

Chaga is validated by Moscow’s Medical Academy of Science

In his book The Cancer Ward Alexander Solzhenitzynwrote about the health benefits of chaga. His character in the novel took it with positive results. Regardless, chagawas then validated by Moscow’s Medical Academy of Science, 1955, and was extensively used by the public. It is one of Russia’s state secrets for power and strength and was heavily used by champion Russian athletes, who defeated all others, including the best teams America could offer. So, the Russians, Siberians, Poles, Romanians, Koreans, Japanese,and Chinese all use it. This alone shows the importance for Americans regarding this essential whole food.

Wild chaga was found to be the most powerful adaptogen

Since the 1950s the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), in conjunction with approximately 1,200 prominent scientists, conducted over 3,000 experiments involving 500,000 people to study the effects of adaptogens (a substance which modifies the human body’s response to stress). The results of these studies were a protected Soviet secret for 40 years. The Soviet government commanded athletes, astronauts and other Soviet elite to take adaptogenson a daily basis to improve physical and mental work capacity. One of these adaptogens was chaga. In fact, of all these adaptogens, chaga was found to be the most powerful. It is now believed that up to 80% of all diseases are mainly due to stress.

Chaga gives you the strength that you need to function throughout the day

Relax with a cup of chaga beverage, or experience the power of the raw chaga drops under the tongue. Soothe yourself with the wild, raw chaga experience. Get the strength you need to make it through the day and much more. Feel the power of the wild forest though North American Herb & Spice’s chaga.

Experience the immense power of wild birch tree power. This is the energy and power of wild-source enzymes, notably SOD, peroxidase, and nucleases, as well as wild sterols, phenols, B vitamins, minerals, and much more. Take advantage of it for you, your loved ones, and anyone else in need.

Q: Is chaga safe?

A: Yes. Chaga is completely natural and there have been no reported side-effects in several thousand years’ of use. Furthermore, there are no known conflicts in using chaga. It is completely safe to use every day, even many times a day. It is recognized as a nutritional supplement, and is produced under Good Manufacturing Practices for supplements