[quote]Mr. Clean & Jerk wrote:
People practicing Ramadan eat in precisely the fashion described in the Warrior Diet.
I’ve no empirical observation on the matter, but the reports from the Muslims I hear on this matter (who don’t watch their macronutrients as carefully as the OP presumably does or Hofmekler certainly does) is that it’s not healthy, strictly religious and they end up gaining fat.
[/quote]
Actually this is partially true.
I am a Muslim and have been practising Ramamdan since I was 6 years old. Im now 30.
As T-money alluded to, yes we don’t put a thing in our mouths from sunrise to sunset. Not even water. Is it unhealthy? Absolutely not! The constant repetitive style of eating and living we accustom ourselves to in society today leads us to believe anything that is not the norm is therefore improper or in this case unhealthy.
The body is far more resilient than we give it credit for. A fast for a day and only the hours of daylight is nothing! But when your carnal “self” has been tuned into eating so much and getting it when you want it becomes a mental and spiritual battle more than a physiological one. Many people break and cannot go through with it. That is not the point though, my point is that when Muslims fast, they are like anyone else these days and are merely physically fasting, when Ramadan is meant to be so much more.
So all they end up doing is starving themselves. This is their mentality too and they end up over-satisfying that carnal self with copious amounts of food, in the wrong order and in the wrong proportions. In total glutonous greed they continue well into the night. At the end, they crash out and fall asleep with these massive insulin overdoses and huge amounts of food in their guts. They then wake up prior to sunrise in fear of missing out that last bite before sunrise and gorge. They then go back to sleep and wake up all headachey and miserable and go through the same procedure again and again.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a disasterous way of living and defeats the whole purpose of Ramadan. Ramadan being a month of spiritual, mental and physical cleansing. The scholars and philosophers, sages and wise men of the past have all commented on limiting the physical to enhance the spiritual. Unfortunately people who practise Ramadan in this method have been led by their own greediness, not by Ramadans traditions.
Traditionally, after a long day of fasting Muslims usually break their fast on a few dates and some milk or water.
Obviously the Dates, being high in sugar help prime up the systems for food. A little water or milk helps tenderise the stomach acids.
What they usually do is then pray the sunset prayer. This takes in total 10-15 minutes.
Then the sit to eat.
Traditionally they break their fast by having some light soup. This gets the stomach acids working even more. Some from the subcontinent prefer fruits and that is equally as meritable with the enzymes and sugars priming the systems for nutrient delivery and uptake. But at this level, it doesn’t really matter. After a day of complete fasting, the Warrior diet principles don’t even matter as much because fat uptake is going to be very limited because of the “dry sponge” type environment that has been created in the body.
So they usually follow up the soup with some solid food such as a chicken dish, meat dish and so on. Salads are always eaten as well.
Traditionally they didn’t gorge but only ate enough to satiate that gap in the stomach that was there all day. The stomach after being “shrunken” all day can’t handle a gorge out anyway. But the main reason why they don’t eat that much (and I am still speaking traditionally here) is that they have to attend evening prayers which may go from an hour to two hours every night.
If you have a huge meal, you’re really overly bloated and can’t perform the movements comfortably and you also begin to feel the effects of excessive insulin release and in turn the seratonin which sends you off to lala land, very sleepy.
So they will limit their food traditionally, not gorge as they do today eating everything in sight and then some.
When they get home, they usually have some fruits etc.
Today it has become nothing more than an excuse to pig out!
That is not how it was done traditionally and that is why Muslims never put on weight during Ramadan but rather became even healthier and shed the extra one or two hanging around pounds.
Till today in remote bedouin areas, Ori is correct, these men are lean and like rocks! Real wiry strength type people and they still fast on a regular basis, the tradition being every monday and thursday.
So it is not correct that it is unhealthy. Scientists have looked at it before and proven that it is a much needed break for the digestive system, adrenal system and other organs not to mention the spiritual and mental well being of a person.
It is also teaching your body to do without at certain times. In this world of over indulgence I think it is a perfect remedy and reminder to us all.
