5 Tips to Survive the Ramadan Bazaars

Image: Markuso / freedigitalphotos.net

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar is here again and this year, July 10 marks the first day of Ramadan. It is a month, not only welcome by Muslims, but is looked forward to by people of other faiths because of the Ramadan Bazaar, an annual gathering of food stalls which offers a variety of local scrumptious and mouth-watering delicacies for ‘iftar’ (break fast).


The variety of affordable and delicious food is tempting enough to cause overspending, overeating and in the end, add inches to the waistline by the end of Ramadan. So, how does one survive the temptation when parading down the aisle of food heaven this Ramadan? Here are 5 tips to remember – your wallet and your waist will thank you for it!

1. One stall at a time
While there are many foods to try from many stalls, there are also many days in the month of Ramadan. Try one stall or less than two food choices from a stall at a time, each day.

2. Stay within your budget
Bring a definite amount of money instead of bringing your wallet while shopping. For example, bring only RM10 for spending on bazaar food on that particular day.

3. Get an extra workout
Take a stroll along the aisle of bazaar and make your decision later when you are at the end and have decided on the food to buy. You can burn as much as 100 calories during this stroll.

4. Listen to your body
Eat slowly when breaking fast. Enjoy every bite and listen to your body. Stop eating when you are no longer feeling hungry and are comfortably full. Have some snacks after dinner if you are hungry again.

5. The best food right after azan on iftar
The best food is carbohydrate food which is sweet like dates. Sweet cakes like kuih lapis and seri muka are good choices as well. But always be mindful of the portion. These are good choices to recover from the low blood glucose level that you will be experiencing during the day.

While most people usually lose some weight during the month, there are also some that gain weight during the month. Keep from gaining too much weight by eating and spending moderately on food. Make sure to do some exercise as well.

Reference:

  1. Madden C.E., Leong, S.L., Gray A., and Horwath C.C. ( 2012). Eating in response to hunger and satiety signals is related to BMI in a nationwide sample of 1601 mid-age New Zealand women. Public Health Nutrition. Mar 23:1-8
  2. Mathieu J. What Should You Know about Mindful and Intuitive Eating? J Am Dietetic Assoc 2009;109(Dec):1982-1987