While occasional indulgence in cheat meals is acceptable at the end of the day, it is crucial to commence the fast with a nutritious morning sahur to sustain energy throughout the day. Explore some superfoods that should be on your grocery list for a wholesome and healthy early morning meal.
🥚 Eggs: This versatile superfood requires no introduction. Packed with high-quality protein, vitamin B2, and essential minerals like zinc, iron, and copper, eggs are an ideal choice to kickstart the fasting season. Whether scrambled, baked, hard-boiled, or served sunny side-up, the adaptability of cooking eggs allows for variety in your daily meals.
🌴 Dates: According to Islamic traditions, breaking the fast often involves biting into a succulent date. Including these energy boosters in your sahur helps stave off hunger pangs. Dates are rich in natural sugars like glucose, fructose, and sucrose, preventing lethargy and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Use chopped dates in muffins, as a pancake filling with honey, or simply enjoy them as a snack.
🌾 Quinoa: Quickly rising to prominence as one of the world's most popular health foods, quinoa is a must-have in your kitchen this Ramadan. Gluten-free, high in protein, and containing all nine essential amino acids, quinoa is perfect for the health-conscious. Enjoy it sweet with coconut milk and cinnamon or in a colorful roasted vegetable salad for a tasty and filling meal.
🫒Olives: Combatting issues like dull skin and breakouts during Ramadan, which result from dehydration, can be addressed by including olives in your diet. Rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, olives protect the skin from UV damage and act as a natural moisturizer. Consume them whole or incorporate them into salads and omelets for a well-balanced meal.
🥛 Greek Yogurt: While avoiding whole milk and fatty dairy products during Ramadan is advisable, Greek yogurt provides an excellent source of calcium and nutrients. Being strained, it contains less sugar, more carbs, and higher calcium than regular yogurt, along with the added benefit of being rich in probiotics. Enhance its flavor by adding berries, seeds, and nuts or use it to create healthy fruit smoothies.
🍫 Dark Chocolate: Give your sahur a sweet ending by indulging in some delectable dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contain flavanols that are known to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. However, these nutrients do come with added calories and sugar, so its best consumed in moderation.
For a quick and easy snack, combine dark chocolate with roasted nuts to make some ready to go chocolate snack bars or mix it together with some almond butter for a yummy toast spread.
🌱 Flax Seeds: Recognized as a powerful plant food, flax seeds offer health benefits, particularly as a vegan substitute for omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of fiber. Sprinkle flax seeds over salads, use them as toppings for yogurt, or incorporate them into the batter for waffles, pancakes, and cookies for a creative and nutritious addition to your meals.
🥜 Almond butter: Substituting your roasted nut butter products with healthier alternatives such as almond butter will help in keeping your waist size in check and reducing the intakes of unnecessary fats. Almond butter is an ideal source of vitamin E, magnesium, potassium as well as anti-oxidants which are great for speedy muscle recover. You can use almond butter as a spread on your toast, or use it to make fresh smoothies with berries, bananas and nuts creating the perfect morning tonic drink.