Welcoming Ramadan in Bandung, Indonesia

22Augutus,2009
Bandung weather : wind speed = 32 km/hour; Air temperature = 17 - 31 degree Celsius; Humidity = 35% - 85%.

Ramadan is a month-long dusk-to-dawn fasting month for able body Muslims worldwide.

Welcoming Ramadan in Bandung, Indonesia.
Drink fresh fruit juices , instead, for breaking fast.

1. In Indonesia, traditional treats for breaking the Ramadan fast such as sweet black tea, kolak or biji salak( fruit with its peel like snake-scale skin),both kolak and biji salak are types of sweet condiment with coconut milk and palm sugar, should be avoided so as not to accelerate aging or develop diabetes.

2.Sweet treats, kolak and biji salak increase blood sugar levels, desperately needed by people who fast, the high content of refined white sugar is bad/unhealthy for you.

3. The high level of sugar triggers the organ pancreas to work harder to produce insulin. Too much insulin can be toxic to cells and hasten aging. It also exerts strain on your pancreas, which could damage it, causing diabetes.

4. A healthier alternative to quickly increase blood sugar levels after fasting would be to drink fruit juice. Fruit juices that are low in fiber can quickly increase blood sugar level.

5. To be able to keep your blood sugar level stable during 14 hours of fasting everyday needed smart diet management. drinking lots of fresh fruit juice before and after breakfast meals is good to increase blood sugar levels.

6. At the dawn meal however, one should eat fruit along with its skin/peel to get the fiber. With fiber, the human body release sugar gradually, giving a stable source of energy. Fresh fruit also contains needed water and electrolytes.

7.Red rice (brown rice/cargo rice), whole wheat bread, cereals and oatmeal should be the food of choice during dawn meals because of their high fiber content.

8. One should continue to exercise during fasting. Light exercise such as walking or stretching is ideal.

9.Common mistake during the fasting month is to stop exercise. This is wrong because you need to exercise to be fit. Another mistake is exercising in the dawn. Because the human body is getting ready for nutrients absorption/assimilation between 8 pm till 4 am.

10. One needs to drink to restore the loss of fluid/water during exercise. So, do light exercise half hour before breaking fast. However, people with diabetes should wait until fast breaking before exercising.

Thank you Samuel Oetoro, nutritionist.