9 Mistakes You Might Be Making While Fasting For A Festival
Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... read full bio
Image: iStock
With the two big festivals of Ramadan and Navratri being celebrated worldwide, many people will be keeping fasts. It is pretty important to note that fasting can be strenuous for many people since it involves cutting down and limiting food intake for a period of time. One good thing is that you won’t be exerting yourself as much as you would have in the previous years since you are socially distancing indoors. Depending on which festival you are fasting for, you need to follow certain rules set in place. We all understand that the rules set in place for both fasts are quite different from each other. Some rules regarding the fasts are standard, so we will discuss advice related to both festivals and advice related to only Navratri and Ramadan. And so, if you want to fast, then you need to follow nine healthy tips that will help you fast the right way and stay healthy:
1. Eating Too Much In One Go
When you finally do get to break your fast, you mustn’t go overboard and stuff yourself like a turkey. Remember that doing so will just lead to you suffering from indigestion, acidity, stomach pain, and other irritating conditions. To make matters worse, overeating food can lead to you having trouble falling asleep. Hence, it would help if you avoided overeating after you break your fast.
2. Going Hungry Even When You Have The Option To Eat
While overeating is not a good thing to do, you should also avoid going too hungry for an extended period of time. If the festival and rituals allow it, you should try consuming smaller doses of food. During Navratri, while you can’t have regular snacks during the day, you can eat homemade sweets, salted makhana, and a few others.
3. Not Taking Care Of The Nutritional Content
If your food is restricted, you may think that you’ll be cutting down on fatty food and thus losing weight. Or you may feel like after you finally break your fast, you can eat crazy amounts of food. However, this is not the case. You need to make sure that you are getting the right kind of nutrition and are eating foods that are beneficial to your body and health.
4. Not Drinking Enough Water
Many people might forget to drink water while they are fasting, but if your fast allows it, you need to keep yourself hydrated. Since it is summertime, you will be sweating a lot, and your body will be losing a lot of fluid during this process. This is applicable to those who are fasting for Navratri. If you are fasting for Ramadan, you cannot drink water between dusk to dawn. This can be quite taxing on your body, especially in the extreme heat of the summers. Hence, it’s a good idea to make a mixture of salt and lemon water and drink it when the sun goes down.
5. Getting Less Sleep
Of course, we understand that the first thing on your mind is to honor your prayers and commitments during this time. You should get the right amount of sleep and rest as your body adjusts to a sudden change in your lifestyle.
6. Being Too Hard On Yourself
Ofcourse, we are nobody to advise you on following your religious routine, but we should let you know that it is okay to go easy on yourself sometimes. Life has reached a standstill due to the pandemic, and many people might not feel like they are in the right state of mind to fast. Hence, it is unfair to expect all family members to fast, and you should never try to push someone to do so.
7. Exhausting Oneself By Doing Too Much
Fasting for Ramadan is not an easy task. It’s one of the strict types of fasts globally and involves not eating a morsel of food or drinking a sip of water during the day. Of course, some people are exempt from fasting, like older people, menstruating women, etc., but even if you are fasting, you need to understand your limit. If you have just recovered from a bout of illness, you should avoid a serious fast as your immune system is already quite low.
8. Not Taking Your Health Conditions Into Account
As this is a very vulnerable time for most people, and many have lost their family members to COVID, you need to be extra careful. If, by some chance, you were to get COVID-19, it will cause your immune system to be fragile, and if you are already fasting, recovery may be difficult. If you are someone who is generally weaker or suffers from low blood pressure/sugar, you shouldn’t be fasting as well. While those who are sick and ailing are exempted from fasting or are allowed to observe a fast at a later date, some people choose to keep a fast anyway. In the end, it is your personal decision to make, but make sure that you consult your doctor before you do so.
9. Not Preparing For Travel
If you are traveling during your fast, you need to take extra precautions to prepare your body for the journey. If you will be exposed to the sun, use sunscreen and cover your head to avoid overheating. Make sure you don’t overwork yourself to the point of exhaustion, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask those around you for help.
If you take the right type of precautions and keep a constant eye on your health, you will be able to get through your fasts with no problem. And if you cannot fast this year, for whatever reasons, it’s totally okay. You can follow a fast at a later date or next year when you are in a better state of health (mental and physical). Do let us know all of your thoughts on this article in the comment section below!
