What is a healthy iftar?

Detailed answer

A healthy iftar is simple: break your fast with dates and water, have a light soup or salad, then a balanced plate of vegetables, protein and wholegrain carbohydrates. Eat slowly, stop before you are full, and keep fried food, sweets and sugary drinks as occasional treats.

What Islam teaches about eating

Allah says: "Eat and drink, but do not be excessive" (Al-A'raf 7:31). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that a person fills no container worse than his stomach, and that if he must eat more, a third should be for food, a third for drink and a third for breathing (Tirmidhi). Ramadan is a month of self-control; that spirit belongs at the iftar table too.

A healthy iftar in steps

1. Dates and water at sunset, following the sunnah. See why we break the fast with dates.
2. Pause and pray Maghrib. This gives your stomach time to wake up.
3. Soup or salad: lentil, vegetable or chicken soup rehydrates and fills you gently.
4. A balanced main plate: half vegetables, a quarter lean protein (grilled chicken, fish, beans, lentils, eggs), a quarter wholegrains (brown rice, bulgur, wholemeal bread).
5. Fruit or a small dessert later in the evening, rather than straight after the meal.

What to limit

• Fried foods such as samosas and pakoras: bake or air-fry them, or have one or two instead of a plateful.
• Sugary drinks and syrups: choose water, milk, laban or fresh fruit with its fibre.
• Very salty dishes: they increase thirst the next day.
• Eating too fast: it leads to overeating and heartburn after iftar.

Tips

• Drink water steadily through the evening, not only at iftar.
• Take a short walk after the meal or pray Taraweeh to help digestion.
• Plan your suhoor too: the two meals work together.
• If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or another condition, follow the advice of your doctor, ideally one who understands fasting.

A lighter iftar leaves you with more energy for Taraweeh, Quran and family time, which is what the evenings of Ramadan are for.