Fasting is nothing but depriving the body from essential food and nutrients in order to rid the body from all harmful toxins. Fasting can be done for spiritual and medical reasons, or even just for loosing weight. Recently, a few medical experts have advised pregnant women to abstain themselves from fasting. The reason being that, during pregnancy, the babies require more nutrients which are very essential for their growth.
During the month of Ramadan, many religious injunctions have banned the ill, elderly and women who are nursing a baby, or who are pregnant from fasting. Pregnant women are specifically being urged to not fast, especially during the first three months of pregnancy. In spite of the ban, a lot of pregnant women wished to do a fast.
Tips For a Fasting Pregnant Woman
If a woman, who is pregnant and is obstinate about fasting, she should consider the following tips in order to stay healthy both for her as well as the baby:
- While fasting, the moment she feels tired, she has to break the fast immediately.
- Not drinking enough water can cause urinary infections, so she has to drink plenty of water and due to this, during the first three months of pregnancy, the morning sickness would be at its worst.
- She is required to eat food that is easily digestible. Consumption of oily foods has to be totally avoided.
- Low-fat milk has to be taken every day.
- Eating dates would help in avoiding constipation. So, make sure she has dates.
- A pregnant woman requires an additional of 300 calories. So while fasting, it is important that she distributes her food intake equally during suhoor, Iftar as well as dinner.
- A few dietitians suggest that a pregnant woman should increase her iron intake. She has to include in her diet iron and folic acid rich foods like dried fruits, meat, lentils , green vegetables and cereals.
- Drinking clear soup will help in rehydrating.
Caution: The moment a pregnant woman feels severe sickness, increased blood pressure, dizziness, blurred vision, splitting headache or if she feels a slow down in the baby’s movements has to break the fast immediately and has to consult her doctor.
