It is important that you know how to properly break your yom kippur fasting. The breaking of the fast is considered to be important not only in terms of religious traditions but also in terms of health. First off, fasting can be quite tedious, and secondly, after a solid 25 hour fast, it can be very tempting to break the fast with a full course meal. However, it is advised that you do not break it with a large meal, instead ease back slowly into your normal daily eating diet. In this way, you are sure to benefit from fasting and at the same time have the spiritual enlightenment.
Steps for Breaking the Yom Kippur Fast
Follow these simple steps to be able to break your yom kippur fasting:
- Firstly, when you are breaking your yom kippur fast, try to surround yourself with your family and friends. This is a very joyful time and a perfect moment to look forward for all the prosperity in the years to come.
- Start your break by eating a very small meal. To break a yom kippur fast, it is considered to be a custom to break it with dairy products. To break your fast, you can consider a few common foods like cream cheese, bagles, cake and tea.
- After consuming your tiny meal, wait for a couple of hours. This is done to ensure that your body does not get sick. After your first small meal, if your body, especially your stomach do not get upset, then it is fine for you to start eating normally.
- To ensure that your body gets rehydrated, drink loads of water. Start off by taking small tiny sips and then increase it up to a maximum of 8-10 glasses of water. This has to be consumed in a span of 24 hours.
- While doing your yom kippur fast, it is quite natural for you to experience certain side effects like headaches and hunger pangs. You can totally avoid being affected by this while doing your next yom kippur fast. For example, if you have experience a lot of headaches during your fast, just a few days before you begin your fast, avoid drinking alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. If you have excessive hunger pangs you can try to include a few foods in your last meal (Seudah Mafseket) which are quite healthy and rich in carbohydrates but low in sodium.
With these few simple steps, you can surely break your yom kippur fast.
