A few years back, I asked myself and my mum this question, and neither one of us had a logical answer. Norms? That’s what we grew up to find our families doing? Nothing scientific to support a behavior that only leaves us overly full, heavy, and carrying some extra weight at the end of the 30 days. Not to mention, it kept my mum in the kitchen for long hours every day.

If we fast for approximately 9-10 hours during regular days; assuming we stop eating a couple of hours before sleeping and get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, yet we do not eat heavy meals when we wake up.

Why is it when we are fasting for about 16 hours that we overload our bodies like that? It just doesn’t make any sense. Ever since that one Ramadan, I decided to experiment with having actual breakfast when breaking our fast, and this was the best decision I ever made. Guess what? Mum loves it too and swears by it!

We both feel lighter, rarely bloated, and our energy level is way better. My personal favorite is being able to exercise without that heavy feeling I used to experience.

What did we eat? We started with the usual water, three dates then took a few minutes to breathe. For my tummy to feel good and have better digestion, I always have a banana (that’s just me) and the Egyptian household favorite tea with milk.

This takes about 30-45 minutes after the Maghreb call to prayers. Our main meal is quite simple just like regular days, yet we focus on getting the nutrients our bodies need at all times. Omelets with a choice of cheese and veggies are always a hit, a side of salad, turkey sandwiches with heart-healthy greens and tomatoes, tuna wraps filled with cucumber, tomatoes, and corn with a side of Tostado chips, avocado toast with greek cheese…and the list goes on.

5-6 years later, the habit is still alive, and we love it even more. The best thing about it is no more long hours in the kitchen for mum.

Give it a try and see the benefit for yourself 😉