What to Eat for Suhoor to Stay Full all day during Ramadan

Have you heard the phrase ” Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” before? Well, this same phrase applies when it comes to Suhoor as well. What you eat at Suhoor is extremely important meal of your day’s fast. When fasting, your Suhoor defines your mood, your energy level, metabolism and even how you prioritize worship throughout the day. Since Suhoor is the most important meal of the day during Ramadan, it is important that you make it balanced, healthy and satisfying. Below are 5 must haves when making your Suhoor plate:

Eat more Fiber-rich foods at Suhoor

Why? Fiber helps to keep you satiated and fuller for longer without spiking up your blood sugar which is helpful in maintaining a sustained energy throughout the day. What you eat for Suhoor is very important as it is your first meal of the day. The more fiber we eat, the more healthy bacteria we can produce in our gut, and the better and easier we are able to eliminate on a daily basis.

Eating more fiber-rich foods is to your gut what your toothbrush is to your teeth. You brush your teeth on a daily basis to remove unwanted food particles that may have remained on your teeth, the same way you must aim to consume fiber-rich foods to remove unwanted food particles from your gut. If you fail to brush your teeth daily, there is debris build-up and the smell accumulates right? By brushing our teeth daily, we are less likely to put in more effort and energy to keep our teeth white and sparkly.

Drink More Water than You will usually Drink

Why? Drinking enough water at Suhoor helps to keep you hydrated for at least a greater period of hours before you break your fast. Lack of proper hydration may lead you to dehydration, headaches, hunger, constipation and sluggishness. To maximize hydration, make sure you do not stand, chug or gulp in water, but instead, sit, sip in 3 steps and then drink, as this is the Sunnah of the Prophet(ﷺ).

It is also important to note that it is not only what to eat for Suhoor that helps to keep you full, but the way you hydrate as well. Water is the single most essential nutrient and component of our body. Proper Hydration is needed for good digestion, for blood circulation, for temperature control and for proper brain function. Make sure to drink up especially during the long hours of Ramadan Fasting. This is to say that water is very essential for our survival and making sure that we are adequately hydrated especially during long hours of the fasting period.

Add Power to Your Suhoor Plate with Protein

Why? The more protein you eat at Suhoor, the more satiated you will be. Protein will help to keep you fuller for longer and increase muscle mass. This is especially important for both weight gain and weight loss.

Protein also helps to keep you fuller for longer, helps with many metabolic reactions in our body and is responsible for the production of hormones and enzymes that help to regulate our mood, energy levels, digestion and blood sugar especially when we are fasting. To avoid unnecessary hunger for at least a few hours after eating, it is very important that you include at least one source of protein at Suhoor and at every single meal throughout the day even after Ramadan.

Eat the Rainbow at Suhoor (Eat mostly Veggies and Fruits)

Why? Every color of the food you eat at Suhoor represents a certain nutrient or phytonutrient that is abundant in that particular food. No one single food contains every essential nutrients your body needs. By eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, you expose yourself to different essential nutrients that your body needs or is not able to produce by itself.

Try to make 50% of your daily food and nutrition choices come from fruits and vegetables.

Eat Sunnah and prophetic-inspired foods at Suhoor

Why? No matter what you eat, what other way than to emulate the way of eating of the Prophet Mohammed(ﷺ). Try to add more of the favorite foods of the Prophet (ﷺ) at Suhoor or Iftar. It is energizing to add these foods in your Ramadan Nutrition and beyond with the sole intention of healing and cultivating the Sunnah of the Prophets(ﷺ).