As you all know, this year Ramadan is coming during a month where dehydration is such a serious problem. Dehydration can slow your performance and affect your energy levels. In order to stay active, eating and drinking right in Ramadan is a must.
Traditionally, many people who fast during Ramadan end their days with sweet drinks, particularly drinks with high sugar content and juices that provide no benefit for your body, like Vimto, Tang and Jellab. These drinks contain large amounts of sugar which is directly absorbed into the bloodstream causing an increase in your insulin levels, and stimulating your sweet cravings. The best way to handle the weather and to stay healthy is to focus on healthy drinks that are more beneficial for your health. Here are some of the six healthy drinks:
Amar el-deen (apricot juice): The most traditional of Ramadan beverages. It is made of dried apricot paste. Amar al deen is full of antioxidants that prevent diseases plus has Lycopene that prevents male infertility and prostate cancer.
Watermelon smoothie: Beat your thirst and boost your energy by having a glass of watermelon smoothie. It is an excellent drink during summer, full of nutrients, refreshing and tasty. It is also beneficial to ladies as watermelon also prevents cellulite.
Almonds drink: It consists of raw almonds, grounded and mixed with water, with a little bit of vanilla and honey added in. Almonds is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, decreases cholesterol and triglycerides levels. It also gives you the satiety feeling for a very long time.
Ginger and carrot juice: An excellent drink to refuel your body and to clean your inner digestive system. It is an important drink for your blood circulation, decreases inflammation and body cramps.
Banana/Dates shake: This drink is made of low-fat yogurt, dates, honey and banana blended all together. Dates are rich in iron and other essential vitamins and minerals needed to break the fast with. Bananas are rich in potassium which replaces sodium so it won’t make you feel thirsty. Potassium also prevents body cramps which are caused by dehydration.
Frozen Lemonade with mint: Very refreshing cold drink, with zero calorie, when using a sweetener. It boosts your metabolism and also prevents cellulite.
And finally, don’t forget to drink a lot of water to keep you hydrated.
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Question: Dear Mira, I am just starting out as a personal trainer, and I find that many people prefer the Keto Diet to exercise. Some ladies told me recently that they have seen great results without the need for exercise. Can you tell me if Keto Diets are really effective? Are there any negative effects from this diet? Please let me know because I could not find any consistent information on this topic.
Answer: The Keto diet is a kind of fad diet, meaning you cannot sustain it for a lifetime. So basically you will lose weight very quickly while on the diet but mainly fat. But then you will start craving carbs like all the things you couldn’t eat and you will end up gaining all the weight back. Carbs are essential in our diet; particularly for giving the body energy that ensures a better performance. The reason why people like the keto diet is because they can have unlimited quantities. What I recommend for you is to encourage your clients to eat a balanced diet with less carbs at night to obtain results and not to ruin your metabolism. If you need better results, go for the carb cycling method which insists on full proteins for 2 days/ 1 carb day and so on.
