Ramadan is just around the corner, and most of us living in the Middle East know what that means. It’s a month where Muslims all over the world undergo a daily fast between sunrise and sunset. However, even though you are a non-Muslim and not fasting, there are ways you can use this holy time to learn about the physical benefits of intermittent fasting. According to Dr. Lanalle Dunn- Founder of the Chiron Clinic – most of her non-Muslim clients undertake the popular 5:2 diet, which involves intermittent fasting around Ramadan time.

The premise of the 5:2 diet, is that five days of the week you eat as you normally would, no restrictions on food, drink, or anything. But then on two days of your choice in the week, you consume just 500-600 calories in 24 hours, hence the term intermittent fasting. Dr. Lanalle shared with us her top tips on how to benefit from intermittent fasting using the 5:2 diet.

Intermittent Fasting on the 5:2 Diet

Fill up on proteins and vegetables

Make sure that you are eating high-quality meat and vegetables on your fasting days. This will help you stay fuller for longer and you can eat a lot of filling vegetables for very few calories. I always advise my clients to stick to oily fish, prawns, chicken, turkey, beef, and eggs.

Eating Mediterranean-style diet

Stick to a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean-style diet, both on the days when you are fasting and when you are not. That means more olive oil and nuts, as well as plenty of eggs, yogurt, oily fish, and vegetables.

Drink plenty of water

It is important that you drink plenty of fluids (although not allowed during Ramadan for fasting Muslims), the 5:2 diet allows for drinking water. Stick to two liters or eight cups a day, and remember that tea and coffee count (minus the milk and sugar).

Get rid of all the junk food in your house

Make sure you get rid of any temptations, which means you are far less likely to cheat on fast days and you are less likely to indulge in other days. Instead, make sure you have healthy snacks that are already prepared that you can snack on if you are hungry. Celery and carrot sticks with hummus are one of my personal favorites.

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Regular exercise

It’s important that you keep on exercising if you are undertaking intermittent fasting on the 5:2 diet if you want to keep the weight off. I would recommend doing muscle building exercises such as press-ups and squats, as well as aerobic exercises such as walking and cycling.