Water and other fluids have an important role to play in keeping the body healthy. It helps maintain the body’s temperature, helps in preventing infections, delivers nutrients to the cells and helps organs function properly. While it is important to keep your body well hydrated every single day, this becomes more essential during the month of Ramadan. Hence, it’s essential to know how to keep your body hydrated while fasting.

As the weather gets warmer the body requires more water to compensate the water lost due to the rise in temperature. But considering that fasting during Ramadan means refraining from food and water for long hours of fasting, your body may be deprived of the required quantities of water.

Lack of fluids can lead to issues such as dehydration, headache, digestive problems, constipation, acidity and more. Therefore during Ramadan, it is important to take extra measures to ensure that your body is well hydrated.

Dr Dana Al Hamwi, Clinical Dietician, India Gate, KRBL stepped into The Beautiful Lifestyle to share tips on how you can keep your body well hydrated while fasting.

Tips to Keep Your Body Hydrated While Fasting

Combine water with fluid-rich foods

In general, it is advisable to drink between 8-12 glasses of water every day, and this stays the same during the month of Ramadan too. But during Ramadan as the time period to consume water and food is short, it may not be possible to drink as much water. Moreover, drinking large quantities of water at one time is not advisable. Therefore, you can to meet the recommended fluid intake by consuming water along with fluid rich food.

Add some chia seeds to your fluids

Whenever possible, try adding at least half a teaspoon of chia seeds to your drinks such as laban, lemon water, and herbal teas. These tiny seeds soak up the liquid they are placed in and retain the water. Therefore, as the body digest the seeds, the water is slowly absorbed, keeping hydration levels up throughout the day. It is best to add chia seeds to a glass of milk and have it, especially during Suhoor time, as this will help keep you sufficiently hydrated while fasting till Iftar.

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Always prioritise water

Water comes first. No drink can compensate for it, as water contains no calories. Drink 1-2 glasses of water every hour between Iftar and Suhoor.

Avoid fizzy and soft drinks

Aerated drinks or soft drinks should be avoided completely, during Ramadan, as not only are they loaded with calories, but they are high in sugar content, which dehydrates the body.

Say no to pre-packaged fruit juices

Avoid fruit juices especially the bottled type. Instead, opt for freshly squeezed juices and don’t strain away the pulp or fibre, even better would be to eat water-rich fruits such as watermelon and oranges instead.

Take caffeine sparingly

Restrict your intake of caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee to the bare minimum as they have a diuretic effect, which will make the body struggle to stay hydrated while fasting. So, when we drink them, we have to compensate with more water.

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Focus on eating fluid-rich foods

As it may be difficult to consume too much water in a short time span, I always recommend consuming fluid-rich foods like salads, soups and fruits as they are a great source of additional water. Opt for fruits such as watermelon, orange and strawberries, and add nutritionally and water-rich ingredients such as quinoa, lettuce and cucumber to your salads, and remember to consume healthy grain soups every day.

Salt is a no-no

Avoid salty food, pickles, canned food and other foods that contain high levels of sugar and salt as they dehydrate the body.

Stick to traditions

Stick to age-old traditional directives and break your fast with dates and Laban or room temperature water then start your main meal with soups or a salad.

Drink your water in portions

Get used to drinking enough water from the period between Iftar and Suhoor and divide the intake of water to half a glass of room temperature water every half an hour and add herbal tea to it. Avoid cold water as it might disturb your body’s immunity.

That said, how else do you keep your body hydrated while fasting, and does it work? Share in the comments.