Shahadah: belief or confession of faith
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Salat: worship in the form of prayer, five times daily: dawn prayer (fajr); after midday (dhuhr); afternoon (asr); dusk (maghrib); and nightfall (ishr)
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Sawm: fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
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Zakat: charitable giving, usually a percentage donation of salary (2.5 %)
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Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime
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Currently, about 13% of the world's population of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country, with 31% of Muslims living in South Asia.

20% of the world's population of Muslims live in the Middle East and North Africa, where Islam is the dominant religion

15% of the world's population of Muslims live in Sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa (primarily in Nigeria)

Consider speaking to family members about your goals and what you aim to achieve through your dietary change. This will help you gain support from those preparing meals and reassure them that your changes won't impact family meals or events.

Consider what you could add to the table, e.g., a soup as a starter or additional vegetable dishes to bulk your plate/meal

If you're eating with your hands, consider how you can balance your food intake. For example, if your main meal is rice and meat (e.g. a Biryani), consider counting how many handfuls of rice you eat (approximately four balls of rice would equate to ¼ of a plate).

When considering a serving of dates, note that 3 (large) dates (approximately 30 g) are one serving of fruit

Souhour in the Middle East and surrounding countries may consist of dishes such as sweet porridge, sutlac, balaleet or seviyan, or savoury greesh/harees or koksi, eggs, foul medames (beans) with yoghurt, thareed, bread, e.g. pastries, paratha, manakish or pancakes and labneh with zaatar or honey.
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In Indonesia, Souhour may consist of Nasi Liwet, sweet porridge (Bubur ketan hitam) or kolak
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Use Souhour as an opportunity to refuel and hydrate, eating hydrating foods and avoiding foods that are dehydrating (particularly salty foods)
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Add nuts, seeds and fruit to your porridge or pancakes

Consider granola or muesli with yoghurt and fruit

Opt for a smoothie or chia pudding

Try protein-rich savoury options such as foul medames (bean stew), dhal, omelette, shakshuka, and poached or boiled eggs

Keep pastries and sweet bread to a minimum

Consider reducing the sugar content of traditional meals

Ensure you drink plenty of water and fluids and hydrate using foods (e.g., watermelon and vegetables) at this time so you're well-hydrated throughout the day.

When planning your Iftar meal, consider what you want your plate to look like and ensure that all the components are available—this might involve adding some additional vegetable dishes to your menu

Think about the carbohydrate content of some of the dishes you prepare, e.g. stews - is it possible to add more protein and vegetables and less carbohydrates?
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Start your Iftar meal with a large plate of various salads and soups (without bread)
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As above, if you’re eating with your hands, consider how to balance your food intake. For example, if your main meal is rice and meat (e.g., a Biryani), consider counting how many handfuls of rice you eat (approximately four balls of rice would equate to ¼ of a plate). Remember, it's okay to have additional protein and vegetables if you’re still hungry.
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There will be some foods that you particularly enjoy during Ramadan, so it's worth building a framework for how often you might enjoy these occasional foods, e.g., "I will have one piece of Halawa after my meal" or "I will enjoy Halawa three times weekly as this is my favourite dessert."
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Rehydrate with water rather than sweet drinks such as sweet juices and Vimto. If you want to drink some juice, consider watering this down, e.g. 50 % water and 50 % juice as a guide. If you fancy a sweet drink, have this with your meal.
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Once Iftar is over, consider moving away from sweet foods, or if you’re the host, consider putting these away and out of reach

Consider fruit as a dessert or snack option. You can find our guide on fruit here
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Our Iftar recipes guide is mainly based on Middle Eastern recipes. For more recipe ideas, see the section below
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Consider some light activities before Maghrib, such as yoga, a light jog, or a walk to the mosque
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Following Iftar, a snack is usually served around 10-11 pm, although this may vary from family to family
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Make the focus nourishing and hydrating yourself through the night
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Consider a protein-rich snack at 10-11 pm
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Think about how to factor in exercise following Iftar. This might involve going for a walk or organising a football game with friends.
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When tired, we are more likely to eat high-carbohydrate and high-sugar foods. Consider sleep quality and consider creating a sleep framework that feels achievable with family commitments, which may include an afternoon nap.
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Make sure you practise self-kindness and forgiveness when eating foods that are not typically a part of your balanced Second Nature food intake. Remember, it's okay to have any food on occasion.
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Avoid the All-or-Nothing thinking trap (it's only for a month, a particular time of the year) and focus on long-term goals. It helps to separate the night into different sections, e.g., the Iftar meal, late-night snack, and Souhour. If one of these meals doesn't go according to plan, draw a line under it and move on. No two meals are connected.
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Avoid the justification thinking trap (I have no control over the food served and am not responsible for food preparation). Ensure you advocate for your health goals by taking along foods you can eat to an Iftar meal or ensuring that your Iftar table contains all the ingredients needed to enjoy a healthy, balanced meal.
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You might struggle to stop eating due to the abundance of 'special' food you consider a 'Ramadan treat'. If this is the case, try setting a framework that includes 'everyday' and 'occasional' choices, e.g. 'I will have dessert on four nights of the week and the other nights I will have fruit and yoghurt.'
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It can be challenging trying to set boundaries with family 'feeders'. Don't fall into the trap of 'feeling that you can't say no'. Consider putting together some sentences to address this, e.g., 'I'm full, thanks, I'll try some in a little while', 'Thanks, but I'm watching my sugar intake', or 'I'm working on my relationship with food'.
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Opt for a less sweet oat-based dish or add less sugar to the vermicelli
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Add fruit, yoghurt, muesli, and granola to the breakfast table
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Add vegetables to the kheema or curry and serve this with one piece of bread
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Reduce bread options to 25 % of the meal, adding yoghurt or labneh and spinach to manakish and fatayah to make it more nutritious and filling
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Consider an omelette, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or another egg-based option such as shakshuka
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If you think you will be hungry after breakfast and before your main Eid meal, consider preparing a healthy, protein-rich morning snack
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You may want some traditional Eid al Fitr dishes - balance this with soup and salad for starters and lots of salad and vegetable dishes to accompany your main course

Add extra meat and vegetables to your biryani, and reduce your rice intake
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Opt for keema, haleem, tagines, curries, and stews that are predominantly meat, fish, paneer, lentil/chickpea, and vegetables, or make some vegetarian curries or stews/salounas to add to the table
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Make a variety of chicken, beef, and lamb kebabs and shawarma and serve them with salad or vegetables rather than bread

Add a range of side dishes, including taboule, fattoush, moutabal, babaganoush, hummus, tzatziki, salads and cooked greens
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Think about whether there is a dessert that you would enjoy. If nothing appeals but you want something sweet, consider mint or fruit tea or fruit and yoghurt.
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If you want a dessert, limit sweet dessert options such as basbousa, kheer, shahi tukda, barfi, halwa, and baklava to a minimum and instead make some nut-stuffed dates coated in dark chocolate.
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Follow your hunger cues throughout the meal and ensure you eat slowly and thoroughly chewing your food. Here is the Hunger Scale for you to utilise. Aim to stay between 4 and 6 at all times:
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Consider starting your meal with soup or a plate of salads and dips such as moutabal, baba ganoush and hummus
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If you're having goat or lamb as your main dish, consider making kebabs or curries, reducing the carb content of the dish, and adding extra vegetables wherever possible.
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There are many delicious, adaptable Eid recipes on the BBC Food website
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Enjoy meat and rice dishes such as kabsa/majboor, biryani or mansaf, by ensuring your plate is balanced with 25 % meat, 25 % rice, and 50 % of a range of delicious salads and vegetable dishes.
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If you're eating with your hand, make balls of rice with equal parts meat and rice, and aim to have 4-6 of these, depending on the size of the ball
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Be selective of your dessert choices. It's okay to enjoy something, but choose wisely, pick something you will enjoy, and eat it slowly and mindfully.
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