Fasting during the month of Ramadan can be good for your health if it’s done correctly.
 

When the body is starved of food, it starts to burn fat so that it can make energy. This can lead to weight loss. However, if you fast for too long your body will eventually start breaking down muscle protein for energy, which is unhealthy.
Dr Razeen Mahroof, an anaesthetist from Oxford, says there's a strong relationship between diet and health.
“Ramadan isn’t always thought of as being an opportunity to lose weight because the spiritual aspect is emphasised more generally than the health aspect," he says. "However, it’s a great chance to get the physical benefits as well.”

Source of energy
The changes that happen in the body during a fast depend on the length of the continuous fast. The body enters into a fasting state eight hours or so after the last meal, when the gut finishes absorbing nutrients from the food.
In the normal state, body glucose, which is stored in the liver and muscles, is the body’s main source of energy. During a fast, this store of glucose is used up first to provide energy. Later in the fast, once the glucose runs out, fat becomes the next source of energy for the body.
With a prolonged fast of many days or weeks, the body starts using protein for energy.
This is the technical description of what is commonly known as ‘starvation’. It is clearly unhealthy. It involves protein being released by the breakdown of muscle, which is why people who starve look very thin and become very weak.
However, you are unlikely to reach the starvation stage during Ramadan because the fast is broken daily.

Gentle transition
As the Ramadan fast only lasts from dawn till dusk, the body's energy can be replaced in the pre-dawn and dusk meals.
This provides a gentle transition from using glucose as the main source of energy, to using fat, and prevents the breakdown of muscle for protein.
Dr Mahroof says the use of fat for energy helps weight loss. It preserves the muscles and eventually reduces your cholesterol level. In addition, weight loss results in better control of diabetes and reduces blood pressure.
“A detoxification process also occurs, because any toxins stored in the body’s fat are dissolved and removed from the body,” says Dr Mahroof.
After a few days of the fast, higher levels of endorphins appear in the blood, making you more alert and giving an overall feeling of general mental wellbeing.
A balanced food and fluid intake is important between fasts. The kidneys are very efficient at maintaining the body’s water and salts, such as sodium and potassium. However, these can be lost through perspiration.
To prevent muscle breakdown, meals must contain enough energy food, such as carbohydrates and some fat.
“The way to approach your diet during fasting is similar to the way you should be eating outside Ramadan," says Dr Mahroof. "You should have a balanced diet with the right proportion of carbs, fat and protein.”

How do I encourage my children to eat fruit and vegetables?

Encouraging children to eat fruit and vegetables can sometimes be a struggle. However, research has shown that the more fruit and vegetables are available and easily accessible for children ie; chopped up and ready to eat, the more likely they are to eat them. Providing a variety of different fruits and vegetables is one way to encourage your children towards healthy eating habits, however you need to be patient. There is some evidence that children need to try new fruits and vegetables up to eight or nine time before they are liked or accepted. 

As a parent you can help this process by being creative in the way you serve up fruit and vegetables. For example, prepare vegetables in different ways to vary the texture such as raw, microwaved, mashed, baked, grated into a casserole or frittata (like a baked omelette) blended up as a pasta sauce or as a soup.

Fruit juice or fruit drinks should not be considered as a substitute for real fruit.  Fruit juice is often regarded as a healthy choice as it contains Vitamin C. However one small glass (125 ml) of most juices provides a child’s daily requirement for Vitamin C. More than this provides excess sugar and kg that can contribute to weight gain.  A piece of fruit is a better choice than juice.

Easy fruit and vegetable ideas:

             

Try and make fruit and vegetables a part of every meal or snack, for example:

• Top breakfast cereal with fruit

• add chopped or pureed fruit to yogurt as a snack

• make a smoother with fresh, frozen or canned fruit

• As a topping on toast, i.e. Banana, mushrooms, tomatoes

• chop up fruit or veggie sticks for your child’s lunchbox

• In Summer, freeze fruit on a skewer as a snack

• add veggies to a stir-fry, chopped up in meat loaf or a casserole or on a home-made pizza.

Select fruit and vegetables in Season – it will taste better and is usually cheaper than those that are out of season.

MINI PIZZA ROLLS

This is one type of pizza which you can afford to do in the mornings. All you need is a soft roll cut into half, spread both sides with tomato puree, and add which ever filling you like eg: sweetcorn, peppers etc and then grate cheese on to sprinkle Italian herbs and place under the grill for about 5 min. once done let it cool and wrap in foil. Enjoy.

Kid's Lunch Boxes!!!!!

Are you a mother stuck every morning not knowing what to put into your child's lunch box?

Well look no further, every now and then I will be posting a variety of quick and simple ideas that will make your child's lunch box exciting inshallah so keep checking.ayshasamazingrecipes.blogspot.co.uk

HOUMOUS WRAPS
On a tortilla wrap (you can get small size ones or you can use roti if you want it's up to you) spread a generous amount of houmous in the middle of the wrap then layer some grated carrots and thinly sliced cucumbers (these should be sliced in strips, can take skin off if you want), then from one end of the warp start rolling the tortilla until it becomes a wrap and finally wrap in foil to stay fresh and keep its shape.

Don’t limit yourself to just carrots and cucumbers feel free to add anything else your child may like. My kid's just love these wraps.

 Mexican Salad

1 tin sweetcorn drained

1 small green pepper chopped

1 small red pepper chopped

¼ bunch fresh parsley chopped fine

hand full cheery tomato halved

¼ cucumber chopped

mix all in a large bowl

dressing:

in a cup mix 1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

pinch of salt and pepper

1 tsp sugar

mix well and add to the salad just before

 Mexican Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken or 1 chicken cut without skin

1 tin cream style corn

1 mug tomato blended

1 med onion sliced

½ green pepper

½ red pepper both chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp crushed garlic

2 green chilli's halved

2 tbsp oil

coriander for decorations

Add onions to oil and lightly brown, add chicken and cook. Add green chilli, pepper's, salt, garlic and chilli powder and cook a further few min. Then add the tomato tin and wait for it to start bubbling then add the cream style corn and simmer for 5 min, garnish with coriander.

 

Healthy Eating 

I would like to let you all know about this exciting Healthy Eating course 'Fighting Cardio Vascular Disease' within the Asian community which started Last Thursday. Our first session was a great sucess. we were joined by various people from different government bodies giving help and advice to our ladies. It also was a good opportunity for the ladies to voice out their concerns and challenges which they face at home when trying to intoduce healthy food.

The atmosphere was very relaxing and everyone felt at ease to mingle with each other. The session ended with a wonderful healthy lunch which I prepared for all which I think was the icing on the cake for everyone.

If you feel that you could benefit from such classe then why not join us at Mushkil Aasaan in Tooting on Thursday at 11.30 - 2.30 pm. It's FREE and there will be live cooking demo by myself.

For more info contact: Aysha Daud 07946522892

 

 

 

 

Veg Jalfrezi

•  
• sunflower oil
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• ½ 350g jar jalfrezi curry paste
• ½ butternut squash, cut into chunks
• 1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• bunch coriander leaves, picked and stalks finely chopped
• 500ml passata
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 100g natural yogurt
• 1 fresh green chilli, sliced
• boiled rice, to serve
• naan bread, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a low heat for about 8-10 mins until soft, stirring them often and adding a splash of water if they start to stick. Add the paste and mix well, then add the squash, cauliflower, stock cube, coriander stalks, passata and 500ml water. Simmer for 20 mins, adding some more water if it gets too thick.
2. Add the peppers and chickpeas, and cook for 15-20 mins more, until all the veg is tender. Stir in the yogurt and most of the coriander leaves. Serve scattered with the rest of the coriander and the sliced chilli, with rice and naan bread on the side.

 

Spiced paneer

• vegetable oil, for frying
• 400g paneer, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp fenugreek seed
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp clear honey

To finish

• small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• small knob of ginger, peeled and shredded into matchsticks
• 1 small red and 1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 spring onions, finely shredded

1. Heat 1cm oil in a large frying pan and fry the paneer in batches until golden brown – watch out as the oil spits. Scoop it on to kitchen paper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and gently fry the coriander seeds, ginger, chilli and onion for about 8- 10 minutes until golden. Tip in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the other spices and honey, stir and simmer for a few minutes.
3. Tip the paneer into the sauce and stir. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the chopped coriander and shredded ginger. Serve sprinkled with peppers and spring onions.

Pasta with pesto and crushed peanuts

2 fresh tomatoes cut in half

1 red onion sliced

mixed peppers sliced

1 small tub fresh button mushrooms

1 tsp crushed garlic

pinch of chilli flakes

mix herbs

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp pesto sauce

half pack pasta (any kind)

small packet of salted peanuts crushed roughly

olive oil

In a oven dish drizzle oil and all the above into the dish except the pesto and pasta and roast in the oven. Boil the pasta, once done in a large serving bowl place the pasta and add the pesto sauce, add the roasted veg and toss. Add more seasoning if required.