Do not skip suhour, the pre-dawn meal that is key to healthy fasting, doctors advise

Abu Dhabi: After a sumptuous iftar and nightly activities, it may seem like an attractive proposition for many residents to sleep through the night during Ramadan and skip the pre-dawn meal called suhour. Doctors have, however, strictly advised against skipping suhour, saying that the meal is the key to healthy and successful fasting.

For a person who is fasting, iftar and suhour are the two main meals, each designed to make the dawn-to-dusk fasting sustainable. Iftar is prescribed at the end of the fast to replenish the worshipper, whereas suhour must be eaten before beginning the abstinence from food and drink.

Unfortunately, while people spend a good amount of time preparing for iftar and indulging in it at the end of fasting, they often fail to prioritise suhour. And for certain groups of people, this may make fasting far more difficult, or even unhealthy.

Dr Bathoolunnisa said skipping suhour can trigger very low blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. “People with diabetes must [therefore] be cautious and fast in a safe manner. Consuming a meal before dawn will help them maintain good blood sugar levels throughout the day and minimise the risk of hypoglycemia,” Dr Khojaly added.

Similarly, the pre-dawn meal is especially important for young children who are not used to being hungry and for those who do intensive work during the day while fasting. In fact, it is not recommended to skip suhour even for people who choose to get enough hours of sleep in its place.

“Skipping suhour, which is one of the two main meals during the holy month, is not advisable for anyone, even for people with sleep disorders. It is better to go to bed earlier and delay suhour as much as possible, as this can also allow you to get enough sleep,” Dr Khojaly said. “The pre-dawn meal is also very important for patients with gastritis. If they stay hungry for a long time, excess acid formation in an empty stomach can aggravate their pain,” she warned.

“Avoid late night gatherings and try to sleep for at least four hours at night after iftar. After suhour and the Fajr prayer, return to sleep for a couple of hours before getting up for the day,” Dr Batholunnisa recommended.

There is also a recommended time for consuming suhour, despite the wide variations of time at which people sit down for the meal.

Dr Bathoolunnisa said the “best practice” is to have suhour close to dawn. This is also in keeping with the advice of most religious scholars. “We are instructed to delay suhour as much as we can so that our reserve of energy will last longer,” Dr Khojaly said.

Residents should eat a healthy and balanced meal at suhour, opting for foods that are nutrient-dense. Essentially, suhour should be eaten like breakfast, with slow-burning food choices that can sustain the fasting person for the day.

In addition, residents should also avoid only drinking water at suhour.

“Fluids are also essential during the month of fasting, but consuming a large quantity of water only during suhour is not enough to hydrate and sustain us throughout the day as we don’t have the ability to store water. Therefore, it would be best to keep drinking as much water as possible after Iftar. Try to drink at least two litres of water to stay hydrated throughout the day,” Dr Khojaly advised.