Rawalpindi
Regular fasting in the holy month of Ramazan in patients suffering from high blood pressure or heart diseases may be beneficial provided they have taken proper guidance from their physicians.
Generally, it is observed that majority of patients suffering from hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure feel a lot better under Islamic fasting while most of the heart patients do not face any complications while fasting. However, to get maximum benefits from fasting, such patients need proper advice from their physicians on food and medication.
Medically, it is proven that fasting has great physical, spiritual and psychological benefits both for the healthy persons and the patients suffering from hypertension or heart diseases.
Health experts believe that almost all body functions get regulated through fasting that helps control blood pressure and is a natural way to normalize body weight. Fasting dissolves all unnecessary and unnatural fats deposits in the body reducing risk factor of heart attack and a number of other diseases.
High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet (high sugar, high carbohydrate and excess hydrogenated oils) and stress are the main risk factors for heart diseases and stroke and these can be avoided while fasting, said Vice Chancellor of Rawalpindi Medical University Professor Dr. Muhammad Umar while talking to ‘The News’.
Fasting is a great source of discipline and contentment and a person under fast can keep himself away from all the scourge of modern life that results in diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks, he said.
He, however, added that the patients suffering from heart diseases or hypertension should avoid excessive use of beef, vanaspati ghee, margarine, hydrogenated vegetable oils, refined flour products, instant rice, potatoes and cream not only in Ramazan but in routine too. Heart patients should replace high carbohydrate, starchy diet with high protein diet including fish and fish oils, he said.
Moderate use of monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, various dry fruits such as almond, walnut, peanuts etc is safe for heart patients however they should avoid Trans fats found in French fries, chips, crackers, cakes, biscuits, ‘samosas’, ‘pakoras’, patties, sweets, vanaspati ghee and hydrogenated oils, said Professor Umar.
He, like many other health experts, suggested that a heart patient while opting for fasting should eat more vegetables especially leafy vegetables and salads. Heart patients should eat fruits but avoid fruit trifles. They should use more lemon. They may use milk and yogurt but without cream, he said.
It is ideal for heart patients to use brown flour/bread and take simple ‘chapatti’ instead of ‘parathas’. Patients suffering from high blood pressure or heart diseases can have one teaspoonful of honey and few dates daily. However, they must be careful in using salt and spices and should use less salt and spices. A heart patient while opting for fasting should drink a lot of water between Iftar and Sehar, said Professor Umar.
It is important that in most of the cases of heart diseases, the dose of anti-hypertensive drugs is decreased during fasting provided a patient avoids oily and salty food at the time of ‘Sehr’ and ‘Iftar’ and for that heart patients must consult their physicians before going for fasting.
Also the patients who have angina or had a heart attack in the recent past, must undergo examination prior to opting for fasting.
Health experts say that one should eat healthy diet in Íftar’ and ‘Sehar’ such as ‘fruit chaat’, ‘vegetable salads’, along with macaroni; simple chapatti, whole wheat bread, pulses, fish, poultry, milk, yoghurt, dates, fresh fruits juices, soups, boiled rice, potatoes, and peas etc and should avoid unhealthy diet such as deep-fried foods including ‘Samosas’, ‘pakoras’, ‘kachoris’, ‘jalabis’, and ‘parathas’, excessive usage of spices, tea, coffee, cola or other beverages etc because all these foods increase your blood Low Density Lipoproteins (bad cholesterol) which is bad for your health and for your heart.
One should also limit the amount of sweet food in Ramazan and should consume moderate amount of food at the time of ‘sehar’ and ‘iftar’. Consumption of excessive amounts of food during ‘sehri’, or Iftar’ is also a dangerous practice, said Professor Umar.
