during Ramadan some Muslims find that they have even put on weight

Many people perceive that Muslims at the time of Ramadan have an advantage in that they will be able to lose weight because they are not permitted to eat between the time of sunrise and sundown, however this is not always the case. Healthy eating involves regular eating and therefore not eating all day is not necessarily conducive to weight loss. What often happens is that Muslims following Ramadan will eat to excess at night immediately when the sun goes down and then again eat a huge amount just before the sun comes up.

They tend to eat in these hours a lot of unhealthy and fatty foods instead of sticking to a normal healthier diet. In fact there are reports that despite being hungry most of the time during Ramadan some Muslims find that they have even put on weight at the end of it. According to some doctors the Muslim community suffers from more cases of diabetes and high blood pressure during Ramadan than for the rest of the year. Another thing is that Muslims tend to get less exercise during Ramadan than they do at other times of year and this again aggravates health conditions.

In the Arab country of Jordan, health officials have even gone as far as to organise television advertisements which advise Muslims following Ramadan to be careful not to overeat and to make sure that they take some exercise at some point during the day. The healthy eating initiative of Jordan has been backed by King Abdulla II and Queen Rania who are both extremely health conscious and who both get regular exercise.

Other Arab nations such as the United Arab Emirates and also Saudi Arabia have also promoted healthy eating during the month of Ramadan and it is hoped that their initiatives will bear fruit. Recently Ukmedix News reported that Muslims in Turkey were given permission to use the appetite suppressant Reductil during the month of Ramadan but not all Muslims agree that Reductil or other appetites suppressants should be allowed to be used by the fasting faithful.