Say no' to heavy, rich food

Hyderabad: Heavy and very rich foods with thick gravies must be avoided during Iftar as these foods cause heaviness and indigestion.

Senior general physician Dr M. Govardhan said, “Heavy foods delay digestion. Eating foods containing complex carbohydrates are advised during the pre-dawn meal while simple carbohydrates are ideal for the evening.”

Deep fried foods like pakoras, samosas and fried dumplings must be avoided during Iftar. High sugar and high fat foods like gulab jamuns  and balushahis must also be avoided. High-fat cooked foods like parathas, thick gravies, oily curries and greasy pastries tend to cause uncomfortable feelings and affect the body metabolism, which slows down.

Dr G.K. Rao, senior general physician, said, “Due to intake of very high fat based foods, there are also problems of severe acidity as the long hours without food tend to activate acidic reactions in the body. For patients who are already suffering from acidity, the sunset meal has to be light. Binge eating at sunset must be avoided.”

It is advised for middle-aged and senior citizens to divide the meal into two portions so that the body metabolism works at a slow and gradual pace rather than going on an overdrive to digest food.