In March 2024, almost two billion Muslims take to fasting – one of the five pillars of Islam – during the Holy Month. Various people follow the dietary approach of intermittent fasting, and now Muslims are following the same diet, but for Ramadan. Intermittent fasting means having a controlled schedule where a person abstains from food and drink for a number of hours. Nonetheless, they allow themselves to eat during a limited time window, which ultimately leads to various health benefits observed across cultures and throughout history. One known intermittent fasting plan is known as the 5:2 approach. It entails eating regularly for five days of the week and eating less than a 600-calorie meal for the remainder of the week. Another approach, which is similar to Muslims’ Ramadan, is only eating for eight or six hours, and fasting for the rest of the day. Another way is the alternate-day fasting method, where individuals alternate between fasting and eating days. This diet rose to fame for its facilitation of weight loss and weight management in 2012, when Dr. Michael Mosley discussed it in his documentary, ‘Eat Fast, Live Longer,’ and…
The Crossroads of Faith and Health: Ramadan and Intermittent Fasting
March 18, 2024
