Early Sahur? Nutrition Doctor Suggests Better Do It On Time

Illustration (Flo Dahm/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Clinical Nutrition Specialist from the University of Indonesia, dr. Diana Felicia Suganda, M.Kes, Sp.GK does not recommend that you eat suhoor early or a few hours before dawn should be, such as 24.00 hours.

"Sahur, if it's faster, means that our time is empty, aka fasting longer," said the doctor who practices at Pondok Indah Hospital - Bintaro Jaya, as reported by ANTARA.

Diana is often a speaker and resource person in a number of health talk shows on national television stations, saying that sahur should be done close to Imsak so that the distance from breaking the fast is no more than 13-14 hours.

If you are suhoor around 03.00-04.00 then you fast for about 13-14 hours until the time of breaking the fast at 18.00. He explained, for people with blood sugar problems, longer fasting times can cause blood sugar to drop.

But this may not have happened to them without blood sugar problems, although the recommendation of fasting (in Indonesia) is no more than 13-14 hours and means suhoor ahead of Imsak time.

"The effect is for people with blood sugar problems, usually it becomes heavier when it comes from eating hours, fasting time is longer, finally the blood sugar drops quickly," explained Diana.

On the other hand, early dawn, for example at 24.00 to avoid getting up at 03.00, could interfere with the body's biological clock. When the body is included, the digestive tract should rest but instead be forced to work.

"Everything has research, the recommendation is when we have to eat during the fasting month. So it's better if the sahur is not at 24.00 or used as dinner. Naturally, we will sahur according to the hours leading to Imsak and when breaking the fast," Diana said.

Sahur, as recommended by the Ministry of Health, should consume protein foods, complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber, increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables to help maintain body stamina when fasting. In addition, make sure you simply drink water and reduce the consumption of salted foods because foods with high salt levels will accelerate the release of body fluids.