Ramadan is the month of fasting for muslims, but there are some special categories who may need special care during the month of fasting, like pregnant and lactating mothers who need special type of foods in order to keep milk flow in the normal range for lactating mother, and maintain the safety of the baby for the pregnant mom. 

In this article, we will discuss the nutrition in Ramadan in general and nutrition in Ramadan for mothers especially, either lactating or pregnant moms, and the role of nutrition for keeping the health and wellbeing of mothers, and their babies as well. We will discuss the healthy food that can maintain the good health and nutrition in Ramadan, and we will answer your questions about what are the healthy foods in the month of Ramadan? We will discuss the types of healthy food for fasting as a general saying, and for fasting mothers especially.

What are the nutritional requirements required for normal healthy people during fasting? General guide for nutrition in Ramadan and healthy eating 

The healthy individuals needs daily nutritional requirements for normal healthy metabolism, and the health of their organs, as the healthy individuals needs 50 grams of protein, 70 grams of fats, 30 grams of fibres, and 2000 calories per day for healthy non-pregnant or lactating women, and 2500 calories per day for healthy men according to Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (FSC). The normal healthy individuals require 3.7 litres of water for healthy adult men, and 2.7 litres for healthy adult non-pregnant or lactating women.

The daily nutritional requirements for food and water can differ according to different statuses, like health status, body weight, daily activity, and age as well. The nutritional requirements for pregnant and lactating women have different nutritional requirements than other types of people. The presence of diseases in case of pregnant and lactating women can make differences in their nutritional requirements.

What are the nutritional requirements for pregnant and lactating mothers? General guide for nutrition in Ramadan for mothers

As we mentioned before, the nutritional requirements for pregnant and lactating mothers differ from that of normal healthy individuals. The water intake for pregnant women should not be less than 3 litres per day to keep the health of the baby, keep the levels of the amniotic fluid at normal levels, and prevent urinary tract infection as well.

The nutrient requirements for pregnant women without any other health issues can be as follows:

• Protein intake should be within 70-100 grams per day according to the trimester of pregnancy.
• Calcium intake should not be less than 1200 milligrams.
• Iron intake should not be less than 27 milligram.
• Folic acid intake should not be less than 600 micrograms.
• Pregnant women should take 300 calories in addition to her normal daily energy intake calculated by her body weight.

What are the healthy foods in the month of Ramadan? The guide for healthy fasting for normal people

According to what we have previously said, every healthy individual should fulfil the daily requirements for nutrients according to the previously mentioned nutrient requirements. The healthy foods in the month of Ramadan should contain all the essential nutrition requirements as follows:

• First of all, the most important healthy food for all people either healthy or not, pregnant or not, lactating or not, is water. Healthy food should compensate for the loss of water that occurs during the fasting hours. For example, these foods are fresh vegetables, and leafy vegetables. Beginning your iftar with a bowl of salad can compensate part of your water loss during fasting hours with good preparation for your stomach to begin eating. A bowl of soup can do this job as well.
• The second most important nutrient requirement is carbohydrate, dates can be a very good source for simple carbohydrate to begin your iftar with it. It can adopt any decrease in your blood sugar level.
• Protein requirements can be met by eating proteins from animal origin like poultry, lamb meat, and cattle meat, or from vegetable origin like legumes, nuts, and wild rice.

What are the healthy foods in the month of Ramadan? The guide for pregnant and lactating mothers for healthy eating in the month of Ramadan

Fasting during pregnancy and lactation requires good management to finish the fasting month of Ramadan without any harm to the foetus in case of pregnant women, or any decrease in milk production in case of lactating mothers. For the previously mentioned  reasons, good management with healthy food and healthy eating in the month of Ramadan is an essential practice.

Healthy eating in the month of Ramadan and the golden rule for nutrition in Ramadan for mothers either for pregnant or lactating women begins with drinking enough quantity of water distributed all over the night, from Iftar time to suhoor time. Healthy eating in the month of Ramadan also contains the essential required protein containing foods, like meat, poultry, and other vegetable sources of proteins like legumes, nuts and fresh leafy vegetables. Nutrition in Ramadan for mothers should contain the essential energy requirements, and the energy should be obtained from healthy sources like compound carbohydrates, which will give a good feeling of satiation instead of simple sugars, which will increase the need for drinking water and increase thirst during fasting hours. Taking care of foods containing essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 is essential in all categories of people and including of course pregnant and lactating ones.essential fatty acids are found mainly in fish, nuts and some other vegetables  

The high water containing foods like fresh leafy vegetables, cucumber, and some fruits like watermelon and orange. Maintaining good calcium intake is an essential goal during nutrition in Ramadan for mothers through eating healthy food that contains good amounts of calcium, on the top of them milk, and yoghurt as well as egg, cheese and other milk products. Taking care of other medical conditions that may occur during fasting is an essential practice during fasting, and applying any additional recommendation from your physician is an essential practice too.

When do the lactating mothers need to not fast at all?

In general, every case is different from the other one so each pregnant or lactating mother should take the opinion of their doctors before making the decision of fasting or not, so you should contact your doctor before making this decision. In this paragraph, we will give you a general guide for fasting at your lactation period, especially when you need to not fast at all.

Firstly, the lactating mothers who are lactating infants less than 6 months, or who are dependent on breastfeeding as a sole source for feeding should not fast at all, as decreasing water and fluid intake during fasting can dramatically decrease the breast milk production. 

You can observe this decrease in your breastmilk production through different ways, like squeezing the breast and observing the milk letdown, and observing the diapers of your baby, as decreasing milk production can decrease your baby urine and stool production as well. There are different signs that indicate the starvation and thirst of you baby, and you should stop fasting when you observe any of these signs at any stage of your lactation.

When do pregnant women need to not fast at all?

In many cases the pregnant mothers need to not fast at all due to certain medical conditions. This case needs the advice of your physician to know if you are able to fast in the month of Ramadan or not. The most common medical conditions that can prevent fasting in pregnancy are as follows:

• Presence of hypertension, as the pregnant hypertension patients are not able to fast, as they need to take some medication over the day. The ability of the pregnant hypertensive patients to get a stroke can be another cause that prevents the fasting of the pregnant mothers.
• Having diabetes can prevent pregnant mothers from fasting, as fasting can dramatically decrease the blood sugar level of the pregnant mother, and cause harm to her foetus.
• Having a high degree of anaemia, as anaemia can cause severe tiredness and hypotension during fasting.
• Presence of continuous vomiting, as it can cause dehydration with the need of eating small several meals. Generally, fasting is not recommended in the first trimester of pregnancy where vomiting and craving are a common sign of this period of pregnancy, and dehydration as a common sequelle for vomiting.
• Pregnancy with twins can prevent fasting, as women who are pregnant with twins are more vulnerable to abortion and stillbirth than other pregnant women.
• Generally, it is not recommended to fast in the last trimester of pregnancy, as the women in the last trimester are more vulnerable to stress and tiredness, and they need to get several small meals to avoid stomach hyperacidity.
• Presence of history of previous abortion. In some cases of pregnancy after a previous abortion, the physician may prevent fasting.
• In cases of pregnancy toxaemia, the physician will prevent fasting.

What are the ideal conditions for fasting during pregnancy and lactation?

According to what we previously said about nutrition in Ramadan for mothers, there are some ideal conditions that control fasting during pregnancy and lactation and make fasting during pregnancy and lactation more easier. The ideal conditions for fasting during pregnancy can be as follows:

• You are pregnant in the second trimester of pregnancy, at the 4th, 5th or 6th months of pregnancy.
• You do not have any other health conditions, like anaemia, hypotension ,hypertension, pregnancy toxaemia or any other health condition.
• You are not breastfeeding any other baby with you.
• You do not have a history of previous abortion.
• You do not have a history of previous stroke or any other problems in the blood coagulation.
• You should drink at least 3 litres of water distributed all over the night (iftar hours).
• You should eat 5 meals distributed all over the night from iftar to suhoor.
• You should not leave eating suhoor meal, as it can provide you with the required energy, water, and other essential requirements.
• You should avoid drinking coffee or tea, as it can increase your water excretion, and can increase thirst during fasting hours.
• Avoid eating a large amount of sweets, as it can increase your thirst during fasting hours.

The ideal conditions for fasting during lactation:

• You are not lactating a baby less than 6 months or a baby who depends solely on lactation,
• You should drink an enough quantity of water (3 litres) distributed all over the night from iftar to suhoor. 
• You do not have other health problems with lactation, like hypotension, anaemia, excessive bleeding for any reason, or any other health problem.
• You are not nursing a twin.
• You should avoid drinking coffee or tea, as it can increase your water excretion, and can increase thirst during fasting hours.
• Avoid eating a large amount of sweets, as it can increase your thirst during fasting hours.

Nutrition in Ramadan for mothers, different health advice for healthy fasting for pregnant and lactating mothers, and healthy foods in Ramadan

Of course your healthy fasting during pregnancy or lactation is a great target that you need to reach to fast Ramadan with a complete health status. We will give you some tips that can help you reach your goal.

• Begin your iftar with dates, and water and then wait for 10 minutes before beginning your iftar, as it can help your slow release of insulin from your body, and help you avoid the rapid decrease in your blood sugar level.
• Begin eating an iftar meal with soup, salad, and proteins as they can provide you with the essential required elements that have been lost during fasting.
• Avoid eating a lot of sweets, and drinking a lot of coffee or tea as they can increase thirst during fasting hours.
• Try to focus all your activity during the night when you are not fasting, as it can save your energy, and decrease water loss.
• Observe your health signs during fasting, and break your fasting after contacting your doctor, if you found any abnormal health signs,
• Observe your urine colour during fasting if you are pregnant or lactating, as it can indicate your degree of dehydration.
• Keep your water intake 3 litres distributed from iftar to suhoor everyday, do not drink a lot of water immediately before fasting hours, as all the water will be excreted by your kidneys, and you will not get any benefit from them.
• Stay in contact with your physician, and ask him about any problem that may occur during fasting.

Conclusion 

Healthy fasting requires healthy eating, this is a critical rule for every person generally, and for pregnant and lactating mothers especially. Every person needs to keep eating healthy during the month of Ramadan to avoid any health drop that may prevent him from complete fasting, and this point is most important for pregnant and lactating mothers especially.

Health food and drinks can supply the body with every nutrient it has lost during fasting. Healthy food and drinks should supply your body with the required calcium, protein, carbohydrate and other minerals required for healthy people to maintain their activity, for pregnant mothers to keep the foetus alive and healthy, and the lactating mothers to keep their milk flow normal.