Ramadan 2026 starts: Nutritious Iftar, dates, and healthy fasting

Ramadan begins today, and many people who practice fasting during this time start their journey until the end of the month. Once the month-long period of fasting is over, Eid-al-Fitr will bring in a feast to mark the end of fasting and bring families together for a celebration. 

One big question is, whether you practice fasting as a religious act or more for the health benefits; is it actually good for the body? In addition, most of the fasting world breaks their fast with dates. How beneficial are dates in this sense? Or are the benefits of fasting and breaking the fast with dates only religious?

Benefits of fasting and eating dates every day

In reality, fasting through the day, and potentially dropping the amount of meals one has in a day from a healthy 3, to a heavy 2, can not produce the best health effects. People who are fasting usually eat a lot more during the hours they can eat to compensate for the loss of lunch, which then imbalances the energy levels in the body.

It is important to note that fasting also does not produce a significant weight loss, hence, if the aim is to lose weight- this would not be the best option! Few benefits of fasting include a slightly more regulated glucose and anti-inflammatory responses. 

The body does not usually welcome a big change to a daily diet rhythm, and this is where it matters to eat well balanced meals while one can. Dates on this matter are quite beneficial as they have natural sugars, pack fiber, and electrolytes. This makes dates a great transition to eating from fasting to readjust the body.

Photo by Engin Akyurt via Unsplash