The best meals to set you up for a period of fasting
Muslims around the world have now begun Ramadan, fasting from sunrise to sunset every day for a month, and we are also well into the Christian period of Lent. Of course, people fast for other reasons, too: intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating have rocketed in popularity in recent years, being normalised by the 5:2 diet recommended by Dr Michael Mosley, social media influencers and, er, Rishi Sunak, who recently admitted he stops eating on Sunday at 5pm for a day and a half. That’s not to say the latter approach is for everyone: “Intermittent fasting can be seen as a fad diet, and I’m not pro fad diets,” dietitian Priya Tew says. “I am pro people finding a long-term, sustainable way of eating for their health and their bodies, though.” Whatever your reasons, or if you’re simply trying to make it from breakfast to lunch to dinner without consuming half a pack of Hobnobs, which foods are going to sustain you best?
As with most things in life, it’s all about balance: “Make sure you’ve got your protein, your carbohydrates, focus on higher fibre wholegrains, alongside some healthy fats,” Tew advises. At breakfast, that might mean the classic avocado and eggs on toast – “It’s nutritious, hits all our food groups and tends to be quite filling” – or scrambled eggs and veg all wrapped up in a wholemeal tortilla.
