An extra challenge
The CBC also has advice about how to do a healthy Ramadan. It too fails to make it clear that going without water is not just unpleasant, it’s unsafe.
Ala’a Eideh, a PhD student in nutrition at the University of Manitoba, mainly recommends consuming anything that will not aggravate thirst throughout the day.
“The main things that should be avoided are spices, caffeine and sodium to prevent thirst to prevent fluid loss from the body,” she said.
But of course that day is 17 hours long, or longer (this is Canada we’re talking about). There’s no way to prevent thirst over 17+ hours with no water or any other liquid. Thirst=dehydration. This isn’t an issue of mere discomfort, it’s one of danger.
With Ramadan falling in June, Eideh noted an extra challenge with the longer light hours for fasting, where it can last up to 19 hours.
There you go – 19 hours. Imagine Ramadan in Yellowknife, or Barrow.
The Manitoba Islamic Association claims fasting can have many health benefits:
- Fasting boosts the natural levels of antibodies, adding to the body’s natural forms of protection.
- Fasting promotes regeneration of white blood cells from stem cells.
- Fasting is an effective form of healthy weight-loss.
No, fasting is not an effective form of healthy weight-loss. That’s just lying. Diet gurus who tell people to fast are reckless quacks.
But beyond some of the supposed health benefits to fasting, Eideh noted the spiritual aspect is more important.
“It helps people focus on their spiritual aspects, not the physical … this makes you think more of the spiritual aspects,” she said. “Overall, this will give you a spiritual revival as a reward and then you will feel like you have more control over yourself.”
Ramadan ends with a three-day feasting festival known as Eid to break the month of fasting.
How spiritual.
I will note that here in Calgary we just had a few days of temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s C. This is rare enough here that lots of buildings don’t have air conditioning. Low humidity made this bearable with drinking lots of ice water. Without the water it would have been very unhealthy.
How many people die from dehydration in Arabia or north Africa when Ramadan falls in the summer?
It must be a lot. I shudder a little to estimate a number. I suppose there is no reporting on the statistics…
Given that Saudi Arabia can’t report the number of people crushed in a stampede, I doubt they will estimate the number of deaths due to Ramadan related activities.
Incidentally, there is a company in Australia promoting a super low calorie diet. They are being heavily criticised because the maximum calories in any one meal is 400. Medical experts say no meal should be less than 600. I believe Australian law actually requires diet supplements to provide at least 600 calories per meal. These guys say that doesn’t apply to them because they are providing a lifestyle replacement, not a meal replacement…
I digress. Fasting and water deprivation to this extent is just plain dumb when you have to do more than sit in a tent all day.
Well, if any of those Islamic religiots die from dehydration, Inshallah!
Some Muslims and their Dhimmi minions expect the Kuffars to show ‘respect’ by adopting Ramadan as well.
It ‘s pathetic how these loonies attempt to use Western science as a justification for what’s essentially a primitive superstition and self inflicted misery.
Jim Baerg,
Temperatures in the 20s to low 30s C is really just spring weather, 40+ C is a genuine summer day.
Rob,
The Saudi authorities can’t accurately report the extent of stampede fatalities because they really don’t give a rat’s, as usual, Inshallah!
“It helps people focus on their spiritual aspects, not the physical … this makes you think more of the spiritual aspects,”
As someone who lost a lot of weight by crash dieting (consuming very few (~500/day) calories), I can assure you this is ludicrous nonsense. I was hungry ALL THE TIME. All I was thinking about was food. I was angry, irritable, had difficulty focusing and certainly wasn’t concerned with any “spiritual aspects.” I felt like I was dying everyday.
“Fasting is an effective form of healthy weight-loss.”
The closest to this being true is intermittent fasting, which entails fast during the AM hours only. Some people swear by it, but I’m still suspicious. Secondly, when you fast, your body doesn’t just consume fat for calories, it also consumes muscle tissue as well as your bones. YOUR BONES. Those are kind of essential for you body.
Ramadan is horseshit. If your god wants you to abuse yourself, tell him to get fucked instead.
I remember being in Egypt and my boyfriend becoming ill because he was dehydrated. We didn’t realise what was wrong with him because his thirsty triggers didn’t work as well as mine. After that he made himself drink a lot more.
We came across a family whose child had to be hospitalised through dehydration.
Ramadan in Northern Europe means 17 hour days. Sunrise is 4:28 in Edinburgh, sunset just shy of 10pm.
I love these long days but going without drinking for all of them? It’s been hot in the UK as well (by our standards – in the late 20s in some places.
Mohammad didn’t anticipate a day length far from the equator.
Spending 30-odd days eating and drinking nothing during daylight hours to to gorge yourself like a pig at sundown is NOT fasting.
True fasting involves reduction your overall caloric intake on a 24 hour basis, the way some Christians do during lent.
The Ramadan ‘fast’ amounts to theocracy enforced bulimia.
Purge and gorge.
Mohammad didn’t anticipate a day length far from the equator.
He didn’t anticipate the existence of The Americas either. When he sent invitations to emperors all over the world to embrace Islam, the good burghers of Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza received nothing.
That’s so unfair.
@ KB Player:
Rubbish. Mohammad (pbuh) was soo totally inspired by The Omniscient (TM) and therefore also as infallible as a quack.
Objection overruled.
Next plead, please. Based on actual science if at all possible? ;)