Junk food and healthy food (freepik photo)
Tisha B’av will begin this year at the end of Shabbat and end about 25 hours later, on Sunday evening. Just before the Tisha B’Av fast, we spoke with Shiri Yom Tov, a clinical dietitian at the United Health Fund, who explains the importance of planning what to eat and drink correctly before and after the fast.
“In a state of fasting, most of the body’s resources are diverted in favor of maintaining a normal blood sugar concentration, because sugar is the only food for the brain and nervous systems, and a lack of it may end in loss of consciousness,” explains Yom Tov. “In the first hours after the end of the meal, the food is broken down into sugar and various important acids. About four hours after the meal, the body begins to utilize the glycogen stores that provide the body with energy, and then, the fat stores are used up. In this situation, you begin to feel the effect of fasting on the body, in the absence of available carbohydrates, and the body begins To produce fuel for the brain by breaking down fat, called ketones.”
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Yom Tov also wishes to emphasize that despite the fat burning procedure that occurs during fasting, there is not necessarily a contribution to weight loss because usually, when the fast is over, I make up for the deficiencies.
Preparations for fasting, from a physical point of view, should focus on two parts of the nutritional plane: drinking and eating. During fasting, you lose fluids, even though it is the hottest time of the year. The best way to take care of the fluid reservoir in the body is to drink a glass of water every hour or so the day before the fast, and it is also better to avoid drinking a large amount just before the fast. “People who like to drink a lot of coffee and other caffeinated drinks, it is recommended to gradually reduce drinking these drinks several days before the fast so that the body does not produce a reaction of headaches during the fast itself, due to the lack of caffeine.”
“In the last meal before the fast, it is recommended to combine complex carbohydrates such as bulgur quinoa buckwheat bread, alongside proteins such as fish, eggs, chicken as well as fresh and cooked vegetables and it is also highly recommended to eat legumes.”
Yom Tov also emphasizes that, “It is not recommended to eat too heavy a meal before the fast, as such a meal may burden and exhaust the body already at the beginning of the fast.” The recommended distribution of meals, as in planning drinking, is to have small, balanced meals throughout the day. Another important tip is to avoid simple sugars that may cause fluctuations in sugar levels and feelings of hunger later, as well as to avoid food that is rich in salt that may affect the feeling of thirst.
And how to end the fast in the best way? “At the end of the fast, it is recommended to return to the body the fluids it has lost and start with a glass of water. Afterward, water containing a wealth of minerals – coffee, tea or soup and a first course of sugar, such as fruit and a slice of cake – is better in a simple way. An hour or two later, you should eat a full and balanced meal.” Also, even at the end of the fast, the meal should not be too large and at a moderate eating rate, so as not to burden the body that is exhausted from the fast.
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