A group of Muslims break their daily Ramadan fast with an Iftar meal in Riyadh on Nov. 11. Story Tools
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ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) -- Ramadan is coming to an end with many Muslims a few kilos heavier -- despite having fasted during all daylight hours for the whole of the holy month.
"It should be a month to get closer to God and not closer to your stomach," said Abdallah Saadi, a 62-year-old pensioner, in the Algerian capital.
Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, when practising Muslims must abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk -- a discipline intended to better their souls.
The problem, say clerics and medics, is that the Iftar meal to break the fast after sunset has become ever more lavish in recent times, encouraged by the Arab cultural emphasis on big family meals.
Aiming to cater to all family tastes, it usually involves traditional sugary drinks, at least one starchy dish, a meat-based dish and a vegetable dish. The dinner is rounded off with desserts dripping in syrup and nuts.
"I usually put on between two and three kilos," confessed Moroccan teacher Fatiha Hashimi, 25.
In Tunisia, a survey by a government-run health institute showed 59 percent of women gained weight in Ramadan, and 35 percent of men. Health experts say average consumption of food soars by 50 percent during the month.
HEALTH WARNINGS
"Fasting for long hours then eating a lot of sweets and high calorie foods... helps people gain a lot of weight," said Maha Aradamis, an Egyptian doctor and dietician.
"If they are going to eat fatty foods, it should be in a limited amount but not daily."
Aradamis said she encouraged patients to eat more fruit and vegetables and to exercise as soon as Ramadan ends.
Clerics point out that the Prophet Mohammad supposedly broke his fast with only water and dates, then would perform the lengthy prayers special to the month and then eat a light meal.
"Wastefulness in Ramadan gatherings contravenes the teachings of Islam which recommends that Muslims provide more for poor people," said Mohammad Taqi Fazel-Meybodi, a reformist cleric in Iran.
Saudi television recently urged Muslims to eat more salads and drink more water. Some magazines in the Arab world feature recipes for non-fattening Ramadan food. But old habits die hard.
Nouara, owner of one of Algiers' oldest pastry shops, was busy preparing for the coming week's Eid al-Fitr holiday, the feast marking the end of fasting.
"It's the best month of the year for us but it's hard to keep up because Algerians have such a sweet tooth," she said, wrapping a chocolate-coated almond cake for a customer.
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