How to Prepare Your Body for Fasting (Especially for Ramadan)

Ramadan is a beautiful time of reflection and spiritual focus, but for many people it also comes with exhaustion, headaches, irritability, and feeling drained.

Just like you wouldn’t jump into intense exercise without preparing first, the body does much better when it’s supported going into fasting.

A little preparation can make Ramadan feel much easier and more sustainable.

One of the biggest ways to prepare your body for fasting is by stabilizing how you eat in the weeks leading up to Ramadan.

When your diet is heavy in sugary or refined foods like cereal, sweetened yogurt, white bread, fast food, pasta, pastries, or sweet drinks, energy spikes and crashes throughout the day.

The body gets used to quick fuel, which makes fasting feel much harder once food is removed for long hours.

In the weeks before Ramadan, focus more on meals with healthy fats, protein and fiber, that digest slowly and keeps the body nourished and grounded. This helps the body learn how to release energy more steadily instead of crashing.

This alone can make a huge difference in hunger, mood, and energy while fasting.

What to eat at Suhoor for steady energy

Now during Ramadan, Suhoor sets the tone for how steady you’ll feel during the fast. Dates are mostly quick natural sugar. That’s perfect at Iftar when blood sugar is low and digestion is waking up.

But at Suhoor, you're going to want slow, steady energy that lasts many hours.

Below you’ll find examples of meals with protein, healthy fats, and fiber that tend to keep energy steadier and hunger calmer throughout the day.

Balanced Suhoor Main Meal Ideas (gentle & nourishing)+

Eggs with cooked vegetables, avocado or olive oil, and oatmeal or soft potatoes

Full-fat yogurt or kefir bowl with oats, chia or flax seeds, fruit, and nuts or seeds

Oatmeal cooked with milk or water, topped with nut butter, fruit, and a little honey or maple syrup

Rice or potatoes with chicken or fish, cooked vegetables, and broth or soup on the side

Soup or stew with meat or lentils, soft vegetables, and bread or rice

Scrambled eggs with cheese and vegetables, served with oats or whole grain bread and healthy fats

Chia pudding made with milk or yogurt, fruit, and nuts/seeds (great for hydration + fullness)

Leftover balanced dinner (protein + veggies + soft starch + fats) — often the easiest and best option

How to break the fast gently at Iftar

After fasting all day, digestion does best when it starts gently.

Beginning with water, dates, fruit, or soup helps wake up the digestive system without overwhelming it. After that, a balanced meal with whole foods tends to support steadier energy through the evening.

Balanced Iftar Main Meal Ideas (gentle & nourishing)+

Chicken or fish with rice or potatoes, cooked vegetables, and broth or soup on the side

Stew or soup with meat or lentils, soft vegetables (carrots, squash, onions), and bread or rice

Eggs cooked with vegetables, served with oatmeal or soft potatoes and a drizzle of olive oil or butter

Yogurt-based bowls (full-fat yogurt or kefir) with fruit, nuts or seeds, oats, and a little honey or maple syrup

Rice or porridge topped with protein (chicken, beef, eggs, fish), cooked veggies, and broth

Cassava/yuca or potatoes with meat or fish, sautéed vegetables, and a little butter or olive oil

Lentil or bean stew with rice, soft vegetables, and healthy fats

Bone broth with soft veggies and meat, followed by a small balanced plate

When very large or heavy meals filled with refined carbs and fried foods are eaten all at once, digestion demands a lot of blood and energy.

This can leave people feeling extremely tired, bloated, or sluggish right when they’re trying to stay present and active for prayer and evening gatherings.

Enjoy your meal, but try not to focus on getting full and overloading your digestive system. Prophet Muhammad PBUH taught us that the stomach should be filled one third with food, one third with water, and one third left for air, and this wisdom still applies for ramadan.

Hydrate in a way that actually helps

Staying hydrated is important, but hydration isn’t just about volume. The body also needs minerals to hold onto fluids.

Drinking large volumes of plain water without much mineral intake can actually dilute electrolytes and make hydration less effective.

Some people struggle to hold onto fluids or minerals tend to feel dehydration more intensely during fasting.

This is why some people still feel thirsty, tired, headachy, or drained even though they’re drinking a lot of water.

Warm or room-temperature water with a small pinch of mineral salt and a little honey or maple syrup helps the body stay hydrated at a deeper and cellular level.

Coconut water can be helpful in small amounts, but best when paired with other fluids like water, broths, or a pinch of mineral salt rather than alone.

Gentle herbs that support hydration during fasting

Some herbs help the body hold onto fluids, soothe dryness, and support digestion during long fasting hours. These tend to be especially helpful for thirst, dry mouth, headaches, irritation, and digestive discomfort.

Examples of Gentle and Moistening Herbal Remedies+

Light infusions of marshmallow root and slippery elm gently coat and soothe the digestive tract and tissues, helping the body retain moisture.

Chamomile calms the nervous system while supporting digestion and hydration. Fennel helps fluids absorb better and reduces bloating after meals.

Licorice root in small amounts is moistening and soothing to digestion and the throat. Rooibos is naturally mineral-rich, gentle, and hydrating.

(These herbs work best as warm teas between Iftar and sleep.)

During fasting, it’s usually best to limit strong bitters, stimulating, detox, and strongly diuretic teas and focus on gentle, nourishing ones instead.

It’s also important to listen to your body. What feels nourishing for one person may not feel right for another, which is why I’ve shared a few tea options to choose from.

A one size fits all approach rarely works when it comes to natural remedies. Natural remedies are complex, just like the body itself.

Ease back on stimulants starting now

If you rely heavily on coffee, energy drinks, a lot of caffeine, spicy foods, stimulating herbs, or other stimulants, fasting will feel much harder.

When the nervous system is already running on stress and excess stimulation, removing these things so suddenly can feel like a big shock to the body rather than a smooth reset.

It's also very important to keep in mind that stimulants increase fluid loss, which can make fasts feel dehydrating and even more depleting.

You don’t have to quit everything at once, but slowly reducing them over the next few weeks will make the transition into fasting much smoother.

Your body will thank you.

Don’t underestimate rest

In the weeks before Ramadan, aim for earlier nights when possible and consistent sleep times. This is one of the most underrated ways to support fasting and build a little extra rest before sleep time reduces.

During Ramadan, most people naturally sleep less. With late prayers, early suhoor, and regular work or school schedules, long uninterrupted sleep usually isn’t realistic.

Lack of sleep makes fasting feel much harder by increasing hunger hormones, blood sugar swings, irritability, and fatigue. When the body gets even a little more rest, fasting becomes much easier to tolerate.

Instead of aiming for perfect sleep, focus on earlier nights when possible, resting soon after evening prayers, and adding a short nap during the day if you can.

Even brief rest can make a big difference in energy, mood, and focus.

Gentle movement > Intense movement

Heavy workouts right after Iftar look productive, but they’re often too much too fast for a body that’s been without food and water all day.

If intense workouts were already part of your routine before Ramadan, your body may tolerate this better. Even then, most people still feel best by slightly reducing intensity and focusing on maintenance rather than pushing harder during the fasting month.

Movement during Ramadan doesn’t have to be intense to be helpful.

Light activity like walking, stretching, or gentle mobility helps digestion, improves circulation, supports energy levels, and can even reduce headaches and stiffness that come with long hours of fasting.

Short walks after iftar, gentle stretching in the evening, or easy movement during the day can make fasting feel much easier on the body.

The goal isn’t to push yourself, it’s simply to keep the body moving in a calm, supportive way.

Understanding your body during fasting

Fasting is meant to be a spiritual and physical reset, not a punishment and it's not the same experience for everybody.

Some people thrive because, before Ramadan, their bodies already ran on steady energy, lower stress, and proper hydration.

Others need more support with diet, hydration, rest, and stimulation because their systems rely more on quick fuel and constant stimulation.

This usually develops from years of stress, poor sleep, frequent sugar or caffeine use, and irregular eating, which trains the body to depend on fast energy instead of steady reserves.

The good news is that with a little preparation and support, the body can relearn how to run on steadier energy.

Most people notice steadier energy, less irritability, better focus in prayer, fewer headaches and crashes, basically a much smoother ramadan experience.

And if you have health conditions or feel unwell, it’s always best to speak with a healthcare provider about what’s right for you.