When it's time to break the fast, we seem to gobble everything in front of our eyes. That’s why all-you-can-eat restaurants become the most popular during Ramadan. But do you know that overeating after breakfasting is not good for you and your health?

Why is overeating not good when breaking fast?

Eating too much when breaking fast makes your body feel weak and sleepy. This is a side effect when the body consumes too much-refined carbohydrates food. Carbs give you energy, and eating it in big amounts may trigger high blood sugar. The result is your body feels tired. 

Nausea and Vomiting

Feeling nausea after overeating might due to your stomach not being able to accommodate too many meals at once. Not only does your stomach work harder, but overeating is also one of the reasons for the trigger of GERD. 

Mindful eating

Slowing down is one of the best ways to get our mind and body to communicate what we need for nutrition. The body sends its satiation signal about 20 minutes after the brain, which is why we often unconsciously overeat. But, if we slow down, we can give our body a chance to catch up to our brain and hear the signals to eat the right amount.

Simple ways to slow down might simply be following your grandmother's manners, such as sitting down to eat, chewing each bite 25 times (or more), setting your fork down between bites, and all others that might seem pointless to you in the past.

Are you responding to an emotional want or responding to your body’s needs?

We need to realize that the most essential reason we do fasting is that we learn how to maintain our emotions and learn how to be more patient. We should question our inner-self, are we responding to an emotional want or responding to our body’s needs?

Often we listen first to our minds, but like many mindfulness practices, we might discover more wisdom by tuning into our bodies first. Rather than just eating when we get emotional signals, which may be different for each of us, be they stress, sadness, frustration, loneliness, or even just boredom, we can listen to our bodies. Is your stomach growling, energy low, or feeling a little lightheaded? 

Too often, we eat when our mind tells us to, rather than our bodies. True mindful eating is actually listening deeply to our body’s signals for hunger. Ask yourself: What are your body’s hunger signals, and what are your emotional hunger triggers?