Early Riser
Prophet Muhammad slept early
and woke up with the Adhan of Fajr each day. Being an early riser has
scientifically been correlated with better productivity, as well as better
mental health in general.
So, waking up early may be hard
but with baby steps, even if it’s just waking up 15 minutes earlier to start
with, you can begin improving your quality of life.
Eating Less
The practice of eating less to
prevent sickness and disease was emphasized by Prophet Muhammad, and now backed
heavily by science much later.
The Islamic concept ‘1/3 for
your food, 1/3 for your liquids, and 1/3 for your breath’ matches very closely
to the Japanese ‘hara hachi bu’ concept, which means eat until you are only 80%
full.
Read more about the health
benefits of the ‘hara hachi bu’ practice here.
Eating Slowly
We now know that it takes our
body 20 minutes to send signals to our brain that it is full. Slow eating will
help you eat less food and improve your digestion, and it is a practice
Muhammad did himself and strongly advocated.
Read more about slow, mindful
eating here.
Mindful Eating
Eat together and not
separately, for the blessing is associated with the company. (Ibn Majah)
The prophet stressed this, and
today sharing and enjoying food has been proven to reduce stress, and build
healthy eating habits within family and children.
Water
‘Do not drink water in one
breath, but drink it in two or three breaths’, is the manner by which Muhammad
(peace be upon him) drank water.
Science today proves that when
a person drinks too much water in a short period of time they can experience
headaches, imbalance in blood electrolyte levels and sometimes dizziness too.
Drinking slowly helps you
actually absorb the fluid and get the most benefit out of it.
Pomegranates
Pomegranates are thought to
have been the Prophet’s favorite fruit, and modern scientific research has
proven pomegranates to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
They contain manganese, which
helps in the formation of bone structures during the metabolic process, and
potassium, which aids in maintaining cellular function and keeps a balance in
fluid levels. Also, they are potent in flavonoids and polyphenols, antioxidants
which protect our bodies against heart disease.
Fasting
Recent evidence is showing that
not just the food we eat, but our eating timings and patterns also have a
profound impact on our health.
Fasting was a regular practice
of Muhammad’s (PBUH) life, not just during Ramadan. He would fast until Maghrib
every Monday and Thursday, and also on the 13th, 14th and 15th of each month.
This is similar to the
intermittent fasting practice, which has been proven to balance hormone levels,
prevent oxidative stress, and reduce overall inflammation.
When you think about it, the
less food you put into your body the less it focuses on digestion and the more
it can focus on healing itself from certain ailments!
Dates
Dates are the perfect foods to
break your fast as they stabilize your blood sugar levels, rebalance blood
electrolyte levels, and help kick start your digestive system in preparation
for food.
Prophet Muhammad also
recommended dates to be eaten in the lead up to childbirth.
Dates are now proven to boost
oxytocin production in your body and speed up labor.
Staying Active
Fulfilling three of the five
pillars of Islam requires that Muslims be of sound health and fitness. Prayer
in itself is a form of exercise that requires movement of your body’s muscles
and joints. Good health is also necessary if you intend to fast or participate
in Hajj.
Prophet Muhammad strongly
encouraged physical exercise and told parents to encourage physical activity in
their children too by ‘teaching them swimming, horse riding, and archery’.
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