KARACHI (DAWN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Muslims believe that the spiritual blessings of Ramadan are manifold, and when done right, the holy month of fasting can also come with tangible physical benefits. Combining healthy food choices with fasting resets one's metabolism and can help one shed a few pounds and lower one's cholesterol.

Ramadan should not be the season of pakoras, parathas and all-you-can-eat buffet iftars. Those afternoon naps are certainly not going to help burn off the nightly half-kilo of jalebis.

Fasting is not a licence to eat with abandon, and nor should it be, according to sunnah (prophetic Islamic traditions).

There is no need to sink into a food coma after every iftar (break-fast meal) or slosh to bed after drinking litres of fluid at sehri (pre-dawn meal) - only to spend the next two hours peeing it all out. And healthy eating in Ramadan does not have to mean boring, bland, unfamiliar "diet food" either.

Quinoa for sehri or grilled salmon at iftar will make fasting seem like a penance instead of a blessing if those are not the sort of foods you would eat anyway. It is perfectly possible to incorporate your favourite Ramadan treats and the sort of food you would normally eat into a sensible, nutritious eating plan.

Here are five golden rules of healthy eating during Ramadan:

1. STAGGER YOUR HYDRATION

Dehydration is the toughest part of fasting, especially in summer, but loading up on water at sehri is not the best plan. Filling your stomach like a water balloon results in one of two things - throwing up or multiple visits to the loo.