Ramadan guide
Eating well in Ramadan, one night at a time
Fasting from dawn to sunset moves all of your eating into a few hours of the night. This guide covers what to eat at suhoor and iftar, how to stay hydrated, and what typical Ramadan dishes add up to, so you can plan the two meals that matter.
Suhoor: the meal that carries you
Public-health advice agrees on one thing: don't skip suhoor. It has to last until sunset, so build it from foods that are digested slowly.
- Slow-release starches: oats, wholegrain bread or other high-fibre grains.
- Protein: eggs, beans, lentils, labneh or yogurt.
- Fruit and vegetables, for fibre and water.
- Go easy on salty foods such as pickles, olives, processed meats and hard cheese: they make you thirstier through the day.
Iftar: break the fast gently
After a long day without food it is easy to eat too much, too fast. Many people break the fast with water and dates, then pause before the main meal.
- Open with water and a few dates. If you have diabetes, Diabetes UK suggests one date, or a glass of water instead.
- Start with soup: lentil soup or harira adds fluid and protein.
- Eat slowly, and build the plate around vegetables, a lean protein and a whole grain.
- Keep fried foods and sweets, such as samosas and knafeh, for some nights rather than every night.
Drinking between iftar and suhoor
You can only drink at night, so spread it out: a glass or two at a time from iftar to suhoor, rather than a lot at once.
- Water first. The WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office suggests at least 10 glasses across the night.
- Eat foods that hold water: soup, salad, watermelon, cucumber.
- Limit caffeine in coffee, tea and cola: it can make some people pass urine more often.
- Watch sugary drinks and juices: they add calories quickly.
Keeping an eye on the total
Two meals can add up to more than three. A plate of kabsa or mandi alone can pass 700 kcal, before sides, sweets and drinks. Knowing the rough numbers helps you plan, not restrict.
- Decide what iftar looks like before you sit down: soup, a main dish, a side.
- Treat sweets as a planned part of the night, not an extra.
- If you want to keep your weight steady, compare the night's total with your usual daily target.
Calories in typical Ramadan dishes
These values come from Day Pal's food catalogue, which is grounded in USDA FoodData Central. Home recipes vary a lot, especially in oil and rice, so read them as a typical serving, not an exact figure.
| Dish | Typical serving | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking the fast | ||
| Medjool dates | 48 g | 13367 kcal each (24 g) |
| Lentil soup | 350 g | 210 |
| Harira | 350 g | 295 |
| Main dishes | ||
| Harees (chicken and wheat) | 300 g | 393 |
| Chicken kabsa | 450 g | 722 |
| Chicken mandi | 450 g | 816 |
| Chicken shawarma wrap | 250 g | 606 |
| Grilled chicken breast | 150 g | 226 |
| Basmati rice, cooked* | 150 g | 205 |
| Sides and snacks | ||
| Fattoush* | 100 g | 90 |
| Hummus* | 100 g | 170 |
| Stuffed grape leaves* | 100 g | 180 |
| Samosa* | 50 g | 130 |
| Falafel* | 100 g | 33056 kcal each (17 g) |
| Sweets | ||
| Knafeh* | 120 g | 420 |
| Suhoor | ||
| Ful medames | 200 g | 387 |
| Labneh* | 100 g | 150 |
| Greek yogurt, low fat | 170 g | 124 |
* Estimate: the catalogue's own approximation, checked against USDA data where a close match exists. The other values are USDA rows or combinations of them.
How Day Pal helps
Day Pal is a calorie tracker in Arabic, English and nine other languages, and you don't need an account to start.
- Take a photo of your iftar plate: Day Pal names each dish and estimates the calories, and you correct it before it is logged. Photo, voice and text logging use AI actions, and every device gets 10 free, once.
- Or just say it: “a bowl of harira and three dates”. Speech is recognised on your phone.
- Search the dishes in this guide by their Arabic or English names, free and with no limit.
- Track the water you drink through the night.
Questions people ask
How many calories are in a date?
One Medjool date, about 24 g, has about 67 kcal, according to USDA data. Smaller dates weigh less, so they have fewer calories.
Should I skip suhoor to save calories?
Health bodies such as the WHO and Diabetes UK advise against skipping suhoor: it is what gets you through the day. A light suhoor built on slow-release starch and protein is the usual advice.
Can I lose weight during Ramadan?
Some people lose weight and some gain it: it depends on what the nightly meals add up to. If you want to change your weight, talk to your doctor or a dietitian, especially if you have a health condition.
Does Day Pal know Arabic dishes?
Yes. Its food catalogue includes dishes such as harees, kabsa, mandi, ful medames and knafeh, and you can search them by their Arabic names.
Plan your nights with Day Pal
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Get Day PalSources
- WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: Stay healthy during Ramadan, accessed October 22, 2026
- Diabetes UK: Diabetes and Ramadan, accessed October 22, 2026
- Saudi Ministry of Health: Suhoor, accessed October 22, 2026
- British Nutrition Foundation: Healthy Ramadan (2021), accessed October 22, 2026
- British Nutrition Foundation: Ramadan and pregnancy, accessed October 22, 2026
- USDA FoodData Central, accessed October 22, 2026