In the event you’ve ever been in South or Middle-East Asia during Ramadan, you’ll be aware of the delectable scents that waft through the streets during iftar: fragrant spices being thrown into opulent kadais of slow cooked haleem, the giddying sweet smell of shahi tukda doused in saffron and cardamom milk, and rows of hefty meat gently marinated, able to be thrown into the fryer. These fragrances function a welcome reminder of sunset and the long-awaited end to the day’s fast for Muslims the world over who abstain from food, drink and sexual intercourse in the course of the spiritual month of Ramadan. 

Still, only a handful are aware of the anxiety and agitation these smells can trigger in practising Muslims who live with eating disorders. “I remember my stomach would twist and churn each time my mother entered the kitchen to cook for the evening,” says 23-year-old Sakina*. “My thoughts would rush into overdrive attempting to create a recent excuse for why I needed to eat alone in my room – so I could hide the food – as a substitute of breaking my fast with the entire family.” Presently in treatment for bulimia, she spent years viewing the fast for Ramadan as a simple solution to mask her eating disorder. No person could query why she skipped meals if the entire community did it together. 

As an alternative of abstaining to feel closer to her religion, Sakina shunned food to suit into the newborn blue kurti her mother gifted her when she was 14 – a signifier that she hadn’t outgrown her “goal weight”. Sakina isn’t alone: about 9 percent of the worldwide population has an eating disorder, and within the Arab world risks for the illness go as high as 54.8 percent, making fasting during Ramadan a tough practice for some. 

21-year-old Asheeza spent her early teens engulfed by bouts of disordered eating and undiagnosed anorexia. After years at doctor’s clinics for low BMI and constant fatigue, she decided to amend her relationship with food during Ramadan. “Up to now, my weight would fall drastically at the tip of the month but my reasons for fasting were twofold: yes, there have been religious sentiments nevertheless it was also driven by a must drop extra pounds,” she confesses. Her body was trained to feel uncomfortable by the sight of lush feasts at iftar time, so it took some effort to feel grateful for food once more. 

For Asheeza, breaking her fast with fruits and a glass of milk or lemonade helps her ease into heavier meals. Moreover, if she falters or finds herself gravitating towards thoughts of disordered eating, she finds solace in Tumblr threads where people from similar cultural backgrounds share their experiences. “I approached my school counsellor earlier but her solution was to stop my fasts and since she comes from a special faith, I don’t think she understood the religious significance entirely,” she says, adding that consequently, online platforms became her secure space. For Sakina, planning meals upfront has helped her, especially when she’s away from home. For instance, while interning in Mumbai last 12 months, she subscribed to an iftar meal delivery service to make sure she didn’t skip meals despite hectic work days.

“Considered one of the challenges we face is to make people understand that an eating disorder can’t be ‘thought away’. It’s not a way of life change, it is a mental illness” – Dr Omara Naseem

Asheeza and Sakina’s experiences aren’t unusual, confirms Dr Omara Naseem, a licensed Scottish-Pakistani psychologist with an expertise in treating eating disorders. Having noticed a dearth in resources for minorities, she created an accessible and cohesive guide to help individuals with eating disorders during Ramadan. “Considered one of the challenges we face is to make people understand that an eating disorder can’t be ‘thought away’. It’s not a way of life change, it is a mental illness,” says Dr Naseem. As a practising Muslim, she asserts that skipping fasts doesn’t reflect badly on the person’s religiosity and stresses that the period is about strengthening your relationship with Allah through prayer, reflection, quality time with family and people less fortunate. Fasting is one solution to achieve this, but not the one path. Dr Naseem also emphasises that the Quran excuses those that are unwell from the tradition. 

Family intervention and support also play a key role in making a secure space for dialogue and recovery, especially as iftar parties with clan are commonplace as everyone breaks their fast together. Having a member of the family’s support to elucidate that you just are unwell makes the method lots more bearable for a fragile person in recovery. For individuals who are unable to bring their family to therapy, Dr Naseem recommends the ‘explainer for family and friends’ by Beat, the British eating disorder recovery charity. Family may keep a watch out for signs of relapse, including increased attention to weight, rapid changes in moods, a necessity for reassurance, skipping meals and isolation may very well be a number of. 

Although online support groups could be helpful, Dr Naseem says a trained moderator should be present to facilitate the discussion safely. ‘The Sanctuary’, a virtual chat room by Beat, ‘Muslims and Eating Disorders’, a public platform for information and support by Maha Khan and ‘The Lantern Initiative’, a UK-based non-profit that raises awareness about mental health within the Muslim community are amongst resources that she recommends. Dr Naseem also adds that having the support of spiritual leaders equivalent to Imams could make all of the difference to normalise not fasting with an eating disorder through Ramadan. “Diabetes UK got Imams on board to claim that diabetes patients could be excused and this doesn’t weaken their faith,” says Fareeha Jay, a licensed dietician based within the UK. “We would like to attain the identical for individuals with eating disorders.”

In the event you are combating an eating disorder, you’ll be able to reach out to Beat here, Dr Omara Naseem here and Fareeha Jay here. You too can read Maha Kahn‘s recommendations on navigating Ramadan with an eating disorder here.

*Name has been modified