Fasting for Ramadan!

With Ramadan approaching, the dilemma for me as a non Muslim was to fast or not to fast?  To be honest, I didn't think about it for long and never had a doubt - of course I would fast.  Since moving to Doha, I've been determined to assimilate ..... as far as a western, non Muslim, non Arabic speaker can!   As regular readers will know, I prefer haggling in the Souq and dancing with the Yemeni boys to drinking with ex-pats in hotel bars and Ive also started learning Arabic.

There were a few reasons for committing to the fast - not just to continue my immersion into the local culture, but also because I wanted to share the experience with my Muslim colleagues at work.  Not only that, but I also wanted to test my own commitment, my self discipline and learn something about myself in the process.  Lets face it, for a large part of the fasting time, I would be alone - particularly on the weekend - no one but me would know if I was breaking my fast - so the commitment needed to be total - for myself.

As all good Muslims know, Ramadan, the most holy of months, is a sunrise to sunset fast - where nothing at all is to pass the lips, including water. It is not simply about food and drink though - Muslims also refrain from smoking, sexual relations, swearing and sinful thoughts - in fact colleagues at work also refrain from being critical of others and try to stay calm and use the time for quiet reflection and further prayer.  Ramadan lasts a month and is based on the sightings of the crescent moon.

In practical terms, in Doha, many venues close for the entire month - particularly those which offer alcohol and others only open after 7pm.  Even the shopping malls pretty much close down between 1pm and 7pm - but they make up for it by being open until 2am!.... and the atmosphere is wonderful then - with families all coming out to play after their evening Iftar (breakfast).  Working hours are also reduced - Al Jazeera move to a 6 hour working day and they have a Ramadan tent which offers employees Iftar at 6.30pm into the evening (see photo).

So on 10th July at 3am, I got up and had my first Suhoor, (the meal consumed before fajr (dawn)) - which for me is porridge with milk, bananas and chopped dates and a black lady grey tea!  There are no strict guidelines to when or what you should eat for Suhoor, as long as it takes place before the first prayer of the day (At the moment, this is around 3.30am) ....   Some colleagues of mine stay up til midnight or 1am and have their Suhoor then, and at 3am they drink alot of water.

I've been setting my Suhoor alarm every day for a couple of weeks now and I quite enjoy it.  I have my porridge, and then spend a few moments standing on the balcony listening to the call to prayer - which is magical at that time of the morning, and then spent the next 15 hours consuming nothing at all until around 6.30pm when I hear the call to prayer and prepare my Iftar.


I follow tradition in breaking my fast with three dates, as Muhammad did.  I have mine with three spoons of yogurt.  Muslims will usually then go to pray before starting the next course, which for most people Ive spoken to is soup.  It is supposed to help the stomach open up and prepare it to receive more food.  This was also what I had with Raeda (a work colleague) and her family when I went there for what I can only describe as proper full on Iftar - absolutely amazing spread of food!!  Normally, at home, I would follow the dates with a small salad and then have something a little later such as rice and lentils or noodles.

Iftar with Raeda's family was so wonderful - but because we hadn't eaten for 15 hours, it was difficult to eat much of what they had prepared, despite the fact that it was all so delicious.  All the nations of the world were represented - Lasagna and Cannelloni, Cauliflower cheese, Arabic wheat based dishes with chicken, tomato and bean based dish, homous and flat bread, and something which Ive never had before - fresh dates!  They were gorgeous and so sweet!  Then later after much resting and looking at some family photos, they brought out some traditional arabic pastries then fruit salad - it really was like Christmas.....well in terms of the amount of food and the generosity and warmth.

Afterwards, Raeda and I went out to the local hypermarket and had some fun window shopping for dresses and jewellery and then did some food shopping - which is not so easy when you've eaten alot!!

Anyway, I'm sticking to it so far and actually find it pretty easy during the week when I'm busy with work, not quite so easy on the weekend - but I have remained true to myself and have not broken the fast at all - even when alone.  The hardest thing is the lack of water - I don't miss the food at all and you will know that I'm used to going without food with my intermittent fasting - in fact I think it is doing wonders for my skin - its never looked so good!! ....but not drinking water for 15 hours is tough - especially when I'm running around at work in air conditioning inside and 45 degrees outside..... But then Ramadan isn't about having an easy life, it is a test and one which I am relishing - despite my non Muslim credentials.

Sustainable Qatar

I'm just back from my weekly recycling trip to one of the only recycling facilities in Doha, or so it seems.   The lack of recycling facilities here was one of the first things I noticed and it instantly made me very uncomfortable.  In the UK we are so used to being able to recycle everything from paper to plastics, cardboard to cans, even compost our waste and I've been doing that since I can remember.  Recycling is as natural as breathing and not to be able to do it is psychological suffocation...... impossible to tolerate.

So, rather than throw my plastic bottles in the bin, I kept them until I could find a way of recycling them.  And do they use alot of them?  Oh my goodness......particularly at work - they buy bulk loads of little bottles of mineral water and the kitchen guys hand them around to the offices all day - they must get through hundreds every day.  And there are no facilities for paper recycling.  An American colleague of mine enquired into getting a contractor to provide recycling facilities and they quoted £3,000 per month to supply bins and a collection.


Unfortunately, given all the other change going on at Al Jazeera, this is not a priority for them at the moment so is a hard sell.



But I decided I must at least do something on an individual level as a start.  So I researched recycling facilities in Doha on the internet and came across Sustainable Qatar - an independent volunteer based organisation to promote environmental awareness within the Qatar community.  On their site, they list just two placed for recycling - Katara Cultural Village which is in West Bay, far from my hotel, and Alrmailah Family Park, opposite the corniche, about 40 minutes walk from my hotel.  So every Saturday morning, I get up early to avoid the heat, pack all my recycling into my rucksack and bag and head off to the park to recycle it.

The great thing is that they dont just have recycling bins, but there is also a charity bin there too.  And Ive seen more of these in other locations along the Corniche, so there are some promising signs!

So far, the count is 72 individual items including 44 plastic bottles, 19 misc plastic containers, 3 cans and 1 egg box, plus a few other bits and pieces!


The first couple of times, i looked inside the bins and it looked like I was the only one using them, but today the plastics bin was almost half full!!  My challenge will be taking that walk in the hot summer months when the temperature creeps up towards 50 degrees.  Ive been told that its not possible to even stand outside, let alone walk 40 minutes!....  Well I will cross that bridge when it comes........ as my hotel manager so sinisterly put it yesterday, "...we are waiting for the pizza oven to come!!"

A big life change

Alot has happened since my last post - I've continued to be surprised at how I've managed to maintain my weight loss despite only occasionally intermittent fasting - although I do believe the fasting has changed my metabolism to the extent that I am still fitting into size 10 trousers and even small sizes in Mango!!!  Come on, now that is unbelievable - at least it is for me!  A year ago, I didn't even go into Mango because I couldnt fit into their large size!!

So the intermittent fasting continues but..... intermittently!!

OK, the next thing is a confession - I have sadly had to break my commitment to not buy anything new for a year...... and this was a difficult one and it was only something big which would force me to break it.  That something big came out of a chance conversation which changed the course of my life......

I was offered an opportunity to work in Doha, Qatar for Al Jazeera!  You can read more about my adventures in my new blog Dear Doha Diary.  But this meant that I had a number of important things to do and, sadly, some things I would need to buy to get myself set up professionally for the move .  Although once there, I will be restricting my purchases to the essentials.

One of the things I did before leaving was to send my beloved mountain bike, Little Blackie, off to Africa with Action Bikes/Recycle (pictured left).  I had planned to do that for some time, as I've been riding Grey Legs for quite a while now so on 26th march, we parted ways but I know she'll have some exciting adventures.  Action Bikes told me they would be able to update me on her journey so if I find out more about where she ends up, Ill post it here.

Something else I needed to face was that I would have to give up on the two charity rides I had arranged for this year - As previously mentioned in my "Cycling for Sustrans" post, I was due to cycle the London Night Rider but as I will have difficulty getting back to the UK during my 6 month contract, my cycling exploits will have to wait for another year.  I had also, rather incredibly, managed to secure a place on the Ride London-Surrey 100 - the Olympic cycling legacy ride, which follows much of the Olympic cycling road race through the Surrey hills.

I have to admit, that was one of the toughest issues to face as I'm deeply committed to the promotion of sustainable transport - and was really excited about cycling to raise money for charity and promote cycling as an essential part of a sustainable lifestyle.  This remains a personal and long term objective for me and will play a big part in my life in the years to come.

For now, though, I am entering a new phase of my life - who knows how long it will last? - the uncertainty is part of the adventure.  You can follow my Doha Adventure through my new blog Dear Doha Diary.

I will also continue to post here in Walker Lighter regarding sustainability issues, nutrition and intermittent fasting.

Maintaining the IF weight loss

Ive been away from the blogosphere for a while but am back to report that something rather strange has happened............

As some of you know, I have been on the intermittent fasting regime since last August and have lost quite alot of weight - around a stone and a half.  By way of a reminder, intermittent fasting means eating only 500 calories on alternate days and on the days in between, you can eat whatever you like.

My partner had started to notice that I was losing rather alot of weight and started to look a little gaunt - and I had dropped a dress size to a size 10 before christmas and I didn't really want to drop further.

So, I decided to go to just two days a week - Monday and Thursday.  Strangely enough, I found it really difficult - I'd got used to every other day and had found it a good routine and kept me motivated. Going back to eating more normally for most of the week made it more difficult to fast on the 2 days and I found myself slipping.

I've been doing the 5:2 maintenance programme now for a couple of months but very oddly I haven't put on any weight - in fact Im still losing.  Even if I skip a week, I still don't put weight on........ to the extent that I began to worry that there may be a problem!

However, I went to see my GP about something else a few days ago and happened to mention it in passing....... she looked surprised and then explained that her husband was experiencing the very same thing.  He too had started on the IF diet and had lost two stone and despite stopping, could not put weight back on.

We discussed this for a few minutes and concluded that far from eating as I had before on my non fasting days, I was still cutting down considerably compared to the way I used to eat before starting the diet.  I had adjusted both physically and mentally to a very different way with food and eating.....I eat much smaller portions, I eat much more slowly, I dont eat processed foods or foods with added sugar and I also now dont eat meat - which reduces my cholesterol intake.

I am getting used to my new size and have confidence that I will be able to maintain it through fasting once or twice a week and through healthier eating in general for the remaining days.

I have spent my entire life trying to find a way to lose weight which works for me, which isnt too painful and which allows me to continue to eat the foods I enjoy.  I love the IF plan and will continue to use it to control my weight and improve my long term health and I would urge anyone who hasnt yet tried it to give it a go.  Its easier than you might think and when you see the results and feel so much better, you'll never look back.

Cycling for a sustainable future with Sustrans

I'd like to introduce you to the amazing work of Sustrans, particularly as I will be raising money for them in June by taking part in the London Nightrider - a 100km bicycle ride around London at night.

Sustrans are a leading UK charity enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of their daily journeys by working with policy makers, partner organisations and communities.

They run a range of programs and activities across the UK, including bike loans, health walks, cycle rides, workplace events, cycle training and bike maintenance classes.

As a London cyclist myself (me on the left!), I know many people who would like to cycle to work or school but are put off by the danger and the regular reports of cyclists being killed or seriously injured on the capital's streets.  Whatever can be done to improve safety for cyclists would be a wonderful thing.  I cycle 100km per week to and from work and witness the dangers up close every day.

There are many things which could be done to protect cyclists, and relieve the stress on drivers who sometimes struggle with the number of cyclists on the streets during the rush hour.  Cyclists traffic lights would be one obvious example, allowing cyclists to get away ahead of the traffic without the danger of cars/trucks turning left across us or squeezing us up against park cars etc.

In London, Sustrans runs a project called London Greenways which seeks to create a network of routes for walkers and cyclists and aims to improve access to and through green space across the capital.  Sustrans is working with Transport for London and the London Boroughs to deliver safe, quiet routes through parks, green spaces and lightly trafficked streets.

Sustrans also run a 'Links to schools' project which is funded by the Department for Transport.  Local authorities across England have been working with Sustrans for 8 years to connect schools and communities to the national Cycle Network, providing new safe walking and cycling routes to schools.  They have been successful in reducing the number of cars taking children to and from school, reducing congestion, pollution and accidents while improving children's health.

Sustrans also work with both policy makers and the public on the need for behaviour change to embrace low carbon travel and through their low carbon team, they work to push the issue higher up the political agenda.

They do all this and so much more and there are plenty of ways to get involved and find out what projects are going on in your local area.  I will be posting further information on how you can help me raise money for them by sponsoring me for my London Night Rider, in an upcoming post.

In the meantime, there is plenty more information on their website:   http://www.sustrans.org.uk and they are always grateful for support.

Milk - not what its cracked up to be. 4 Food myths busted!

1. Milk is necessary for good bone health

This is one of the biggest myths of all.  Research undertaken by Yale University in the early 1990s, measuring protein intake and fracture rates in 16 countries found that countries where dairy consumption was highest had the highest levels of bone fracture.  American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world, yet they have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis (Frassetto et al., 2000)  Incredible but true.  The science behind it works like this....

Dairy products are significant acid producers in the body.  To counteract this, the body fights back by drawing calcium from the bones to neutralise the acid.  Evidence that animal protein produces excess acid has been known for around 90 years and that it increases the amount of calcium excreted in urine.

A study of 1000 women over 65 by the University of California showed that after 7 years, the women with the highest ratio of animal to plant protein, had 3.7 times more bone fractures than women with lower ratios.  (T.C.Campbell, 2006, The China Study)
http://www.healthyplanetdiet.com/osteoporosis.html




2. Animal protein is needed for strong muscles

Many people equate protein with meat and think that you can only derive protein from meat and dairy sources.  Some also associate eating meat protein with wealth and success.  If you're rich, you eat meat, if you're poor, you eat bread and potatoes.  It was also assumed that those who consumed less protein had poor physiques.

It is true that protein is a vital component in our bodies.   Proteins are constructed of long chains of amino acids.  Proteins wear out on a regular basis and need to be replaced.  It is true that the "highest quality" protein replacements come from animal sources with milk and eggs the best match.

However, although they appear the best, they are not the healthiest.   It has been found that the slow and steady growth of new proteins from plant sources is healthier for the body and can provide all the amino acids necessary, particularly if you draw on all the plant groups.  As I say to myself on my bike every day.... "Slow and steady wins the race" !

And what does Popeye have to say about it?  well most people believe that his strength comes from the amount of iron in spinach.... And that is partly true.....but I bet you'd be surprised if I told you that spinach also  contains more protein per calorie than beef.  Absolutely true!!!  Yes I know you'd need to eat more of it but remember it also contains no cholesterol..... Win win !!!


3. A vegetarian diet makes you fat

Well of course it will if you compensate for not eating meat by consuming tonnes of cheese and tomato pizza or chocolate eclairs.  However, if you focus your diet on predominantly whole foods, complex carbohydrates and avoid refined foods and sugar, you will not put on weight.  Not only that but your cholesterol levels will drop if your main form of protein is plant based as vegetables contains no cholesterol.

In addition, most vegetables are high in fibre and have a low GI (Glycemic Index), which means they take longer to convert to glucose, providing a more sustained supply of energy and a feeling of fullness.  You wont get the energy crashes you get from eating refined sugars and processed foods which offer the body little nutritious value and behave rather like fireworks - an instantaneous 'wow' factor and a taste explosion but very short lived.

So rather than making you fat, making good vegetarian choices, predominantly focused on beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and complex carbohydrates such as wholemeal pasta, whole grain rice, bulgar wheat and other grains can aid your efforts to lose weight.  Not only that but they will also help to protect you from long term illness such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

If you'd like a good real life example, look no further than the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, who has lost 24 pounds since going vegan following quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2004.  The surgery was not enough in itself to improve his heart health so he ditched the barbecued pork and quarterpounders for a strict vegan diet and has never looked back.

Clinton reportedly said that although his arteries had been cleaned out with bypass surgery and a stent,  he was still eating a nutrient poor 'animal based" diet, and was continuing to clog up his arteries.  He credited the China Study by Dr Campbell for inspiring him on his nutritional journey.  He goes on to say that "82% of the people who have gone on a plant based diet have gone on to heal themselves; we have 25 years of evidence".
You can read more about this here




4. Vegetarians are depressed and deprived.....

In fact they're the most optimistic bunch.  New research shows carotenoids can produce a feeling of happiness.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2263987/People-eat-plenty-fruit-veg-optimistic-future.html

Research undertaken by Dartmouth University last year also looked at the eating habits of 80,000 Britains and those who consumed 8 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day were less likely to exhibit nervousness, anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders.  They were also more likely to be happy and satisfied with their lives.  Plus, the more produce people consumed, the happier they were.

Plant protein = zero cholesterol & a cycle challenge

In addition to my 2 new years resolutions - to go veggie and to not buy anything new for a year - I've also decided to do a couple of cycle rides for charity.  So far, I've signed up for the London Night Rider - a 100km loop around London at night in June.  Starting at midnight from Alexandra Palace, the route winds around many of the major sites in the centre of town which are all lit up at night so it should be pretty spectacular.

I cycle to work every day - which is almost exactly 10km each way - which takes around 30 mins.  So, although I'm pretty fit, its not quite up to the 5 - 6 hrs which it will take me to do the Night Rider.  So I decided to start some preparation this weekend by going for a longer ride this morning.  Sunday mornings are a nice time to ride as the traffic is quiet and there aren't too many pedestrians around to jump out in front of you - which they do in rush hour!!  As much as anything else, I wanted to test my saddle fitness - in other words, see how my 'buns' would take to being on the saddle for a prolonged period.

So I rode into West London, stopped for a quick cuppa in Marylebone High Street at my favourite haunt - the Natural Kitchen - and then went from there across Oxford street, down Regent Street, through Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and then down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace.  From there, I cycled around Green Park, back down Piccadilly, through Mayfair, down Oxford Street and back home from there.  30km in all - just took 90 minutes and no saddle soreness, which gives me a bit of confidence that doing 3 times that distance shouldn't be a problem.

Well I'm really enjoying my new vegetarian diet, and am having a great time being more creative in the kitchen and having more variety - from bulgar wheat and wholegrain rice to soya bean curd, beans and seeds, which are all good protein sources.  I've listed some info about proteins in plant based food below as I'm being asked quite frequently "how do you get enough protein?"


Protein rich plant foods

It is recommended that we should have around 40 - 50g of protein a day from all sources...... that's between 0.8 and 1 gram of protein per day for every kilogram of body weight.   By eating a reasonably varied diet, vegetarians and vegans easily consume enough protein, and unlike animal protein, plant based protein sources contain healthy fibre and complex carbohydrates and NO CHOLESTEROL!

Nuts: Peanuts and peanut butter are a great source of protein with 8g of protein in 2 tbsps of peanut butter.  Ive listed below the protein in 1 oz of the following nuts:

Almonds  - 6g
Brazil nuts  - 4g
Cashew nuts - 5g
Hazelnuts - 4g
Macadamia nuts - 2g
Peanuts - 7g
Pecans - 3g
Pistachios - 6g
Walnuts - 4g

As a source of protein, their not top of the list as they also contain quite high levels of fat but mixed into a healthy diet alongside other protein forms, theyre great.  And of course, they contain other marvellous benefits such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and soluble fibre.  For more information on nuts, see my post of 26th October

Beans: Black, kidney, pinto beans, lentils, peas and chickpeas all contain around 8g protein per half a cup

Grains: wheat, rye, quinoa, oats and barley are grains with a reasonable supply of protein. Quinoa is the grain with the highest amount of protein with around 9g of protein per 1 cup.

Soya based products are a complete source of protein and evidence has shown that eating moderate amounts (1 or 2 servings per day) can reduce the risk of prostate cancer and lower LDL cholesterol.  However, some recommendations suggest limiting intake to 3 or 4 times a week due to the indications that isoflavones in soy can bind to estrogen receptors and effect thyroid hormone.

Just half a cup of tofu contains 20g protein.  Half a cup of edamame (young soya beans), contains 9g protein.


Oats: 100 grams of oats cooked with water contains 16g of protein.

Vegetables

1 cup raw spinach contains 1 g of protein, and 1 cup cooked spinach contains 6g of protein

half a cup asparagus contains 2 g,

1 cup broccoli has 3 g,

1 cup cauliflower has 2 g,

One average potato with skin has 3.8 g 

1 cup of celery has 1.5 g.

The great thing about eating plant based protein is that it comes with a bunch of other benefits including being low in fat and high in dietary fibre - both  which can reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and digestive problems.