After a month of fasting, it’s time to feast!
Did You Know?
It is prohibited for Muslims to fast on the first day of Syawal, or better known as the first day of Hari Raya.
However, with all the feasting, we’re here to remind you not to overeat (because you would still want to fit into your baju kurungs, right?). Food during Hari Raya can be overwhelming. If your stomach were a bottomless pit, you’d probably go on and on with the Hari Raya food. But have you ever wondered how much calories are in the standard Hari Raya dishes and kuihs?
Well we had a Chinese New Year Goodies Calorie Count Guide, and we’re bringing you the Hari Raya Calorie Count Guide! So here’s a list of the foods that are usually served during Hari Raya and their calorie count.
*Info from MyFitnessPal.com
An average woman should only be having a daily food intake of between 1200 and 1500kcal, in order to maintain her current weight. As you can see, the little goodies that you can easily down four or five at one go is actually equivalent to a real meal (or a drink).
Tips to prevent over-eating
That doesn’t mean you should go to people’s houses asking for salads! Go ahead and enjoy the food, but as always, do it in moderation. Here are more tips:
- Ask for plain water instead of flavoured or carbonated drinks that tend to have high sugar content. Consider bringing along a bottle of water – this can also keep you hydrated while you go from house to house.
- Pace yourself when you know you’re going to visit many houses and eat at all of them. It’s customary for Malays to at least eat a little bit at a house their visiting, as a form of courtesy. Consider the number of houses you have to visit and plan how much to eat at each.
- Be stricter with your main meals. Cut down on starch (like rice and noodles) and load up on protein (meats and fish), which can usually help fill you up with less calories.
Here’s wishing all our Muslim friends and readers a good last few days of Ramadhan!
