# Day 16: Detox by Day and Indulge By Night | Ramadan Strong **Author:** Ustadha Lobna Mulla **Series:** Ramadan Strong **Published:** 2019-05-21 **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZEw6ctgGpw **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-16-detox-by-day-and-indulge-by-night **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description Showing self restraint this Ramadan when it comes to our food choices. ## Transcript **[0:01]** As-salamu alaikum and welcome to the second 10 days of Ramadan. Congratulations that you've **[0:17]** made it this far and I'm sure by now many of you have settled into some sort of routine. And that's exactly what we want to shake up right now. How do we take our Ramadan experience to the next level? Alhamdulillah we've been blessed with this month to really be able to take ourselves and improve not only spiritually but also mentally and physically. How many **[0:36]** times have we wished throughout the year that we would adopt certain lifestyle changes or even diet changes but we say you know what it's just too hard. Well let's take all of these skills that we're learning right now in this month and developing and be able to make it last throughout the year. How can we do that? Let's take for example you know **[0:55]** giving up a nice cold drink that you've been offered on a hot day. In the month of Ramadan you'd give it up in a heartbeat. Why? Because you have conviction and you have commitment to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So you're going to implement patience and self-restraint to really be able to fulfill that goal of completing the month of Ramadan. So how do we take these **[1:15]** skills and make them last throughout the year? I say let us look at how we break our fast and how we start our fast. Can we show self-restraint when it comes to food choices for example? You know a lot of research is out there talking about how diets that are high in refined carbs, **[1:34]** processed food, artificial food coloring and flavors, preservatives, those type of diets are really inflammatory and they're linked very much so to diseases that are plaguing our society like diabetes, cancer and really a lot of the mental illnesses that are really **[1:51]** plaguing our youth today like anxiety and depression and ADD. So knowing that those type of foods contribute to inflammation that causes or really contributes greatly to all of those diseases that we've mentioned and many more, shouldn't we take this opportunity **[2:07]** in Ramadan to really hold ourselves accountable and really show self-restraint when it comes to breaking our fast? So science has proven that throughout the fasting period our cells are constantly detoxifying and this is a great blessing. This actually prevents a lot of **[2:24]** disease for us. We remove a lot of toxins from our body during this process which Allah Subhanu wa Ta'ala has ordained for us. But what do we do when we break our fast? A lot of times we're breaking our fast on drinks that are loaded with artificial food coloring, **[2:39]** with high fructose corn syrup. Again, all inflammatory type of foods that cause a lot of harm without us knowing it. And at the same time we're also lead on to dessert or we're starting our fast with foods like donuts and cookies and all kinds of things. So instead **[2:56]** of thinking that our patience and commitment and self-restraint is only within the day, let's apply that to the nighttime routine as well. Let's go ahead and switch out all of your favorite drinks that have high fructose corn syrup or that have artificial food colorings. **[3:14]** Let's switch out those types of foods that we like to break our fast with or have desserts or even start our day with and switch them out with healthier options. Yes, you may get a lot of backlash from family members who may tease you and say, what, you're not going **[3:29]** to eat the same food we're eating? Or you may get backlash if you are the one providing the meals. You may get a lot of commotion from your family members saying, what are you talking about? This is Ramadan. We should be enjoying our food. We should enjoy food that is going to be good for us and that's not going to harm us. Then we're really reaping **[3:45]** the benefits of this month of fasting. So let's do these, let's show self-restraint when it comes to our food choices. Then we'll be able to carry on this practice of showing commitment and self-restraint to our bodies, which Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has entrusted **[4:01]** to us throughout the entire year. JazakAllah khairan. Wasalamualaikum. ## Other Episodes in "Ramadan Strong" - [Day 30: Farewell, Ramadan | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-30-farewell-ramadan-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 29: Beware of Ramadanitis | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-29-beware-of-ramadanitis-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 28: Practicing Istiqama for the Long Haul | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-28-practicing-istiqama-for-the-long-haul-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 27: Meeting the Best Version of Ourselves | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-27-meeting-the-best-version-of-ourselves-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 26: A Date with Destiny | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-26-a-date-with-destiny-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 25: The Value of Seclusion - Ihtikaf | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-25-the-value-of-seclusion-ihtikaf-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 24: When the Night Draws its Curtain —The Importance of Tahajjud | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-24-the-importance-of-tahajjud-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 23: Maximizing the Last Ten Days | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-23-maximizing-the-last-day-days-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 22: Charity in the Last 10 Nights | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-22-charity-in-the-last-10-nights-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 21: Ten Days Ahead, Another Chance? | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-21-ten-days-ahead-another-chance.md) - [Day 20: The Extra Good Deed | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-20-the-extra-good-deed-ramadan-strong-2.md) - [Day 19: The Man Who Thought He Thanked God Enough | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-19-the-man-who-thought-he-thanked-god-enough-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 18: When Ramadan Breaks | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-18-when-ramadan-breaks-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 17: Ramadans of Yore | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-17-ramadans-of-yore-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 15 | Overcoming the Mid-Ramadan Slump | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-15-mid-ramadan-slump-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 14 | Praise be to Allah | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-14-praise-be-to-allah-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 13 | The Need for Consistency and Balance | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-13-consistency-and-balance-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 11: "...but I've already fallen behind in my Ramadan goals" | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-11-behind-in-my-ramadan-goals-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 10: Your Qur'an Goals | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-10-your-quran-goals-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 9: Desire, Dedication, Discipline | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-9-desire-dedication-discipline-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 8: Talking to Allah | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-8-talking-to-allah-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 7: The Importance of Documenting Progress | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-7-the-importance-of-documenting-progress-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 6: Being Excused from Fasting is a Gift From God | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-6-being-excused-from-fasting-is-a-gift-from-god-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 5: Be Present | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-5-be-present-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 4: So That You Attain God-Consciousness | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-4-so-that-you-attain-god-consciousness-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 3: Mindful Fasting to Feed Your Soul | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-3-mindful-fasting-to-feed-your-soul-ramadan-strong.md) - [Day 1: Not Just Another Ramadan | Ramadan Strong](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/day-1-not-just-another-ramadan-ramadan-strong.md) - [Ramadan Strong: Series Introduction](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-strong/ramadan-strong-series-introduction.md)