The Ramadan table is one of the most prominent features of this holy month, but it reflects one of the negative phenomena carried out by families in our societies, and everyone agrees that waste is usually contrary to the principles of Islamic law, which warned against extravagance, but many people adopt this habit in the holy month of Ramadan to become the trash can is the last resort for the types of food that used to decorate the table after taking the need from it, which does not reach half at best .

Extravagance in Ramadan has several aspects that are reflected in the lives of families, whether from incurring purchasing expenses that exceed twice what families spend in normal months, or through dietary behaviors that affect the fasting person due to his excessive eating by increasing it at the end of the holy month by several kilograms that affect his body from a health and psychological point of view .

Women also show off their tables in Ramadan, and one starts talking about how this recipe was made and what the ingredients of this meal are, so the phenomenon has become from a dining table that satisfies the hunger of the fasting person to an exhibition of achievements of the housewife in front of her guests .

According to a 2009 report by the Waste Management Center – Abu Dhabi, Food Waste accounts for 34% of the total waste in the UAE, and about 500 tons of food are disposed of during the holy month of Ramadan alone, and these wastes are disposed of by transferring them to landfills, which increases carbon emissions, and thus exacerbates the phenomenon of climate change .

Nasreen Habib (employee) said that with the beginning of Ramadan, the holidays begin, which often consist of large numbers of friends and family, so the best food should be prepared in large quantities and in various varieties, and this undoubtedly poses a burden on the family, especially with the high prices of all food and other goods before and during Ramadan, pointing out that she tried a lot to save on spending during this holy month but to no avail, the salary of the head of the family runs out with the first week of the month and there is no room for them to save .

A painful picture

For her part, Fatima Rashid (housewife) said: it has become an inherited custom that Ramadan tables include several types of food, there should be popular and international food on the table, other than sweets and appetizers, to discover after preparing breakfast that the table contains a variety of types of food that exceeds the number and size of those who wrap around the table, so the fate of the rest of the food to the garbage in a painful picture that we repeat daily despite our complaints about it .

Weak spending

Hamad Al Hosani (employee) stressed that during the holy month of Ramadan he spends twice as much as he spends in other months, because everything that is prepared in Ramadan is doubled, whether in food or drink, and he is also required to provide all those requests in order to appear properly in front of his guests, and in order for the table to become Ramadan variety .

He said :Everyone knows that extravagance is one of the bad habits, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, because of the spirituality and beliefs of the month that call Muslims to give up all bad habits and resort to Allah Almighty in everything, but for the life of those who call because extravagance has become associated with Ramadan tables and a social habit .

Culture of consumption

Omar Hassan (employee) explained that the culture of consumption has become ingrained in society and is not limited to food only, and this culture worsens the situation of some families, prompting some to borrow to cover the costs of the month, and this therefore reflects negatively on families and burdens them financially, especially with the noticeable rise in consumer prices .

He said that the food prepared during the month of Ramadan in a family of 4 people is enough for ten, because families cannot look at their Ramadan table and it contained one or two dishes, but there must be several different dishes of every shape and color, even if they do not eat them, and often they are destined for a landfill .

False beliefs

For her part, Lana Mohammed(housewife) said that the extravagance in the month of Ramadan is due to the mistaken belief among people that Ramadan is a month of goodness, goodness and generosity, which is the month of enjoying different and unusual types of food on ordinary days, so the housewife is busy working in the kitchen all day in order to prepare a varied and different table than she used to prepare on ordinary days .

She pointed out that husbands usually exchange accusations among themselves of responsibility for the extravagance and waste that accompanies many iftar tables during the holy month of Ramadan, where the husband blames the wife, who is primarily responsible for preparing the iftar table, while the wife blames the husband, who asks her to fill the table with various items of food, drink, sweets and others, and in fact everyone is responsible for this extravagance and both parties should be more responsible to reduce this phenomenon .

Exaggeration of attention

For his part, Khalid Abdul Rahman (employee)said: It is customary to pay excessive attention to food during the month of Ramadan, and families race to buy and prepare Ramadan food before the start of the holy month for a considerable period, the Ramadan table must contain all kinds of food starting from soup to sweets, as the eye adores food during the few moments before the ears of the Maghrib, and as soon as the fasting person starts drinking juice, soup and some appetizers, he gets an overabundance that prevents him from eating the rest of the food, it is known to everyone that the same fasting person craves and desires all the food before breakfast, and as soon as the fasting person accepts these desires go away, the fasting person often eats half the amount that he is used to Unfortunately, this is the most widespread phenomenon among families and families these days, from five to seven items a day on the breakfast table, at least half of which is thrown into the trash .

Commenting on the practices of extravagance at the Ramadan table, His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Musa, a senior guidance specialist at the Department of Islamic affairs in Dubai, said that Allah Almighty forbids extravagance and extravagance in saying that he does not like wasteful people, food and drink is one of Allah’s blessings on us, so a Muslim should preserve it .

He said that we should keep in mind as we receive the holy month of Ramadan that the increase in the preparation of food on the Ramadan tables in order to feed food and not to throw it in the garbage basket, in case the food exceeds the need of the family, it must be well rearranged and provided to the poor or distributed at mosques to the needy, or the least that can be done is to provide food for animals, the important thing is not to throw it in the trash, this food is a blessing and sustenance from Allah Almighty must be preserved by the Muslim .

He added that we are required to honor the guest and provide the best food to him, especially since the month of Ramadan is special in meeting friends and family and getting around the breakfast table, but all this should not prevent us from limiting the extravagance of food and keep in mind that there are those who are in dire need of food and that there are those who are dying of hunger .

Digestive disorders

For his part, Dr. Samir Sami, PhD in nutrition and obesity treatment, said that the dietary behavior followed by some fasting people in the month of Ramadan is wrong, and changing dietary habits is one of the things that require great effort, awareness, scientific and health culture, but the person who tries as much as possible to change these habits will reap its fruits, and directly feel the positive effects of fasting .

He added that scientific studies have shown that individuals who eat their food in the month of Ramadan, in moderation and good choice, have lower cholesterol, fats and blood sugar, in addition to resting the digestive system and improving it in many health aspects, but unfortunately some fasting people do the opposite, as we find that filling bellies, and excessive eating of all kinds of sweets and fatty from starchy and fatty energy-generating substances to their lack of movement and effort expended in a month Ramadan, and proof of this is the fact that many people suffer from weight gain during and after Ramadan because they eat more than their real needs .

He pointed out that it is possible to start breakfast after many hours of fasting, properly, without the digestive system being exposed to problems by starting some types of light foods on the stomach, such as dates, soup or even milk, if possible, so that the beginning of breakfast is similar to breakfast on normal days, then fish, chicken or meat can be eaten in the main dish, provided that it is not rich in fat, with a small amount of starches .

He said that there are certain foods that the fasting person is advised to eat at the time of breaking the fast because they give a feeling of satiety that lasts for a long time, in contrast to other foods that are better to avoid, but the foods that are recommended to focus on are those that give the body energy slowly and digest slowly for their richness in fiber, such as vegetables, fruits and starches, provided that you choose starches that contain slow-digesting sugar, and it is better to refrain from starches that contain fast sugar because they give a quick feeling of satiety and cause hunger in a short time .

Inherited habits

Dr. Tarek Sadek Khamas, consultant psychiatrist in Abu Dhabi, explained that extravagance on Ramadan tables has become an inherited habit and is considered one of the Customs and traditions in some societies, so the head of the family prepares unusual dishes in the month of Ramadan, and depriving the fasting person during fasting hours of eating and drinking pushes him to crave several types of food to satisfy his hunger desire, so we see a variety of breakfasts daily Ramadan .

He said that the wastefulness in the Ramadan tables reflects many negatives, both from the health point of view, as a number of fasting people develop intestinal disorders due to frequent eating, adding that some are disappointed when they expect that their weight will decrease during the month of Ramadan, and they are surprised by the end of the holy month that their weight has increased, and this undoubtedly affects the psychological side .

Riyaysa: the phenomenon of excessive nutrition is widespread

Mohammed Jalal al riyaysa, director of the communication and community service department at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, confirmed that the phenomenon of excessive nutrition is widespread among members of the community, whether in the first stage, which is the purchase of food or the second stage during the preparation of the iftar table in the holy month of Ramadan, explaining that the state of hunger felt by the fasting person pushes him to prepare food in large quantities beyond the family’s need, and this may cause poor storage of surplus food either in refrigerators or in the normal kitchen atmosphere, which will make the fate of this food to the trash bin .

He pointed out that extravagance is one of the habits vilified in religion, customs and traditions, so families should stay away from prestige at Ramadan tables and take into account the fresh healthy food items that the fasting person needs, and the table should not be devoid of milk and dates because of their important nutritional values for the human body .

He explained that the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority launched a food safety campaign at the beginning of Ramadan, as the demand for foodstuffs and goods increases during the holy month, so the authority sought to guide consumers on the proper ways to deal with food starting from the shopping cart to the dining table .emphasis was also placed on the invisible food hazards of bacteria and germs that consumers may be exposed to without their knowledge of their existence by highlighting their serious harm to them and their families.