Ramadan is a holy month, full of forgiveness and blessings, so that in the month of Ramadan it is appropriate to improve the quality and quantity of our worship. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is a compulsory worship for Muslims who are devoted to Allah S.W.T, where fasting itself is worship carried out by holding back hunger and thirst, and other things that can cancel fasting. Fasting has been shown to be beneficial to health as has been stated by researchers from the German Hanover Medical School and the Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University with the title Effect of Ramadan fasting on fatigue, mood, sleepiness, and health related quality of healthy life in summer time in Germany: A prospective controlled study especially for those who have a BMI that exceeds 20 or commonly said to be an obesity symptom.

In order to be able to run Ramadan fasting smoothly, it certainly requires a healthy and strong body condition. Where a healthy lifestyle can be done by consuming healthy foods, adequate rest and regular light exercise. Fish is one of the recommended foods for those who are fasting, why? Most fish, especially fish with high fat levels or commonly called fatty fish, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), such as salmon, sardines, eels and mackerel. According to Drevon (2005) in his research entitled fatty acids and expression of adipokines published in the journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) revealing that fatty acids can stimulate the expression of leptin protein, leptin is a hormone secreted by the adipose gland which can control hunger by prevent excessive hunger.

Consumption of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids during fasting can be proven to be a treatment for weight loss for obese people by balancing leptin and insulin levels in the body such as a study entitled Effects of seafood consumption and weight loss on fasting leptin and ghrelin concentrations in overweight and obese European young adults published in the European Journal of Nutrition in 2009.

Then can omega-3 fatty acids be maintained by a treatment process that requires high temperatures such as boiling, frying, oven and steaming? The answer can be. Based on the research entitled Thermal degradation of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids during deodorization of fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids are tolerant of high temperatures up to 180 C. So we can still take advantage of the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on hunger from fried fried fish , fish stews, and canned fish.

Then is it just fish consumption during fasting? The answer is no. Based on an article published in the online magazine “The world’s healthiest food”, consumption of fish can be accompanied by various kinds of vegetables, fruits, seeds such as rice or jaging and so on.

So what are you waiting for, “Let’s eat fish” when fasting, so that hunger can be delayed and the health benefits of fasting can be obtained. Message from Ms. Susi (Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) “Indonesian people who carry out fasting, I suggest the sahur menu and open the fish meal menu,” when breaking fast with the media at Mina Bahari IV, KKP Office, Gambir Region, Central Jakarta.

Author
M Nur Ghoyatul Amin, M.Sc.
S-1 Lecturer in Fisheries Product Industry Technology
Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Affairs
Airlangga University