A Taste of Ramadan

I thought I would acknowledge 2 special recent events for todays post and try and combine them together. NFL Football + Ramadan. Yes, this is quite the weird combo but I am going to open up your mind and fill it with some great random facts!

Minnesota Vikings player Husain Abdullah has been fasting for Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer. He does not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. This 30 day period happens to be at the same time of training camp. Even during grueling workouts (sometimes in full pads), he will not take a water break. He is very adamant in his faith. He was quoted saying the following:

"I'm putting nothing before God, nothing before my religion,'' Abdullah said. "This is something I choose to do, not something I have to do. So I'm always going to fast.''

As a rookie in 2008, Abdullah never told anyone in the organization he was fasting! He is a quite guy and has been doing it since he was 7 and will continue to do so now.

To help make sure he is getting adequate nutrients and sustenance to perform in practice and early games nutritionists have developed a meal plan unique to his fasting for Ramadan. It is based on a 3,800 calorie diet and requires him to get up at 2am to consume 400 calories. He then wakes up again at 5am with his wife Zhavon to have breakfast. Breakfast consists of scrambled eggs with vegetables, a nonpork breakfast meat (pork is forbidden in a Muslim diet), oatmeal with fruit and various liquids... and usually a shake. He then waits until after the sun goes down before he eats or drinks again.

On a slightly related note, when researching for this blog one of the first google hits was the fact that New York Jet's coach Rex Ryan consumes 7, 000 calories a day! Judging from his picture it does not look like he is burning any off. For the random -but funny- article click here.

Also I would like to wish a Happy Eid to Dina and Atiya. Time to break your fast and eat! :D

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