Settlement Guide: What is religious fasting and how does it affect health?

Familia yajiaandaa kufanya futari ya Ramadan Source: Getty Images/mustafagull

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Living in a multicultural country like Australia, you are more likely to meet or make friends with people who share different beliefs or cultures. Therefore, it is important to be able to understand and appreciate the religious and cultural attributes of the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community, which leads to a more cohesive society.

Abstinence can vary, from complete abstinence from food and drink or lighter, lower-calorie eating, fasting is practiced in a variety of religions and philosophies, including Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.

For Muslims Ramadan is a form of intermittent fasting, a term used to describe a variety of eating patterns in which they consume nothing for periods of time that can range from 12 hours on a regular basis.

Jews, like Muslims, completely abstain from food and drink, including water, several times throughout the year.

Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, while Greek Orthodox Christians abstain from dairy products, eggs, and meat, and occasionally olive oil and fish, for a total of 180-200 days each year.