Islamic marriage advice and family advice

Is it haram to eat very little?

apple measuring tape slim thin weight loseAssalamu Alaikum. I have seen a post on here about eating disorders and how it is haram to starve oneself.

Is it haram to eat extremely little like for example, going one day without food, then eating a yogurt and then some fruit the next day and then repeating that process?

JazakAllah Khair

- anotherukht


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8 Responses »

  1. I'm not sure if starving oneself is specifically haraam, but it is definitely not recommended religiously. Our bodies are a gift from Allah Almighty, and a vessel for our souls. It is our duty to take care of our bodies by nourishing it with healthy foods in the right quantities. Not eating for a whole day, and then eating yoghurt and a fruit the next day is definitely NOT healthy.

    Imagine if you had a child, would you let them starve for a whole day?

    I hope you can find the strength to increase your food intake in a healthy manner, InshaAllah. Start exercising everyday and build muscles to make your body stronger.

  2. The comment in front of me only talks about from one stance. The whole purpose why someone might do something like this is to lose weight. And in that case yes you're allowed. Not only does it make you healthy like reduces your fat levels cholesterol etc. But it also resets your taste pallets over time in a way that you can ditch your old bad eating habits. In a sense it's like fasting but with different time frame. My advice relating to this would be only do it to a level where you feel comfortable about yourself then go gym and do it the proper way while at the same time eating nutrient food.

    Also learn to do research questions like these could easily be answered with a quick glance in the quran or quick research. By asking questions like these you take away the opportunity from those who actually need help.

    • Ahmed, there´s no indication that this is a temporary weight-loss diet. What she is describing is anorexia, an eating disorder. Besides, this is not a healthy way to lose weight. This will lead to physical collapse. Many studies have shown that the best way to lose weight is to eat lean protein and cut down on carbohydrates.

      Second, do not discourage anyone from posting their question here. What may seem obvious to you is not obvious to someone else.

      Wael
      IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  3. Sister, what you are describing is an eating disorder called anorexia. It is NOT healthy to eat that way or live that way. Where is the protein? Your body needs a minimum number of calories to survive, plus important nutrients. If you continue this way sooner or later you will become ill or collapse.

    Do some research on how to maintain a healthy diet. Eat healthy foods and combine it with exercise. That will keep your body lean and healthy without any need to starve yourself.

    Wael
    IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  4. Walaikum As Salam !

    But why would some like to starve oneself in that way by eating something ..which is not even equal to anything ?

    There should be some emotional or physical reason to that ?

    Forget the haram part for sometime..because i really dont know if that is haram.. but practically saying.. go and get your LIVER test done along with the bile duct test if its not included in the LIVER test..

    One can only eat that much like curd for one whole day .. is because there is no appetite. Otherwise its really hard to digest if one can really survive on that process of skipping food for a day than just curd the next day and than a fruit.

    Please see a doctor rather than concentrating on haram and halal things. You can concentrate on them later. I will term that as Self destruction which is yes termed HARAM..what you are saying about the eating process.

    Wa Salam

  5. I have seen a post on here about eating disorders and how it is haram to starve oneself.

    As I understand your disorder has do do some thing about your perception of your body weight and/or your looks. First of all you should see your problem as an eating problem. Don't think/call it as eating disorder.

    Your problem can be very easy to fix or can be hardest to fix.

    You need to do research about what is a perception and how mind can play a devil role..

    One person may see his simple headache as a sign of cancer and suffer a lot. Another person will just take a pain pill and get rid of his headache. The only difference between 2 is what they think.

    Good luck. Please start eating nutritious food, get healthy and be of service to people who need help.

  6. Assalaamualaykum anotherukht,

    Any diet which completely eliminates one of the food groups (Meats, Vegetables, Grains, Dairy etc.) is unhealthy and robbing you of required nutrition. Furthermore, what you are describing is not a diet. It is torture.

    If you want to look at things from an Islamic perspective, which I'm guessing is why you're on this site, then Islam is all about moderation. Moderation in all things is key.

    Your natural bodily instincts were created to guide you. Obviously, you will feel very empty and hungry, uncomfortably so, eating just one piece of fruit in an entire day. And your entire focus that day will be on what you ate...because you will be hungry, you will not be able to think of anything else. You will not have the energy to focus on studies, work, family, or any of the many things we were created for.

    So food restriction is naturally not the answer.

    Try to eat a little bit of everything, and you will be fine inshallah. Even if you are fasting, you should still be eating a full meal before sunup and after sundown.

    Best,

    Nor

  7. This is not an answer to the question but rather an addition. Most of the time the cycle that happens during anorexia or any sort of eating disorder is very hard to control. The way of thinking becomes really different and distorted. It is more of a mental illness rather than a person "only" being overly health conscious. For me when it came to starving myself for more than 24 hours it was not just about weight but rather to compensate for any unhealthy food that I had previously consumed despite being hungry. It felt absolutely unreal to eat when I had strictly forbidden myself to and being force fed led to extreme guilt. I want to know about the islamic perception on this kind of uncontrolled mindset because its not natural and there is some disturbance in the way we perceive ourselves (our body) for this matter.

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