Expert Dissects Best Time to Drink Coffee in Ramadan

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Muslim coffee lovers might be confused in finding the right hour to get their caffeine fix during the Ramadan month where Muslims are obliged to fast during the day.

Finding the right time to drink coffee is essential since drinking it at the wrong time would affect your body since coffee stimulates the gastric release and gastric acid, in some cases will also cause dehydration during fasting hours.

PERSAGI nutritionist Dr. Rita Ramayulis, DCN, M.Kes advised coffee drinkers to consume their favorite beverage roughly around one to two hours prior to starting their fasting hours.

“Drinking coffee right after we break our fast can significantly increase a person’s gastric acid, but it acts as a diuretic if we consume it during the pre-dawn meal of sahur, which easily causes dehydration,” said Rita on Friday, May 10.

She also reminded that the stomach would be better prepared to receive coffee one to two hours after breaking the fast. 

Read: Coffee in the Protected Forest

When to Not Drink Coffee

Dr. Rita does not recommend a person to drink coffee mentioned above, especially if it’s consumed right after dinner since it would certainly disrupt your biological sleep pattern.

“Coffee should not be considered as your midnight snack because it will disrupt your sleep. The safest option is to consume it between after breaking the fast hours and interlude night,” said Rita.

The doctor mentioned that consuming 50-200 milligrams of caffeine will not negatively affect a person’s body. However, she predicts that a person will struggle to find the right hours to drink this beverage other than the ones mentioned above. 

ANTARA