10 Health Tips That Are Sunnah

1. Wake Up Early

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) slept early and woke up with to the Adhan for Fajr daily. Being an early riser has scientifically been correlated with better productivity, as well as better mental health in general. So, waking up early may be hard but with baby steps, even if it’s just waking up 10 minutes earlier than your usual  can start improving your quality of life.

2. Eat In Moderation

“The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for air.”

3. Eat Slowly

It takes our body 20 minutes to send signals to our brain that it is full. Slow eating will help you eat less food and improve your digestion, and it is a practice Muhammad pbuh did himself.

4. Mindful Eating

The Prophet pbuh stressed that enjoying food has been proven to reduce stress, improve family and romantic relationships, and build healthy eating habits within children.

5. Water

Drinking slowly helps you actually absorb the fluid and get the most benefit out of it.

"Do not drink in one gulp like a camel, but in two or three (gulps). Mention the Name of Allah (i.e., say Bismillah) when you start drinking and praise Him (i.e., say Alhamdulillah) after you have finished (drinking).”

6. Pomegranates

Scientific research has proven pomegranates to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It contain manganese, which helps in the formation of bone structures during the metabolic process, and potassium, which aids in maintaining cellular function and keeps a balance in fluid levels. 

“Pomegranate and its rind strengthen digestion.”

7. Avoid sleeping on your stomach

Due to the weight of the spine, doctors have advised us not to sleep on our stomachs because it can cause severe affects on internal organs.

8. Stay Active

Three of the five pillars in Islam requires us to be in shape and health to be intact. For example, good health would be necessary to participate in Hajj due to long periods of walking in the same direction. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) strongly encouraged physical exercise and told parents to encourage physical activity in their children too by 
“Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding”. In another narration, he said, “Practice archery and horseback riding.”[10]

9. Dates

Dates are a great food and benefits us in stabilizing our blood sugar levels, rebalance blood electrolyte levels and help in a kick start for our digestive system in preparation for food. Dates were also the food that Maryam (may Allāh be pleased with her) was told to eat in the lead up to childbirth. Dates are now proven to boost oxytocin production in your body and speed up labour.

“Allāh’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to break his fast with fresh dates before going to prayer…” [8]

10. Fasting

“The Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) was keen to fast on Mondays and Thursdays.” [6]

Recent evidence shows that not our eating patterns also have a profound impact on our health. Fasting was a regular practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)’s life, not just during Ramadan. He would fast until every Monday and Thursday, and also on the 13th, 14th and 15th of each Islamic month. This is similar to the intermittent fasting practice, which has been proven to balance hormone levels, prevent oxidative stress, and reduce overall inflammation. The less food you put into your body the less it focuses on digestion and the more it can focus on healing itself from certain ailments!