KOTA BARU: A family of four here are quite familiar with fasting throughout the month of Ramadan after they learnt and experienced fasting and its benefits for their health firsthand.
Doria Yap, 55, along with her three daughters, Saffron Kang, 32; Evonne, 28; and Sharon, 22, say they get excited every time Ramadan arrives as they do not want to miss the opportunity to train themselves to endure hunger and thirst.
Yap said she started practising fasting since last Ramadan and continued throughout the month as she felt her body becoming fresher and "lighter".
"I never expected my children to take up fasting as well, but I welcomed them in doing so because I have companions to do it with. Initially, it was quite challenging as we felt hungry and thirsty quite easily, but now we are used to it.
"The four of us will wake up for sahur (pre-dawn meal) like other Muslim friends besides breaking fast promptly when Maghrib (call to prayer) is heard. Usually, I will refer to our Indonesian Muslim house helper for advice on timing and fasting tips.
"Additionally, our family are vegetarians, so it somewhat helps me and the children to fast," she said when met at her business premises at B Veggie Food here on Jalan Sri Cemerlang.
They produce halal vegetarian products such as budu (fish sauce), shrimp paste sambal, fried belacan sambal, caipo (preserved turnip) sambal, fried chili sambal, turmeric belacan sambal, and OHM sambal (mushroom feet).
Yap admitted that fasting not only helps her in terms of physical health, but also spiritually and morally, teaching her to be more patient in every action.
Meanwhile, Saffron said that it was initially quite difficult for her to endure fasting as she was tested with thirst especially when Ramadan falls during the dry season.
"I took the initiative to keep myself busy at the family's vegetarian food business premises so that time passes quickly and I wouldn't think about drinking or eating.
"Similar to what my mother said, fasting makes the body feel healthier and provides room to achieve a more ideal weight. During iftar (breaking of fast), we also ensure that the food we take is healthy and in small quantities so that our bodies do not shocked and feel sluggish.
"I'm even more excited when I receive encouragement and support from our Malay friends and followers on social media, as the four of us actively make videos or do live sessions to promote our family business," said Saffron, who once garnered four million views for a Facebook video.
Saffron, who is comfortable speaking Kelantanese Malay, said that some of her friends were willing to come to see her and offer food or snacks to break fast, which further encouraged her to continue fasting.