Ramadan · Dr. Ludidi

Ramadan dry fasting,
explained by science.

Ramadan is about far more than food. But fasting itself is physiology, and it can be understood. In fact, dawn-to-sunset dry fasting is the most-studied fasting pattern in the world. Through the bio-evolutionary perspective, I help you understand what dry fasting does to your body, and how to successfully cope with it, so you come out of the month stronger than you went in.

See how to work with Dr. Ludidi

RAMADAN 2027 · EXPECTED FROM 8 FEBRUARY · 10+ YEARS OF PRACTICE · BOOK IN EN · NL · FR

The science

Dry fasting is not a trend. It is the oldest controlled experiment we have.

Most fasting research allows water. Ramadan does not, and that single difference is what makes it its own field of study. Nearly all human research on dry fasting comes from Ramadan: hundreds of studies, dozens of systematic reviews, and umbrella reviews covering body weight, lipids, glucose, liver function and inflammation.

No water

What separates Ramadan from every other fasting protocol. Fluid balance, not hunger, is the limiting factor.

29–30 days

Long enough to shift metabolism, short enough that the effects fade again afterwards if nothing changes.

One month, every year

A predictable, repeating pattern — which is exactly why it can be prepared for, and why most people don't.

DR. LUDIDI IS A NUTRITION SCIENTIST (MSC) AND HUMAN MOVEMENT SCIENTIST (BSC) WITH A PHD IN GASTROENTEROLOGY FROM MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY. THIS PAGE DESCRIBES GENERAL PRINCIPLES, NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.

The problem

Every Ramadan, the same story.

The month is meant for reflection. Instead it goes like this.

Your food

· You eat too much at suhoor, then lie awake with a full stomach while Fajr is three hours away.

· You break the fast and cannot stop. Three dates become everything on the table.

· You wake up the next morning heavier, bloated and guilty about last night.

· Everything you read contradicts the next thing you read.

Your training

· You train just before iftar because that is what everyone says, and the weights feel twice as heavy.

· Three weeks in, strength you built over months is gone.

· Or you skip the gym entirely for a month and lose the year's progress.

· You never know whether you are being disciplined or just damaging yourself.

Your day

· By two in the afternoon your head is gone, and you still have a meeting, a shift or the school run.

· You go to bed at two, get up at four, nap when you can, and the day has turned itself around.

· You are short with the people you love most in the month you want to be at your best.

· You end the month heavier and more tired than you started, and you do not understand how.

And the worst part: you feel like you are doing it wrong, every single day.

Why it happens

Almost none of this is about willpower or faith. It is about rhythm. Sleep collapses, the body clock inverts, and cortisol rises. Cortisol is what holds on to body fat, which is why people gain weight while eating less. Fix the rhythm and most of the list above fixes itself.

Stick to the rhythm. It is the single most important rule of the month.

Watch

Fasting: a centuries old global ritual

And the reason why people fast is universal: physical, spiritual and mental cleansing.
Here: on an exploratory journey to Morocco.

The method

Three phases. The month is the middle one.

Ramadan itself is only part of the work. What decides how the month goes is what happens in the weeks before it, and whether anything is kept afterwards.

Phase 1 · 14 days before

Preparation

Make the metabolic switch before the first day, so the body is not learning and fasting at the same time. Two weeks is the minimum that works.

· Fasting window built up gradually

· First practice dry fasts

· Sleep and wake times set

· Caffeine reduced

· Hydration and electrolytes rehearsed

Phase 2 · the month

Ramadan

Hold the rhythm under the hardest conditions, and keep performing.

· Suhoor: simple, fat and protein led

· Iftar: salt solution first, then three meals

· Bulk drinking between meals

· Morning training, lower daytime load

· In bed by midnight; a short nap after Zuhr

Phase 3 · after

Back to normal

The part almost everyone skips. The research is clear that the gains of Ramadan fade in the months after it, unless the transition is deliberate.

· Eating window re-opened in steps

· Sleep rhythm restored

· Training load rebuilt

· What to keep from the month

Work with Dr. Ludidi

Join the Dr. Ludidi Ramadan-Fasting Method

For individuals

Ramadanplan

The full programme, built over more than ten years: preparation, the month, and the transition back. Video lessons, worksheets, recipes and a training build-up. Lifetime access.

Go to Ramadanplan →

For organisations

Talks

A keynote or workshop on fasting, energy and performance during Ramadan — for employers with fasting staff, for healthcare teams, or for a public audience. In English or Dutch, on site or online.

Enquire about a talk

For sports clubs

Club programme

Full support for fasting players across the whole cycle. The staff are trained first, so the programme does not depend on one visitor.

· Week one: staff training

· Two weeks of player preparation

· Guidance through the month

· Transition back to normal

Discuss a club programme

Why Dr. Ludidi

Fasting is not new to me.

I grew up in the south of the Netherlands, where we fasted for forty days from carnival to Easter: no sweets, no meat on Fridays. My father grew up in the Eastern Cape, where his aunt fasted every Wednesday before church, all year round.

What Ramadan means, I learned from a client of mine, who explained that his fasting was never about hunger. It was about trust in the divine. That is where my connection with Ramadan fasting started, and from there it expanded through working with countless Islamic clients.

But don't be mistaken: I am not here to teach religion. What I share is the physiology, based on biology. The meaning of the month is all yours, but science and spirituality can go together, beautifully.

I have guided people through Ramadan for over ten years, from elite fighters and professional footballers to people who simply want to get through the month without falling apart. My book on fasting during Ramadan is available in English, Dutch and French.