Navigating Ramadan while living with an eating disorder: Jasmine's story

A stock photo and pseudonym have been used on this blog at the request of the author. 

Growing up as a British Pakistani Muslim, food has always been central to family life for Jasmine. But with lived experience of an eating disorder, she discusses the challenges of navigating Ramadan and fasting.

A complex relationship with food

In South Asian culture, food isn’t just survival - it symbolises love, nurture and closeness. Food expresses what words cannot and brings generations together even during moments of conflict.

Refusing food can be looked at as a rejection of love and respect, especially towards elders.

As someone who has a long history of Eating Disorders, I’ve often felt caught between cultural expectations and personal battles. While at my worst with Anorexia Nervosa, I remember relatives who were angry at me for not eating what they loaded onto my plate. Yet the same people praised my appearance while I was declining. For them, it was aspirational. For me, it was positive reinforcement for my unhealthy behaviours.

Looking back, these seemingly innocent comments, solidified the idea that self-control and discipline were ultimate goals, making my recovery more challenging. Although my eating disorder had developed from various triggers, it’s undeniable that cultural pressures and expectations didn’t make my relationship with food better.

Cultural narratives often connect appearance with respectability and even marriageability. I’ve overheard conversations in my immediate circles, about the ideal daughter-in-law needing to be “petite”, “x weight” and “fair skinned”. Unwiring messages like these are a struggle for me, even more so during food-focused events and religious holidays like Ramadan.