Faithful fasting — What we gain when we refrain

About this episode

Waleed Aly discusses the physical and spiritual transformations of fasting during Ramadan and its implications for health.

For Waleed Aly, refraining from food and drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan brings about not only a physical transformation but a spiritual one as well. Fasting is a feature of many different religions, and according to some experts, these and other religious practices can be determinants of health — both physical and mental. Guests: Waleed Aly, author, academic and presenter of Radio National's The Minefield Doug Oman , professor at the University of California, Berkeley and editor of Why Religion and Spirituality Matter for Public Health Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at everybite@abc.net.au This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

People in this episode

Guests: Waleed Aly, Doug Oman

Topics covered

• fasting
• Ramadan
• spiritual transformation
• health
• religion
• mental health

Keywords

• fasting
• Ramadan
• spirituality
• health
• religion
• mental health
• Waleed Aly
• Doug Oman

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ABC Australia, University of California, Berkeley

Places: Wurundjeri, Kulin Nation

More episodes of Every Bite

• Risk it for the brisket — How BBQ called KG from Cairo · June 12, 2026 · 29 min
• Food in an age of insecurity · June 5, 2026 · 29 min
• A memory of madeleines — The cake Proust almost forgot · May 29, 2026 · 29 min
• From Seder to Shabbat — A year of Jewish cooking · May 22, 2026 · 29 min
• For love or honey — Keeping bees in the age of varroa · May 15, 2026 · 29 min
• The care and feeding of Bourdain and Batali · May 8, 2026 · 29 min