Racha Sankar

The Healthy Numbers Racha Sankar

The rate of obesity is increasing worldwide. The Middle East is not immune to these increases. In fact, in Middle Eastern countries the rate of obesity is much higher than western countries. The Middle East and the Gulf areas traditionally have a healthy cuisine in which foods can be combined to include all of the macro and micronutrients in a balanced way. If we were living 20-30 years ago, no cuisine would be healthier than Middle Eastern cuisine. Nevertheless, different factors had negative influences on the health of the people living in this region. In contrast to belief, food consumption plays a major role in the increasing rate of obesity and related diseases. The improved food industry, fast food invasion, and advanced technologies are the main factors that led to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, and over consumption of empty calorie foods daily. No wonder, a great increase in the rate of obesity and chronic diseases is seen and diagnosed amongst different aged groups from the Middle East and the Gulf region.