Month of Ramadan an opportunity to tackle obesity: HMC

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is continuing its efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of obesity and to provide plans and programmes for specialists in this field to fulfil the strategy of the Ministry of Public Health to reduce the rate of obesity among children, adolescents and adults.The Director of the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at HMC Reem al-Saadi said, in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the patients are provided with personal programmes and are followed regularly by the therapeutic nutritionist to achieve the best results, pointing to the efforts of the Diabetes Obesity and Metabolic Research Unit, and the specialised services provided for the treatment of obesity to help patients to reach and maintain healthy weight, especially with the high rate of obesity in Qatar.Al-Saadi said that the holy month of Ramadan is a valuable opportunity to follow a diet for weight loss, as the hours during which the fasting person can eat and drink are limited compared to normal days, and by controlling what a person is eating, one can adjust the amount of calories, which is reflected in weight loss.Al-Saadi stressed that having a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle during the month of Ramadan contributes to weight loss and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. It has as well many health benefits such as contributing to weight loss, regulating blood sugar, controlling blood cholesterol, blood pressure and eliminating accumulated toxins and regenerating cells.Al-Saadi added that when a person feels improvement in his health through weight loss and a healthy diet and when he feels that some of the pain associated with weight gain is gone, and when he stops the use of some medications, it will motivate him to continue to follow healthy habits during the month of Ramadan or at any other time, which helps to maintain healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits. For her part, Director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at the Primary Health Care Corporation Moudhi al-Hajri stressed the importance of healthy eating habits during the month of Ramadan, with attention to the meal of Suhoor which is no less important than Iftar because it helps the body to fast and endure the hardships of fasting.She said that some people do not care about the meal of Suhoor and focus on Iftar meals, while some cancel Suhoor meal, thinking that cancelling it may reduce their weight or help them lose weight. This is a mistaken belief. This meal is of great importance to the body as it helps them to endure fasting the next day, without fatigue, exhaustion and hunger.