Egypt's obesity battle: 'No one cares about calories here'

[DJKeefy]

Inside the neon palace that is Koshary Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo, the air smells of fried onions. Plates are heaped high with koshary, a traditional dish containing rice, macaroni and lentils topped with tomato sauce and onions – a filling mainstay across all Egyptian social classes.

An average serving at the restaurant costs the equivalent of £1.80, and contains an estimated 800 calories. The place is filled with families who are given a choice of sugary soft drinks as an accompaniment.

“We don’t measure the calories in the dish as no one here cares about that,” laughs the manager, Tarek Hosny. He elaborates on a prevailing theory that while koshary is all carbohydrates, these are somehow removed with the water they are cooked in.

Low to mid-income countries have some of the highest child obesity rates in the world and, Egypt ranks seventh with 32% of children obese, according to datafrom the World Obesity Federation. A diet heavy in meat, carbohydrates and sugar combined with few opportunities for exercise are taking a toll on the Arab world’s most populous country.

Nor is obesity bound by social class. Low-income families turn to rice and potato dishes to fill stomachs at the end of a long day. The wealthy, who can afford to eat meat with almost every meal, also have access to fast food, considered a luxury in the Middle East.

A survey by the World Health Organisation (WHO) covering 2011-12 found that 62.2% of Egyptian adults were overweight, and 31.3% of them were classed as obese.

“This is more than a health issue,” said Dr Randa Abou el Naga of the WHO in Egypt, who cites a lack of physical activity as the main driver of obesity.

“City planning is responsible,” she said. “There should be proper places for playing sports. Overcrowding in schools also means no sports classes; 75% of Egyptians aren’t doing any vigorous physical exercise.”

Naga said the Egyptian government could easily switch from subsidising sugar and oil to healthier options such as milk. Kiosks and corner shops throughout the country offer a range of sugary and salty snacks, a cheap option for children and their parents.

“It might sound like a cliche, but Egyptians really love sugar. It’s an addiction,” said dietician Dr Sherine el Shimi. “They add sugar in their tea, and have five or six of these per day, each with two or three teaspoons of sugar in. If they just took out the sugar, their lives would be different.”

She said most if not all social gatherings revolve around food, and that social pressure to eat more was high. “Plus we also have delivery for everything,” Shimi said. For those who can afford it, a burger from one of Egypt’s growing number of burger chains can be delivered to your home within an hour.

“Fighting this starts in schools,” she said. “I know we’re not doing great economically right now, but nutrition classes and subsidising one fruit or vegetable per day per child would given them something they don’t get at home.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... overweight

[DJKeefy]

£1.80 for Koshary Obesity? - must be Cairo and Alexandria, certainly not Luxor

[Major Thom]

Suprising reading posts I dont know how people can afford decent food anymore, just rice, favor beans (Methane producing) and flat bread. Some diet, and a good recipe for future problems in health. I bet Cleo's are 10le for 20 now, and what about meat for protien how much is that a kilo, you know the fly infested stuf that hangs outside in 40C of heat.

[carrie]

The most delicious Koshari is to be had at Sofra and that costs more than 1.80 GBP. Worth every penny.

[BENNU]

I dont know how people can afford decent food anymore, just rice, favor beans (Methane producing) and flat bread. Some diet, and a good recipe for future problems in health.

Unlike the amounts of snacks and sweets you often tell us that you consume each week.

a good recipe for future problems in health. I bet Cleo's are 10le for 20 now ...

That is a good recipe for future health.

... and what about meat for protien ...

There is more to beans than methane: Protein!