Slim chance of weight loss in UAE

Dubai - Seventy per cent of men and 67 per cent of women aged 15 years and older are considered overweight in the UAE.

Food. It's something that every living creature needs to function properly. But it is the very thing proving detrimental to the health of people around the world, including residents in the UAE.
According to a recent report on the BBC, a top official in the UK has stated that the British population needs to 'go on a diet' - with pizzas, ready meals, and processed meat becoming the target of a new obesity drive there.
Seventy per cent of men and 67 per cent of women aged 15 years and older are considered overweight in the UAE. But the question is, how do you put a whole nation on a diet?
In a bid to cut calorie consumption by 20 per cent by 2024 in the UK, the government agency Public Health England (PHE) has urged the food industry to make strides when it comes to promoting and producing healthier ingredients in their products.
To help curb the increase of obesity-related illnesses due to food consumption, the agency is also launching a campaign surrounding calorie control.
Interestingly, it is recommending that adults consume around 1,600 calories a day on their three core meals (400 calories at breakfast and 600 each at lunch and dinner). The current recommended daily calorie intake suggests that men consume
2,500kcal and women 2,000kcal, meaning the remaining calorie count (900 calories for men and 400 for women) be consumed on healthy snacks.
The agency states that the new guidelines should be used as a rough guide to follow when buying meals away from home, and looking from a local perspective. The UAE is facing similar issues as the UK when it comes to the overweight/obese population.
In a recent Khaleej Times report, Nadina Andar Halabi, senior clinical dietitian, Emirates Hospital Wellness and Obesity Centre, said that one way of controlling obesity is through the quantity and quality of food consumed during the day.
"We have to include food from various food groups such as fruits, vegetables, fibre-rich carbs, and lean protein from animal and vegetarian origin," she said.
So, would a calorie control campaign help fight the epidemic here?
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Katharina Elbracht, Clinical Director, Dietitian / Nutritionist, Beyond Nutrition Dubai said PHE's campaign will simplify healthy eating for people.
"It makes sense to use this breakdown as a guideline. Spreading the calories across three main meals prevents us from over-eating at certain times of the day and still leaves room to add some snacks between the main meals."
If a person splits the calorie intake over the day, it means that the body is provided with "sufficient energy from early morning until late at night", she said.
But in a country where fast food and upsizing is a part of everyday life, how is that impacting the health of the UAE population?
Over-consumption of fast or junk food (mainly highly processed foods) is what is leading to increased childhood obesity, various heart conditions, diabetes and other chronic diseases one doctor said. And for Elbracht, the finger needs to be pointed at food manufacturers and outlets.
"Most people in the UAE opt for eating out or home delivery options almost every day, if not multiple times a day. The problem is that most of the meals are highly processed and also that the serving sizes are much bigger than the recommended portions. It's very rare that a main meal in a restaurant has less than 600 calories per serving."
In Britain, PHE has told food manufacturers, supermarkets, takeaways and fast-food outlets to reduce the calories in foods from 13 food groups including speciality breads, egg products and meat products, such as pies, pastries, and burgers.
And for Hiba Musharrafieh, a licensed clinical dietitian at Lively (Dubai) the food industry plays a big role in promoting health by developing healthier products. But education is the biggest factor.
"I believe that awareness campaigns are also needed for parents, school children, and young adults to make some major changes regarding their health behaviour."
Like Elbracht, Lovely Ranganath, a Dubai-based Senior Nutritionist (DHA Licenced), said the availability of food is one of the biggest factors impacting health here.
"The UAE is an affluent place in terms of convenience and easy access to food. Health statistics are worrying, which is the reason the government is looking at various strategies from sugar tax to the 'Eat Healthy Live Healthy' initiative."
She said moves like this support and encourage people's decisions to choose wisely. However, the calorie control campaign that Britain is looking to implement is going to be difficult.
Although Ranganath can see the concept behind the 400-600-600 calorie guideline, she said there is no "magic number" that works 100 per cent of the time.
"The recommendations are great a starting point when one is embarking on a 'healthier' lifestyle but each person will need to tweak it to their goals and individuality. You can't tell the exact quantities that one would need over a day since this is dependent on many factors including gender, activity level, medical needs."
And that is why she can't see the concept being brought in, across the spectrum, in the UAE.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE