This gum makes sugar taste like overcooked vegetables
A new gum called Sweet Victory has been created for kids to stop sugar intake in people and children who can no longer say no to sweets.
obesity
Worth their weight in gold: biggest losers in Dubai win coins for weight lost
The Middle East is seeing the worst rising weights of obesity in the world: but a new Biggest Loser contest in Dubai, is showing that locals there, and children, are taking on the challenge for losing weight. If the prize is gold coins for every pound you’d drop, you’d want to lose too! Consider this […]
100% edible coffee cups; tasty, eco-friendly, and straight to your hips
Who says you can’t have your cup and eat it too? The maker of those chicken-like products sworn to be “finger-lickin’ good” is testing a range of 100% edible containers for takeaway coffee. Fast food giant KFC will be testing its new coffee cups in Britain this summer. Called “Scoff-ee” (a wordplay meaning “to eat […]
#OnlyInDubai is eating the calories you just burned considered “good health”
Working out with no results? Health professionals in Dubai have a counter-intuitive solution to consider: eat more! So you’re trying to make good on your New Year’s resolution to put down the shawarma and pick up some weights. But after a month, you can’t see results (nor your toes). Fear not, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) […]
Energy drinks illegal for under 20s in this Arab country?
Battling obesity and illnesses like diabetes and hypertension this Arab country is now looking to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors, teens and young adults until the age of 20. All energy drinks will be banned for sale to those under 20 starting January 2015 according to some sources.
Al Farjan sports clubs for a greener, fitter Qatar
What’s the best way to get a nation of increasingly obese residents to embrace a healthier life? Host a World Cup and build a bunch of awesome sports clubs. Having secured 2022, the Qatar Olympic Committee has now commissioned Grimshaw Architects to install green recreational facilities throughout the emirate.
No plastics safe? Industry hides frightening evidence on BPA-free baby bottles
A new investigation by Mother Jones magazine revealed that chemicals used to replace controversial plastic additive bisphenol-A – commonly called BPA – may be just as dangerous to your health, if not worse.
In Jordan, 33 percent standing can’t see their feet
Jordan is becoming a heavyweight on the global stage, but this is nothing to puff up about. The kingdom is among the world’s worst countries for obesity according to Oxfam’s World Food Index 2013, with 33% of standing Jordanians unable to see their feet. Over 14% of the population is also diabetic.
Surprising Reason Big Butts Are Healthy
Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have all ranked among the world’s top 10 fattest nations with ballooning obesity rates and an explosion of associated diseases. But there’s an upside to oversize:scientists from Britain’s University of Oxford have discovered that – no buts about it! – women with larger than average backsides are […]
Saudi Ministry of Health Sued Over Death of Obese Man
An 840 pound Saudi man died last week from complications associated with his weight and his passing is loudly being mourned online. Is it a sign of our digital times or a new awareness of the obesity epidemic in the Middle East?
Heaviest Man in Saudi Gets Royal Treatment
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah has intervened to help save the life of his largest subject, ordering Khalid bin Mohsen to be specially transported from the southern border province of Jazan to the country’s capital to undergo treatment. Nineteen-year-old Shaari, who weighs 1,345 pounds, is believed to be one of the world’s heaviest humans.
Your Weight is Worth Gold in Dubai
The government of Dubai government will pay gold to health-conscious residents for dropping some weight over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It’s part of Dubai’s “Your Weight in Gold” initiative.
Saudi Arabia HungerStation: Fast-food Convenience or Obesity Enabler?
HungerStation.com in Saudi Arabia is a new online platform where customers can order food from a lengthening list of restaurants for delivery right to their doorstep. Wildly successful, the service has experienced a 500% increase in daily traffic since their launch last November, and is signing on new food chains at an impressive clip.
Are Digital Diet Utensils A Forking Joke?
Eating too fast leads to poor digestion and poor weight control. No brainer. But do we need a digital fork to help adhere to that maxim? Goofing around online, I spot a cool-looking kitchen gadget: a fork that could be a love-child of IKEA and Apple. I click on the video and nearly spit out […]
Is Sugar Toxic?
Increasing evidence shows that sugar is a natural enemy to the body. “Don’t you think I know how hard it is, honey/To get some “sugar” from the phone,” sings country singer Bonnie Raitt, vividly summing up the difficulty of maintaining a long-distance romance. Sugar represents all that’s sweet and desirable, but in the light of […]
Sustainable Table Film Shows What’s On Your Plate
Miriam has been covering a series of sustainable meal recipes from the Middle East region, from countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iran to help people reconnect with their local food (click the countries to get some great local recipes). We know that food industry is shaping the future of our bodies and our planet, […]
Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss and Optimal Health an Old Prophecy?
Eat like a Paleo man? A pair of new medical books claim that a continual routine of restricted eating results in fat loss, increased longevity and improved overall health. The Prophet Mohammed, may peace be upon him as Muslims are careful to say when they mention his name, was a proponent of regular fasting. Dr. […]
Globally, Obesity is Now Deadlier Than Hunger
Need incentive to eat healthier? Diabetes, stroke and heart disease, have become the dominant cause of death and disability worldwide. Obesity and its myriad complications produce health problems greater than those caused by hunger: according to a new report published in the British medical journal The Lancet, it’s the leading cause of disability around the […]
Second Fattest Nation to Host 2016 World Road Cycling Championship
Even though Qatar is the world’s second fattest nation, it will host four international sporting events in the next decade, including the 2016 World Road Cycling Championship and the 2022 World Cup. With Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the helm, Qatar’s bid committee spent years fighting to host this prestigious cycling event for two […]
Obese Gulf Boy Suffers Fatal Heart Attack Aboard Flight to Bangkok
The Gulf obesity epidemic in has come under increased scrutiny recently. Supersized boys and girls are barely recognizable and four of the world’s fattest countries hail from Gulf nations – a staggering number that has increasingly tragic consequences. Just 19 years old, an Emirati boy who weighed 170 kilograms was flying from Dubai to Bangkok to receive […]
Junk Food for Kids Against the Law in the United Arab Emirates
Wouldn’t it be great if we could tell parents living in Gulf countries that their kids are getting fat because they’re being fed too many McDonald’s burgers, and have them respond by adding some greens to their diet? But this isn’t what happens. Even though a 2010 national school health survey in the United Arab Emirates […]
Sudanese Invents Artificial Pancreas to Eradicate Arab World Diabetes
Sudan’s Mohammad Baloola says his invention can eradicate an emerging Gulf disease: diabetes. As a biomedical engineering student at Ajman University of Science and Technology, Mohammad Baloola found homegrown inspiration for his final year project. Four members of his family are diabetic, a collective muse for his ingenious artificial pancreas. The pancreas is the body’s sole […]
Saudi Arabia’s Fast Food Boom is Finger Lickin’ Awful
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) fast food market is expected to reach $4.5 billion in gross sales by 2015, driven by growing demand from its young, western-influenced population, higher disposable incomes, and new financing arrangements, according to a report by Euromonitor, a leading analyst of global markets.Western coffee chains are less about catching a […]
Arab Gulf states producing supersized girls and boys, at risk for diabetes
Born in an economic boom, kids in oil-rich Arab Gulf States use their silver spoons to up caloric intact. Blame laziness, love of Western brands, or ample disposable income, but children across the Gulf region are getting fatter. Recent studies tag 20 percent of children in Dubai as overweight, and another 12% as obese. Their Gulf nations’ […]