Nutrition day

Al - Ahli Hospital recently held a “nutrition day” as part of its programmes to increase awareness in society on health issues. The two-day activities included a series of workshops and lectures on the benefits of healthy food. Activities on the first day focused on the relation between healthy life and food, nutrition and beauty, wrong perception about nutrition, dietary supplements and overweight. Events on the second day included awareness programs, blood sugar and cholesterol tests for visitors conducted by nutritionists. Amani Al Najjar, nutritionist at Al Ahli Hospital said that healthy food is considered the most important because it can prevent some chronic diseases which threaten the society such as overweight, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. She added that lectures were held in a simple and interesting way so that the people can understand the issues properly. “During my lecture I focused on vegetables and fruits which contain antioxidants and its role in preventing many diseases, in addition to its role in preserving the beauty of women,” said Amani. She said the hospital has introduced the most advanced devices to assess the nutrition requirements of the visitors as part of the awareness programme. Another speaker focused on the danger of using weight loss medicines without medical supervision. Most of these medicines are not approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US and have negative impact on those who use it without medical supervision. She called for new strategies and policies to prevent use of such medicines without a doctor’s advice and supervision. Semahir Ahmed, in charge of public relations at the Al Ahli Hospital said that the hospital is keen to organise awareness activities focusing on health issues every month.