It’s time we all figured out a better relationship with food

Muslims have to be careful about what we eat during Ramadan, so why can't we do that for the rest of the year, Fatima Al Shamsi asks.

Muslims celebrate Eid in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Photo: Sammy Dallal / The National

Every year, when Eid Al Fitr is almost upon us, I find myself hit by a bittersweet sensation. While I am extremely grateful to be getting back to a regular eating and sleeping schedule, the realisations that it will no longer be normal for everyone to be up at all hours, and that everyone’s schedules will make it more difficult for family and friends to get together for meal times, saddens me.

While Eid is a time for celebration and an acknowledgement of the month that has passed, we should also be able to take away some great habits that we’ve ideally cultivated over the four weeks of Ramadan. Things like patience, self-control, discipline and most importantly, a better relationship with food. While I do not expect or ask that anyone live an ascetic lifestyle, Ramadan should at least teach us how to be mindful of what we eat.

Having celebrated Ramadan abroad most of my life, without the luxury of having my family around to provide all the appropriate meals, I had to do plenty of research about how and what to eat ahead of fasting. This included cutting out large amounts of caffeine, getting in the right amount of water before Fajr prayer, staying away from sugar, fried food or anything that will dehydrate you, while filling up on food that would provide the most energy and trying to maintain a decent exercise regime.

I’ve come to realise that these basic guidelines are actually perfect for maintaining a healthy routine throughout the whole year. While I am most definitely a foodie who loves eating out and treating myself to all the wonderful culinary delights that this world has to offer, I try to be conscious of keeping things balanced in my every day eating habits.

What I realised after spending my first full Ramadan in the UAE is that not only are people generally overindulgent during the holy month, but that we need to wake up to the fact that we are one of the top countries when it comes to obesity and diabetes.

According to studies, the UAE ranks anywhere from fifth fattest to 21st fattest nation in the world. But when we examine the issue on a national level, according to data released in the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2013, more than 66 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women in the UAE are classified as either overweight or obese.

Furthermore, a study done in the UAE last year revealed that children were 30 per cent more likely to be overweight or obese if one parent was also and 80 per cent more likely if both parents were. The same study revealed that one in three children in the Emirates is at risk of early diabetes and hypertension as a result of being overweight.

While obesity could be due to various factors such as genetic predisposition, health conditions, medication or physical inactivity, a conference held in Dubai earlier this year found that sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets are the most common leading cause of widespread obesity in the country. Despite the fact that a lot has been done recently to try to raise awareness of this issue, I think we really need to look into a lifestyle overhaul to fix this problem.

For the younger members of society, we need to continue to increase education about the issue and focus on increasing activity levels in schools in an engaging enough way that this knowledge transfers to their choices and lives outside the school setting. This can span anything from providing more after-school activities that are fitness orientated to laying on healthier food options for lunch.

As for adults, we can encourage offices to motivate their employees to stay fit by providing their workers with in-house gyms, holding health and fitness awareness seminars, or even organising intra-office friendly competitions. Something as simple as total steps walked per day within a department could help decrease the lethargy brought on by sitting at a desk for hours on end.

Though extreme sedentary lifestyles are a problem, we cannot overlook the effects that the food we buy and how we cook it has on our health.

As anyone who has ever tried to successfully lose weight or get fit can tell you, exercise by itself is not enough. What we put into our bodies to fuel us during the day is even more crucial. Learning to balance food and activity is very important – it is not just about fad diets and short-term solutions.

Fatima Al Shamsi is an Emirati who recently returned from New York City after pursuing a master’s ­degree in Global Affairs at New York University