Egyptians have traditionally enjoyed eating food like stuffed vine leaves and stuffed cabbage, both of which are cooked with ghee and butter. We heap our plates to the brim, and even then a guest risks being reprimanded if he has not eaten everything on it. But Egypt also has high rates of anaemia and obesity, which can be linked to eating disorders. Given the country's centuries-old eating traditions, is it possible to change them? “Emotional eating is caused by psychological or physiological disorders,” says Sherifa Abul-Fotouh, a nutrition consultant who is doing her best to change Egypt's eating habits. “Due to a wide variety of reasons, people turn to food for comfort. The answer to this is raising people's awareness about healthy eating. After the 25 January Revolution, and later, during the curfew, people naturally turned to food. Food is the one thing no one can interfere with, whether it's how much we eat or when.” The problem is that poor eating habits can lead to serious health problems. “What people need to do is to learn how to change the way they deal with food, and that has been my aim,” Abul-Fotouh said. If you choose to eat fast food, for example, choose a meal that contains less fat, she advises. “Choose grilled burgers instead of fried burgers and avoid French fries on the side. And don't add mayonnaise to your burgers as that increases your fat intake,” she says. If more people made such choices, fast food companies would have to offer healthier food. This has happened with McDonald's in the United States, for example, Abul-Fotouh says. Egyptians also eat too fast, she says. “In France, they spend two hours eating. People respect food and enjoy eating. In the last century, Egyptians were not necessarily obese, although they were well built and full-bodied. This was because they respected food. “They sat at the family dinner table for dinner and shared a meal and conversation. They took time to eat. But today we don't do that anymore. People don't even eat together at the same time.” In a bid to change people's attitudes to food, Abul-Fotouh has been working in the Cairo district of Manshiet Nasser. She is helping people change their food habits. She discusses recipes and offers choices to homemakers to change the way they see food and how they eat it. Her list of tips may seem simple, but even small changes can have far-reaching benefits. “After the 25 January Revolution I started to think about how we can help society. The difference between us and the Muslim Brotherhood is that the Brotherhood historically has been more communally oriented, being more aware of what is going on in the streets. I started to think of how to help people and I decided I wanted to help educate them. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to do so,” she said. “A philanthropist approached me while I was in Hurghada to help her in her campaign against anaemia. I went with her to the Manshiet Nasser and Torah districts, and though it was difficult to educate people in better eating habits at the beginning I persevered, helping people to understand the importance of healthy eating and how they could improve their health through healthy foods. “I taught them how to make carrot cake, for example, a recipe that only costs LE3 to make. I also taught them how to make banana cake, which costs LE6. One woman started to make crepes for her children.” A lecture was organised in Manshiet Nasser. Experts who attended were impressed by the local women's awareness. “They corrected information when the experts misstated it and answered the questions on food and nutrition that were posed to them,” Abul-Fotouh said. “They made me proud.” “Then we started a roof garden where we started to grow okra, molokhiya, strawberries and peppers. A horticulturalist helped us, and when people did not have suitable roof space they grew things on balconies. It was a wonderful experience.” Local people then asked Abul-Fotouh to help them with other issues, including education, and volunteer teachers were recruited to teach English, Arabic and mathematics. While the experience at Manshiet Nasser involved only a small community, it serves as an example of what can be achieved if the will is there.
The ideal lunchbox According to nutrition consultant Sherifa Abul-Fotouh, the perfect lunchbox for schoolchildren should contain: -A sandwich made from half a piece of baladi bread filled with salad ingredients like lettuce and cucumbers; -Milk, skim for overweight children and full cream for others; -A packet of popcorn, not crisps; -Any kind of nuts, as these contain essential vitamins and calcium; -A box of cornflakes and yoghurt, especially suitable for young children with sensitive stomachs.
