Health

According to WHO statistics (2002), chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity, have become the leading cause of death in Syria.

It makes you wonder whether the problem lies in our conventional Syrian cuisine, or in the direction in which our traditions, habits and lifestyles are developing.

People gain weight when their energy intake exceeds their energy output. In other words, this happens when a person consumes calories (eating) more than s/he burns (in physical activity). Watching our weights is necessary for a healthy life. There is no specific age in which people should start taking care of their weights; monitoring one’s weight should start from infancy with the mother taking care of her infant’s weight and development. Weight gain is associated with several unfavorable health conditions such as; indigestions, constipation, lethargy and tiredness, headaches and muscle cramps. Moreover, weight gain negatively affects people who suffer from certain illnesses like high blood pres-sure, high levels of cholesterol, diabetes and heart diseases.