Obesity has managed to sneak into our society in the last 20 or so years along with the invasion of fast food chains that offer unhealthy meals. The decline in the quality and nutrients and the increase in quantity and fat in their meals have contributed to corpulence.
It is only in the past few years that the prevalence of obesity has become more apparent amongst our men, women, children, toddlers, and babies particularly in urban areas, reaching 20 percent of the population and predisposing them to diabetes (high blood sugar). Even young overweight children have recently become prone to the adult type of the disease, diabetes-2. We cannot say we have been by nature fat people, because we were not. We may have led a somewhat sedentary life, but obesity was not our weakness until recently.
Our souks and supermarkets are overflowing with manufactured, refined and processed foods previously unknown to us. Sweets, candies, chocolates, creamy pastries and ice creams and syrupy desserts are everywhere. Fast food stores appear overnight in every shopping center. Fish, kebab and gourmet restaurants line up the main streets all over the country, offering succulent dishes and endless buffets. You must be wondering why we do nothing but eat, think of eating, or plan it. There are several factors that lead to overindulgence in our society.
The way you eat usually reflects who you are. Thus, the simplest of food can give inner joy and the tastiest meal can be unsatisfactory. Without satisfaction and contentment, no food or blessing can offer pleasure to the hungry soul. So, even the most delicious dish can seem tasteless and the most coveted thing would become joyless. This state of mind results in craving, addiction, insatiability, overindulgence, and gluttony.
Our teenagers eat because they have no other aim in life than to eat. Roaming the streets and shopping malls becomes a favorite pastime and a sport; visiting the latest fast food chains and the newest restaurants becomes a discovery and an achievement to brag about, in order to appear trendy and “with it.” Out of peer-pressure, the others in the group get dragged into following the footsteps of their more adventurous and aimless friends to “fit in.” Both groups get into the bad habits of indulging in fatty and fried foods and drinking sodas for the sake of killing time. This fills the vacuum in their lives; they have no clear objective, no hobby, nor interest in anything else than wolfing down one “super-sized” burger or fried chicken with fries after the other.
The result is they also become “super-sized” as well as inactive.
Where are the parents all this while? Why are these people not directed to join sports clubs or the Boy’s Scouts, read to expand their horizons, or volunteer in hospitals and welfare centers? There are many useful ways to pass time than driving fast cars pointlessly and endlessly stuffing oneself.
Another worrisome factor is the older youths who are doing the same things, but not because they are undirected or aimless, but because they are jobless and have no future plans to keep them occupied or fulfilled. Losing heart, they, too, start roaming the streets and gobbling whatever food offered to them to fill the tremendous void and quell the rage within.
With the abundance and variety of food in our markets, our dining tables are brimming with fatty goodies and succulent desserts. How can anyone resist all this tantalizing food? I wonder if this appropriate. I know Islam encourages good hospitality, but it does not condone wasting food or overindulgence that damages health. The Qur’an commands Muslims, “...And eat and drink but waste not by extravagance certainly He (Allah) likes not the extravagant.” (Chapter: 7, verse: 31).
The common factor among these people is obesity. Do not assume that they are all afflicted with thyroid problems (under-active thyroid glands lead to obesity), because this is not the case.
Obesity has many repercussions on our health. A rapid weight gain signals an increase of toxic residue inside the body, as toxins are stored in fatty tissues. Studies have shown that it is the main contributor to many “civilized” diseases and early death, even exceeding intoxication and tobacco smoking. Corpulence is a precursor to diabetes (a disease leading to high blood sugar and insulin resistance), which predisposes the body (young or old) to such illnesses as infections, eye, heart and kidney diseases, and stroke, increasing health risks and shortening life span. Such unfortunate individuals become a liability to their loved ones and society.
A recent study indicated that as few as one soda or cola (9-12 teaspoons of sugar) per day can increase women’s tendency to developing type-2 diabetes. Film director Morgan Spurlock went through the experiment of eating nothing but MacDonald’s for one whole month. This casual trial became a serious risk to his health as a medical team observed his blood glucose and cholesterol levels and organ function. At the end of the month, Morgan’s weight increased; he developed depression and lost his sex drive; and his liver started to fail.
We have to campaign against corpulence, overindulgence, and fast fatty unbalanced meals. Parents, schools, fast food chains, restaurants, and all members of our society should offer our youth and all a balanced nutritious diet, teach moderation, encourage sports and exercising, and introduce intellectual diversions rather than allowing them to roam the streets and indulge in health damaging habits.
Such preventative measures would at the least create public awareness and at best deter the pervasiveness of obesity and the risk of disease that follows it.
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)