Follow a strict diet and exercise to match social beauty standards. This lifestyle is valid all year round, except today May 6, international no diet day. Since 2012, every May 6 has dissipated the pressure from women’s magazines encouraging excessively restrictive diets.
Launched by Mary Evans Young in 1992, this initiative was officially established by Annie Spinazzola two decades later. Advocating self-acceptance, a balanced diet and regular physical activity, this day commemorates the opportunity to reflect on the complex relationship between health and eating habits.
Obesity, a global problem, what about in Morocco?
In Morocco, obesity and diabetes are major challenges for public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes affects nearly 12.4% of the Moroccan adult population, with tragic consequences leading to more than 12,000 deaths annually. Additionally, approximately 55.1% of the population is overweight and 21.7% is obese, with an alarming increase of 30% since the year 2000. Projections from the World Obesity Federation indicate that “ half of the Moroccan population could be affected by this chronic disease by 2035 “.
According to experts, obesity is caused by unhealthy eating habits, in this case, consumption of fast food and processed foods. The problem does not stop there, in many cases, obesity leads to various health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and certain cancers, as well as considerable economic consequences. The costs of treating these diseases in Morocco are estimated at nearly a billion dollars by 2035, representing a major challenge for the health system and the national economy.
Aware of the devastating consequences of this change in the nutritional habits of Moroccans, the government has launched an operational plan for the prevention and control of overweight and obesity among young people since 2018. The latter aims to reduce the prevalence of obesity child by 15% by the following year by improving healthcare provision, promoting a healthy diet and regular physical activity, and fighting against environmental factors favoring overweight or obesity. In the race for health and the physique of your dreams, the subtlety of a hair can distinguish the obsession from the search for a healthy lifestyle.
