And the fondness for fatty foods and fast food led to a person in five becoming obese. According to a study issued by the World Bank in 2022, the rate is classified as “alarming”.
And the financial analyst, Asim Al-Shammari, 28 years old, said that he used to eat burgers and Kabsa while working, and felt satiated and lethargic, but he switched to grilled chicken slices or salmon and a little rice and boiled vegetables for lunch, and that there was a general demand for that.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health for the year 2020, 31% of Saudis are overweight, while 28.7% have exceeded the appropriate weight and have become obese.
For his part, Lebanese Bassel Shuhaib, who runs a healthy food restaurant, said that his restaurant opened two additional branches within 18 months to keep up with the demand for these meals – especially from citizens – which take into account the amount of calories and do not contain saturated fats.
Fighting obesity
The Ministry of Health had launched a national program to combat obesity, obliging restaurants in 2019 to announce calories, and the Ministry of Health banned the sale of soft drinks in schools.
In turn, the public health consultant, Lamia Al-Brahim, acknowledged that obesity is a high health problem in the Kingdom. However, she indicated that it is currently very noticeable that health awareness has increased among the younger generation regarding food and sports.
In the same year, it also began constructing a 135-kilometer sports track in the capital, Riyadh, to encourage walking and cycling. Fitness clubs for both sexes have multiplied in Riyadh, and healthy eating restaurants often surround them.
Health food restaurants
Healthy food and diet restaurants are currently crowding out fast food restaurants in the Kingdom, even forcing them to provide slimming meals on their menu.
