According to the International Diabetes Federation's recent statistics, Morocco is severely touched by diabetes. The numbers published on the Federation's website indicate that 1.6 million Moroccans suffer from the disease. To generate awareness about it, the kingdom's capital hosted last Saturday "Premix Summit", around 250 experts reunited to exchange expertise and help with the management of the chronic disease. Rabat organized last Saturday the third edition of the regional platform "Premix Summit" that aims to gather dialectologists and experts from all over the African continent. According to Le Matin newspaper, the summit was an opportunity to share and exchange expertise, it was also a way of discussing recommendations concerning Diabetes in Africa. Talking about Africa, it is hard to neglect the fact that Morocco is widely touched by the disease. According to the International Diabetes Federation's recent statistics, 1.6 Million people are diagnosed with diabetes in Morocco. For those who are familiar with the Moroccan life style, no breakfast table is allowed to eliminate a sugary cup of tea, a chunky piece of bread and some sweets. The temptation is high when it comes to people who aren't supposed to touch any of that or to eat sugary food. For a chronic disease like diabetes, management is a key word to the wellbeing of the patient. The latter should keep a good level of sugar and maintain a healthy diet. However, trying to stick to the strict diet surrounded by the delicious food is challenging. The Moroccan League for the Fight against Diabetes is a non-governmental organization that targets diabetic people and tries to help them manage their chronic condition. The organization according to the International Diabetes Federation website is occupied with the task of helping people through trainings to manage diabetes and its complications. Moroccan food can be healthy For Doctor Maria Benjelloun, «the Moroccan cuisine is full of tempting and sugary treats ; however there is always a way of transforming the greasy, full of calories and sugar plates to healthy and nutritious ones». Dr Benjelloun when contacted by Yabiladi.com declared that she suggests «sugar-free recipes to her patients to help them stop the craving "Msemen" with no honey syrup and unsweetened green tea». «People with diabetes should learn how to moderate.» Bad eating habits are always bad, even for those who are not suffering from the chronic disease «it is always good to avoid sugar because it can create health problems in the future», Dr Maria explained. The consumption of large amounts of sugar causes obesity and may «increase the risk of developing diabetes» doctor Maria Benjelloun concluded. Food is the source of nutrition, pleasure and good stamina but moderation should always take part of our daily diet. Moroccan food is known worldwide for its authenticity and diversity however one should always opt for the healthy choice.
