أخصائية التغذية أمل قرعوني 2010 - 2011

?Would you please introduce yourself-
My name is Amal Karawni. I am a nutritionist, and the head of dietetic department of AlaaDien Hospital

?why did you choose this field of study-
Since I was in school, I liked Biology especially the “Nutrition Field”. In addition to that I was overweight since childhood and I had the obesity gene in my blood inherited from the family, So I decided to become a nutrition specialist in order to lose weight and help people meet their nutrition goals such as weight loss.


Could you explain the harmful effects of Junk Food like Pepsi, chocolates, and chips on health
These kinds of food are unhealthy. They lead to many diseases like diabetes mellitus, cardiac diseases, obesity and skin problems. They increase cholesterol and triglycerides level and lately increase the carcinogenic problems

Most Teenagers nowadays are affected by their favorite celebrities and models and they try to imitate their looks .Is this a good sign for teenagers to follow
Teenagers should not copy the lifestyle of these celebrities because these people follow a very strict diet that is usually poor in nutrients which makes them subject to severe symptoms like constipation, headaches, respiratory problems, hair loss, and sometimes to anorexia and maybe even to death.

Some people are slim even though they eat lots of junk food, what is the reason behind this
Yes, this phenomenon is common among us, but it depends on every individual’s metabolism and the way the body burns the extra calories, and also we must keep in mind that heredity plays an important role in the way our figure is developed. In our specialty there is a term called “Set Point “ which means that each body regulates the different functions within the digestive system and this set point is different from one person to another

? Are diet food and soft drinks considered healthy to our bodies -
I don’t prefer “diet” food or drinks such as diet Pepsi or diet chocolate, because as soon as the diet finishes, people will get back on eating normal food, so this will let people gain weight instead of losing it. In addition to that, such kinds of food lack healthy substances and contain fake colored sugar which leads to cancer and harm the kidneys


What are the major steps that you follow with a person who comes to your clinic seeking help to lose weight
Communication plays a main role in the relation between me and my patient. The first thing I do is I try to collect clear data and information about the patient which includes his healthy history as well as his family’s health history and I ask the patient to fill out a “Questionnaire " regarding his eating habits, then I establish a “24 hour record” to monitor the patient's food intake. all this information form a guide line which helps me determine the diet suitable for a particular patient