Amira, the dietitian, invited to the mosque before the start of Ramadan in Montpellier

Amira Ouatta, ce vendredi devant les fidèles de la grande mosquée. Midi Libre – GIACOMO ITALIANO

Ce vendredi à la grande mosquée de La Paillade, Amira Ouatta, diététicienne et nutritionniste est venue apporter ses conseils aux fidèles avant la prière et surtout avant le mois de jeûne qui débute cedimanche soir. Une intervention inédite.

Muslims around the world are preparing to follow Ramadan starting this Monday morning. This fast of about a month is accompanied by a change in eating habits. To better support him, those in charge of the large mosque of La Paillade invited Amira Ouatta, a dietitian nutritionist, this Friday, as a preamble to the big prayer of the day. "This is the first time that a woman has come to the mosque like this before Ramadan. During this time, many people eat nonsense or don't know what to eat. This creates problems with diabetes and cholesterol", explains Lhoussine Tahri, its president. 

The idea of ​​inviting Amira Ouatta came from Abdelkader El Marraki, another community leader, a biologist by training. "Previously, I was looking for bits of information here and there to talk about it, but here we found someone very knowledgeable. I said to myself: why not invite him in front of the faithful, including the oldest", he explains. 

"Being more attentive to our body" 

Amira Ouatta, based in Castelnau-le-Lez, herself a Muslim, has already spoken but in front of a younger audience."This is a first at the grand mosque. As a dietitian, this is an opportunity to pass on information about the importance of nutrition. This is an essential element but also a risk factor. The month of fasting is a shake-up in terms of eating habits and lifestyle. This is an opportunity to implement new habits to benefit from the benefits of fasting", she explains. 

Amira Ouatta recalls that this period allows "detoxification, allows cells to regenerate, regulate hormones". In his eyes, the month of Ramadan also offers the opportunity to have "self-discipline which allows us to reconnect with the feeling of hunger, to be more attentive to our body." For the faithful, the first days are often the most difficult and Amira Ouatta’s message is to ;rsquo;anticipate these changes. "The idea is to be able to prepare your body in advance, to reduce the consumption of sugar and coffee. This alleviates certain effects such as migraine", adds the nutritionist keen to provide "general advice" , "to simplify as much as possible to reach a large number of people".
"The objective is not to completely change habits, especially for older people. The slightest small change can enable development, it’s always beneficial to be able to support them", notes the professional, enthusiastic about this initiative.