With an estimated 2.3 million internet users in the UAE, we are certainly a country that likes to stay connected. And it's no surprise to learn that people the world over are increasingly relying on the internet to seek health and nutrition information for themselves and their families. In fact, one study published in the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior found that almost five per cent of all online searches are for health-related information.
When it comes to nutrition, the internet can be a valuable resource to help you eat healthier. Between meal plans, personalised recommendations and recipes, many of the tools you need to eat healthier are just a click away.
While health and nutrition information on the web can be convenient, it is not always reliable. Turning to the internet for health information means you have to sort plenty of fiction from fact. When evaluating online resources, keep a few things in mind, such as who sponsors the site, who wrote the information and when it was posted.
Generally, health sites funded by universities, governments, hospitals and non-profit organisations provide the most reliable information. Such sites will disclose their sources and often include contact details.
Beware of sites that offer quick fixes, claims that sound too good to be true, or those trying to sell a product.
As for nutrition-related sites, here are five that are reliable, credible and practical. They're bound to have you eating healthier in no time.
The official consumer advice and information site of the Food Standards Agency in the UK, www.eatwell.gov.uk, is an excellent resource for healthy eating. It prvides a wide range of information, from tips on reading labels to advice on safe food handling. Perhaps most useful for anyone trying to shed unwanted kilos is the section that includes a body mass index (BMI) calculator, as well as an activity calculator - a tool that helps you keep track of the calories you're burning through daily activities. There are tips and strategies on maintaining a healthy weight and you can even assess your health risks by using the body shape comparison chart.
The Dieticians of Canada website, www.eatracker.ca, provides credible and personalised information designed by health professionals. After completing a quick general online assessment, you will receive recommendations on improving your eating habits and activity level. Registering with the site allows you to track your progress over time to help keep you motivated. If you like to cook, there is a handy recipe analysis programme. All you have to do is enter the ingredients (with quantities) from your favourite recipe to find out the nutritional information per serving, including the amount of calories and grams of fat.
The Mayo Clinic website, www.mayoclinic.com, is the place to go to get a broad range of credible, timely and accurate health information, including in-depth nutrition recommendations. With an extensive section on both healthy eating and weight loss, it sets the record straight on many nutrition misconceptions. Wonder how many calories you need every day? There is a useful tool that lets you calculate your daily requirement based on age, gender, weight and activity level. What's more, there are plenty of healthy recipes that are appropriate for weight loss, low sodium and heart healthy eating plans.
Thanks to the novel website www.eatlowcarbon.org, you can find out the carbon footprint of your diet and ways to reduce your impact. All you have to do is drag and drop food items into the virtual frying pan to get a score, which correlates to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions generated from your food choices. You'll learn why meat and dairy are particularly high carbon foods and how your choices directly impact climate change.
Stuck for healthy dinner ideas? Go to www.allrecipes.com and you'll never again have to stand in front of the fridge with the door open, wondering what to make. Allrecipes gets top marks for a diverse selection of dishes that will have you tossing the takeaway menus and tightening the strings on your apron in no time. Best of all, the extensive search feature allows you to find recipes based on ingredients, preparation time, meal type and nutrient content. That means you can sort out your options based on their calorie, fat, fibre or sodium content. Keeping up with the times, allrecipes just introduced a free iPhone application called Dinner Spinner that gives you access to their complete recipe database in the palm of your hand.
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
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Specs%20
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
