Health workshops, coaching and competitions at QIFF

The eighth Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) celebrates the healthy side of food with workshops, coaching sessions and competitions aimed at promoting healthy diet and lifestyle among Qatar’s population.
In addition to a designated health zone, “Care”, this year’s festival organized by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) features health workshops and coaching sessions for the first time. Qatar Cancer Society also raises health awareness through daily health competitions for visitors of all ages.
The interactive health workshops, run by a locally-based nutritionist, are held daily at the “Learn” zone of the festival grounds at Hotel Park. There, festival-goers are invited to try their hand at preparing simple yet delicious snacks and meals with high nutritional value. Upcoming workshops include Culinary Beauty (Thursday at 5pm), Power Up Your Health (Friday at 8pm) and Eat the Rainbow (Saturday at 4pm).
Mashal Shahbik, Director of Festivals and Events at QTA, said, “Food carries many cultural, social, and entertainment expressions, but most fundamentally, food is nourishment for the body and a foundation for health. We are committed to provide a platform at QIFF for people to explore and learn about healthy food choices, and are grateful to our partners for making the learning experience fun and interactive for our visitors.”
Kim Nawbar, who is founder of 2B Nourished and is running the workshops said, “It is very exciting to be part of this year’s QIFF, introducing a series of healthy workshops and healthy coaching for the first time at the festival. The response has been tremendous so far as participants have enjoyed learning quick and simple steps to upgrade their food preparations.”
She added, “I'm really excited for the future of healthy living in Qatar as there is a real sense of a community in the drive to make lifestyle changes and learn how to be better nourished.”
Returning for the third consecutive year at QIFF, Qatar Cancer Society is leveraging the festival’s popularity to create platform for awareness-raising around the role of healthy food choices in the prevention and treatment of cancer. The booth located in the “Taste” zone runs daily competitions with valuable prizes for both children and adults.
Omar AlTwaissi, Marketing Coordinator at Qatar Cancer Society said, “The Festival‘s kick-off in March coincided with the World Health Organisation’s month designated to Colon Cancer Awareness month making our presence at QIFF even more relevant to the work we do with the community.”