The Fit Kitchen Workshop, established by the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, southeastern Türkiye, as part of its efforts to combat obesity, offers guests low-calorie recipes to promote healthy eating habits.
Organized by the Municipality’s Department of Services for the Disabled, Elderly and Health, and the Health Services Branch Directorate, the workshop teaches citizens registered in the municipality’s obesity camp how to prepare low-calorie and healthy foods.
Held once a week, the event provides practical lessons where participants learn calorie-adjusted versions of traditional Gaziantep dishes.
Active for nearly two years, the workshop has helped approximately 360 people lose weight and take steps toward a healthier life.
Dietitian Esra Merve Öztürk, who works at the unit, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that their goal is to preserve Gaziantep’s culinary culture while making it healthier.
Öztürk said they regularly monitor citizens above the weight limit, “We organize obesity camps and follow up with our clients every two weeks. We don’t just provide diet lists; we also aim to instill habits and help them continue the process at home by trying menus with healthy recipes and cooking those meals.”
She added that their efforts focus on turning healthy eating into a lasting habit, “We do this by teaching healthy recipes to mothers and spouses at home to improve public health. We have a very rich cuisine with wonderful dishes. Gaziantep is a gastronomic city, and we want it to stand out as a healthy city through its food. We know that our dishes are actually healthy. Many of our meals contain both plant-based and animal proteins."
"For this reason, we believe this project is beneficial. Obesity has many causes, such as genetic factors and lack of physical activity, but the most important thing is portion control,” Öztürk said.
Serpil Deniz, a regular participant in the workshop, shared that she lost 30 kilograms (66.14 pounds) in 1.5 years.
Describing how she learned healthier cooking methods during this period, Deniz said: “I learned how to make my meals healthier. I realized I needed to avoid products like sugar and bread. I apply what I learned at home. My daughter gained weight, and now I share this knowledge with her too. We even started using measured amounts of tomato paste and black pepper.”
Another participant, Fatih Mekikçi, stated that he joined the program after retirement to spend time meaningfully and learn about healthy eating.
