“Americans called me and asked me about what they should do to avoid coronavirus. I told them to eat lentils,” the doctor said.
Rabat – Egyptian doctor Majdi Badran claimed that lentils cooked in the Egyptian style are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection.
During a recent television program, the Egyptian doctor said that Europeans and Americans should start taking advice from Egypt now.
“Americans keep asking me about how to avoid coronavirus. I told them to eat lentils. but it should be cooked in Egyptian way,” he said.
He added that the lentils should be homemade.
He also advised people to eat kushari, a national dish and a widely popular lentil-based street food in Egypt.
He also claimed that legumes used in some Egyptians dishes are high in vitamins and minerals that strengthen the immune system and make people happy.
In another television show, the doctor said that nutrition is one of the most important elements in maintaining a strong immune system.
Badran’s statements have gone viral on social media in the Arab world. Badran, however, is not the only doctor to make such a statement.
The Head of the Nutrition Education Division of Egypt’s National Institute of Nutrition, Magdi Nazih, said in a television interview, is that the “chalawlaw” dish is also effective against COVID-19.
The chalawlaw consists of mulukhiyah or jute mallow leaves, garlic, lemon, and red pepper.
The health experts’ statements stirred mockery on social media.
On Twitter, several people shared videos from the TV shows and wrote sarcastic comments.
“Should we use chalawlaw or lentils now?” one Twitter user wrote.
“We are lost now, we don’t know which of the proposed dishes is effective for coronavirus. Yesterday they said al chalawlaw, now they are saying lentils. Which one is the cure and the solution?”
وبعدين معاكم ………..??
أمس ….. الشلولو….??
اليوم
الفول على الطريقة المصرية..??
الله يستر من غدآ pic.twitter.com/O3jz2Cnjoa
— ♡??عبدالهادي الفرس??♡??بوعادل??. (@HADIFARAS) April 4, 2020