The rise and fall of the ‘Al Tayyibat System’

In the middle of April, YouTube kept bombarding me with news clips about the disappearance of an Egyptian man called Dr Diaa al Awadi, that later changed to finding him dead in his hotel room in Dubai. Unaware of him and not keen on conspiracy theories that started dominating news headlines like: Was Dr Al Awadi assassinated as he predicted in his last video?
I decided not to follow the case. It was not till the following week when I started hearing about the infamous Al Tayyibat System (Delicacies System) that everyone was discussing on social media and an article linking it to Dr Al Awadi that piqued my curiosity to find out more about him.
Not to mention my aunt’s complain of supermarkets in Cairo running out of brown bread since the resurgence of Al Tayyibat System after his sudden death. Therefore, I spent days watching Dr Al Awadi’s YouTube videos regarding the system to fully understand it.
Who is Dr Diaa al Awadi to start with? Originally an anaesthesiologist, he became a nutrition specialist and opened a diet and nutrition clinic in Cairo. However, last March, the Egyptian ministry of health closed it and cancelled his medical syndicate membership after an investigation regarding disinformation shared by Dr Al Awadi with his clients about stopping maintenance medicines (eg insulin) and starting the Al Tayyibat System that - according to him - helped the body heal itself, proved to be fatal to few.
So, what does the system consist of? Not much nutrients as chicken, eggs, dairy products, prawns, squid, vegetables and wheat are prohibited. Even water must be consumed in small amounts and only when feeling thirsty. Instead, it allows: brown bread, canned juices (except orange and mango) and Turkish coffee, five types of fruits, processed food, refined sugars (including Nutella and certain jams), red meat, seawater fish and squab; all consumed in satiation quantities when feeling hungry. Also, frying food in butter or any other oil is allowed as hydrogenated oils – according to him - doesn’t exist.
In retrospect, Dr Al Awadi’s videos were incoherent as facts and fiction were blended in an undiscernible way with a splash of medical disinformation that’s questionable for anyone with basic knowledge of science.
Moreover, I found his condescending tone and mockery irritating that I checked the comments in some videos to be surprised by how viewers lamented the loss ‘of a genius’ and ‘a science martyr’ instead.
In his last video, Dr Al Awadi appeared gaunt-faced, with apparent wasted muscle mass and a gravelly voice from over-smoking claiming that his sudden death should be treated as a foul play for exposing pharmaceutical companies’ lies.
He died of a heart attack two days later and due to mishandling of the case, the autopsy was delayed causing the controversy. Hence, it fuelled further conspiracy theories and claims of the effectiveness of Al Tayyibat system that helped many lose weight and feel better.
Nevertheless, specialists are still warning about the dangers of it despite vicious attacks received from his followers.
Loading your system with sugar will make you feel better for some time but the lack of nutrients combined with stopping maintenance medications prescribed for diabetes and high blood pressure leads to severe health complications such as organ failure and strokes.
The real examples shared were of a Lupus patient who decided to stop her cortisone medicine and follow Al Tayyibat system instead which caused her eventual death, not to mention diabetic patients -especially children - who went into coma after stopping their insulin intake. But when do people learn that fad diets don’t work and the secret lies in healthy eating habits and regular exercise as suggested thousands of years ago? Food for thought.