Bank of Beirut celebrated their female staff by hosting an informative session led by Yaduna’s Women Heart Health Center (WHHC) at the Four Seasons Hotel - Beirut. Founded in 2012 by former First Lady Wafaa Sleiman, Yaduna Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit organization meant to empower underprivileged Lebanese and Arab women.
The mission is to provide quality services, foster awareness and uphold best practices. The vision is to become a reference in women development through Yaduna WHCC, which today offers screening, prevention, and primary treatment for 2,550 patients at subsidized cost.

Bank of Beirut’s women staff tuned in to cardiologist Dr. Ziad Itani (AUBMC), who highlighted that 64% of women dying from coronary heart disease each year show no prior indication of poor heart health. Risk factors include age, genetics, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as avoidable culprits like an unhealthy diet, lack of physical exercise, and smoking.

On a nutritional note, Yaduna dietitian and nutrition consultant Hana Ziad Arabi delved into the details, harping on regular consumption of vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy, lean meats and other protein-heavy foods and oil. The trick is to limit saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and sodium intake. Through helpful advice, she explained that dark chocolate with cocoa content upward of 60% can be helpful, as can avocados and raw nuts in moderation, of course. Another piece of advice is that aiming for 150 minutes of walking weekly, and attain quick wins at work like opting for the stairs and ambling about 90 seconds every hour.

Social worker Diana el Helou enumerated the different services Yaduna offers, including screenings, dietetic counseling, smoking cessation therapy, and lab tests. Yaduna receives women of all socioeconomic backgrounds into their auspices, to ensure equal access to education and treatment.

At the closing of the forum, guests were pampered with a selection of wholesome snacks, including smoked salmon in whole-wheat ciabatta rolls, raw tuna and veggies wrapped in rice paper, oats with honey, fruit smoothies, and homemade granola bars. Bank of Beirut gifted each lady a dainty gold-plated pendant in the shape of a heart fused with the EKG rhythm heartbeat hand crafted by Be Different jeweler Roula Nahas.

It’s inspiring to see major Lebanese corporations and companies invest in the well-being of their employees, even if it means pulling them out of the office and sacrificing a few hours of their productivity to clue them in on self-care. Kudos to Bank of Beirut for taking heart in the health of its assets!