16 October - World Healthy Eating Day

Nutrition is one of the most important physiological needs of a person, with food the body receives the necessary substances for its normal and full functioning. But food can also pose a health risk.

Data provided by the WHO indicate that 80 % of all diseases are to some extent related to nutrition, and in 40% of diseases, nutrition is identified as a factor that provoked the disease.

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what ails you," said Hippocrates.

That is why every year, more than 50 countries celebrate World Healthy Eating Day, which aims to focus public attention on the problem of nutrition. Following simple nutritional advice can significantly reduce the risk of developing many cardiovascular, cancer, gastrointestinal and other diseases.

1. Consume an adequate amount of calories:
   • You can calculate the required number of calories for your metabolism hereCalorie calculator;
   • Do not overeat and avoid fasting;
   • Eat small portions, chew slowly and thoroughly;
   • Do not be distracted by TV, computer or books while eating.
2. Stick to your diet:
   • breaks between meals should be no more than 4 hours;
   • Do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
3. Eat fresh, high-quality food:
   • Cook it properly (steam, boil, bake, stew);
   • Follow food safety rules to reduce the risk of poisoning and enteric infections.
4. Eat less processed foods:

• Processed foods are a source of high salt, sugar and fat content, in particular trans fatty acids, and are added to enhance the taste of food, including canned foods, smoked sausages, sausages, pates, ready-made sauces, factory cakes, biscuits, crackers, mayonnaise, snacks, fast food, etc.

5. Control your fat intake:
   • Limit the consumption of foods rich in saturated fats (lard, fatty meat, butter and ghee, palm and coconut oil, etc;)
   • Replace with foods rich in polyunsaturated fats (olive, soybean, rapeseed, corn, and sunflower oils), almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, avocados, and oily fish (tuna, sardines, trout, herring, salmon);
   • Eat mostly lean meat from rabbit, turkey, etc;
   • exclude industrially produced food containing trans fats from the diet. Before purchasing products, carefully study what is in their composition, pay attention to the words "spread", "hydrogenated" vegetable oil or "natural oil with the addition of vegetable oils" - this is another term for trans fats.
6. Be careful with the consumption of sweets:
   • Limit, or better yet, eliminate from your diet foods that contain large amounts of free sugar - (confectionery, sweets, carbonated or non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit or vegetable juices and beverages, liquid and powdered concentrates, etc;)
   • Eat natural sweets (raisins, dried fruit, honey, dark chocolate, etc.) in the morning;
   • The WHO recommends reducing free sugar consumption for both adults and children to 50 g (less than 12 teaspoons).
7. Be careful with the consumption of salty foods:
   • Almost 45 % of the country's population "adds salt" to their food: try not to do this, but if you do use salt, it should be iodised;
   • follow the WHO recommendations - the level of salt intake for an adult should not exceed 5 g per day (1 teaspoon), for a child over 1-6 years old, no more than 2-3 g of salt per day (1/3-1/2 teaspoon) should be consumed. For babies under 1 year of age, salt should not be added to food at all.
8. Enrich your diet with fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs:

• You should eat about 400 g of raw fruit and vegetables (5 servings) daily (excluding potatoes and other starchy roots);
• Eat these diverse foods as snacks.

9. Give preference to whole grains:
   • Eat at least 2 servings a day of unprocessed grains and legumes (pearl barley, buckwheat, oatmeal, wheat and brown rice, lentils and beans, etc.), durum wheat pasta;
10. Drink clean water:
    • Start your morning with a glass of warm water to help boost digestion and get your whole body going;
    • The required amount of water consumption per day is 4% of body weight.
    • do not wash down your food, drink water between meals, half an hour before meals, or 1 hour after.

Follow these tips and your body will thank you!  

Create a plate of healthy food (here) is possible with the help of

service http://www.prozdorove.com.ua/ration

Source:

https://phc.org.ua/news/12-krokiv-do-zdorovogo-kharchuvannya

https://znaimo.gov.ua/rekomendatsii-po-zdorovomu-ratsionu

Tatyana Khil, medical assistant at the VEN(s) of the National Health Centre