2024-10-27 06:00:00
Good nutrition It is essential to maintain general well-being and prevent diseases. The right nutrients allow our body to function properly, strengthening the immune systemproviding energy and promoting tissue growth and repair. Furthermore, a balanced diet It can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients Essential elements play a crucial role in bodily functions, such as hormone production, brain development, and bone health. On the other hand, an inadequate diet can lead to health problems such as obesity, malnutrition and specific deficiencies that can affect the quality of life.
Basically, Eating well is like putting the best fuel in your car: It allows you to function at full capacity and stay in optimal condition. To find out how to get good nutrition and be alert to many myths and miracle diets, we interviewed Monica Perezdirector of the General Council of the Official Colleges of Dietitians-Nutritionists e president of the Professional Association of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Extremadura (AEXDN).
Mónica Pérez, nutritionist.
Spain tops the list of childhood obesity and overweight cases in Europe. What are we failing at as a society and how can we reverse the trend?
Curiously, until recently Spain was the only country in the European Union without dieticians-nutritionists in public health, while now the number is reduced to a limited number and in some Autonomous Communities, so access to such professionals it is limited to those people who can afford it. Likewise, nutrition should be more present in educational centers.
Individually, we have moved away from traditional food and abuse ultra-processed foods, fast foods and sugars; It is advisable to return to the consumption of legumes and vegetables, whole grains, quality animal proteins and local and seasonal foods. Leading a sedentary lifestyle does not help reduce these obesity figures, it is essential to lead an active life and carry out (almost) daily physical activity.
Image of an overweight child.
What simple changes can I make to improve my daily diet?
Give priority to foods of plant origin, trying to make up at least 50% of daily food consumption. Include legumes 2 to 4 times a week. Choose whole grains over refined flours. Reduce your meat consumption if it is high and opt for fresh meat and fish. Avoid ultra-processed foods, sugars and alcohol.
We must give priority to foods of plant origin, trying to make up at least 50% of our daily food consumption.
What are some common nutrition myths you’d like to dispel?
A glass of wine with meals protects the heart: there is no optimal amount of alcohol consumption. And if we want to benefit from the antioxidants contained in grapes… let’s eat grapes!
Eating fruit before meals helps you lose weight: whether we eat fruit before, during or after meals, the calories are the same. If we eat it first, perhaps it will take away our appetite and we will eat less of the main course, but for no other reason.
Water with lemon on an empty stomach burns fat: neither on an empty stomach nor at any other time of the day. Adipocytes (fat cells) are not broken down and eliminated by consuming lemon. In fact, taking it on an empty stomach could cause gastric disorders.
Drinking water with lemon on an empty stomach could cause gastric upset.
How many meals a day do you recommend and in what proportions?
We don’t have to eat five meals a day, eat every 2 hours, or fast for x hours. The most advisable thing is to eat the number of times a day that best suits our habits, our schedules and our physical activity. In general, three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are usually those that best suit our habits and habits, with one or two optional snacks depending on other factors.
Usually the midday meal is usually more abundant due to our life rhythms and working hours, although those who, for example, work the night shift, should reinforce their dinner more than those who go to sleep.
Salad with salmon, avocado and spinach.
How important is breakfast in your daily diet?
Although the saying “have breakfast like a king, eat like a prince and dine like a pauper” suggests the importance of breakfast, we must keep in mind that currently we tend to have a very sedentary activity, therefore, even if we don’t it must be the meal most important of the day, it improves physical and intellectual performance since it is the meal that breaks the night’s fast and prepares us to face the day. Of course, if breakfast is meant to be an opportunity to load your cheeks with pastries and sugars, it is preferable not to have breakfast. Options? Infinite. From frequent wholemeal toast, to yogurt with nuts and fruit or the leftover tortilla from yesterday’s dinner.
What do you think about intermittent fasting? Is it advantageous?
Intermittent fasting is sold as a panacea, but it is neither as dangerous nor as beneficial as some might think. It must be specified for whom yes and for whom no, or in what circumstances. In the vast majority of cases it is not justified, since it is usually seen simply as a way to lose weight, without evaluating the quality of your diet for the rest of the day or whether or not you practice physical activity. On the other hand, many people have always practiced it without knowing that this habit had a name.
Intermittent fasting is sold as a panacea, but it is neither as dangerous nor as beneficial as some might think.
It seems that it can contribute to improving some biochemical parameters (at a cardiovascular and metabolic level) but, on the contrary, especially when it is not programmed and monitored by a qualified professional, it can contribute to the loss of muscle mass and slowing down of metabolism, among others.
Is drinking wine in moderation good for your health or harmful?
There is no minimum amount of alcohol consumption that is beneficial, so its consumption is always harmful.
a glass of wine
What type of diet would you recommend to someone who wants to lose weight in a healthy way? Is it advisable to follow trendy diets like keto or paleo?
A healthy diet does not know passing fads, so we should avoid all those advertised in this way or that promise great weight loss in a short time, since they generally correspond to miracle diets that will negatively affect our health and will certainly contribute to the feared rebound effect beyond not to encourage a change in habits.
Therefore, understanding that the concept of diet is everything we eat and drink during the day, it should be rich in plant foods (vegetables, legumes, fruit), which include, in the case of an omnivorous diet, quality animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs), semi-skimmed dairy products and healthy fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado, oily fish). Ban ultra-processed foods, sugars (pastries, pastries, refined flours) and alcohol.
We must ban ultra-processed foods, sugars, pastries, refined flours and alcohol.
All calorically adapted to individual needs and accompanied by physical activity. Eating healthy does not mean a “diet” that lasts two months but a change in habits that lasts a lifetime.
What do you think about weight loss smoothies?
In addition to being a waste of time and money (as is usually associated with commercial products), it can also put a strain on your health and certainly does not contribute to changing habits.
Are there any risks when taking dietary supplements?
If done without supervision, yes. We tend to believe that they are all harmless, especially those that present the aura of “natural”, and that their use must be individualized and adapted to the needs and physiopathological circumstances.
One of the most consumed artificial sweeteners will be declared a possible carcinogen by the WHO
Are artificial sweeteners a health risk?
They have always had a bad reputation, associating their intake with a higher risk of multiple diseases, including cancer. Although the ideal is not to consume sugars or sweeteners, their occasional use does not pose health risks and will be a better choice than other types of sugars, unless there is an intolerance.
Although the ideal is not to consume sugars or sweeteners, their occasional use does not pose health risks.
What types of fats should I avoid and which should I include in my diet?
We must avoid the so-called “saturated” fats, present in sausages, butter, industrial pastries, ultra-processed foods, and “trans” fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils), implicated, among others, in cardiovascular and metabolic pathologies and in ‘obesity.
On the other hand, it is healthy to include unsaturated fats in your diet, especially monounsaturated (extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocado) and polyunsaturated (vegetable oils, oily fish), as they improve the lipid profile and protect against multiple pathologies.
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