Galery

1

If something is not done and children from the new generation do not start leading healthy lifestyle, the life expectancy will be lower, alerted Pediatrics teacher Anastasia Garoufi during an event entitled "Mediterranean diet-nutrition-weight loss and care” in Athens. 

Mediterranean diet, which is based on consuming fruits, vegetables, olive oil, white meat, fish and pulses, is an alternative to change the diet to a healthier one. Also, it is important how the meal will be cooked, regardless of whether it is meat or vegetables. It is recommended to cook on the grill or by steaming, which is the healthiest. As to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, they can be eaten at any time whether before, after, during or in between other meals. It is important not to eat red meat - beef, pork, goat, sheep, more than three times a month because it increases the level of cholesterol. 

During the presentations of the Mediterranean diet, research showed that during the 60s in Crete the average weight of a person was about 63 kilograms, while in 2000 it jumped to 83 kilograms, said Professor Antonis Kopatos. Reason for this is the overall change in lifestyle, because people had not only changed their diets but also had stopped moving as much. Over the last decade the number of overweight boys in Crete has increased by 63 percent. Overweight children are ten times more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, develop allergies, asthma, and have low self-esteem, says Education teacher Anastasia Garoufi. Except for unhealthy diet, more children remain at home watching TV or playing computer games, because their parents work late or do not allow them to go out, said Garoufi. 

According to another study from 1997 to 2006 the number of overweight children has increased by 30 percent, says researcher Amalia Yotopoulou. Alarming is the fact that for various reasons children lead sedentary lifestyles and only 45 percent play outside their homes after school, also added she. A research by the Center for Mediterranean diet Study, done among 2500 school children, showed that: 3 out of 10 do not eat breakfast, 5 out of 10 do not take their breakfast from home to school, 1 out of 10 eats with their family, 5 out of 10 eat red meat twice per week, 6 out of 10 have heard of the Mediterranean diet and associate it with olive oil, 8 out of 10 children eat delivery food at least once per week. Also between 33% -45% of type 2 diabetes new cases are young people, largely due to overweight problems during childhood. Numerous studies indicate that it is important to implement the Mediterranean diet from childhood, since prevention is the only solution to fight obesity and diseases for which it is responsible. It is very important, however, to add that diet for children under two years of age is strictly prohibited, and between two and eight years of age is forbidden to give low fat products. 

Fast foods, sodas, chips should be limited for children without them being prohibited. A correct way of thinking about food should be created. A package of cookies has 524 calories per 100 grams, and one apple has only 100 calories per 100 grams, "healthy" chocolate is not healthy at all because it contains nine teaspoons of sugar, 540 calories and 17 grams saturated fat (the daily amount of an adult is about 25 grams), reminds Antonis Kopatos.