Quality of Life and Healthy Nutrition - Bloggers Croops

  Entrance Today, as in many other fields, there is rapid change and mobility in the field of nutrition.  Almost every day, through the medi...

 

Entrance

Today, as in many other fields, there is rapid change and mobility in the field of nutrition. Almost every day, through the media, a single food is brought to the attention of consumers as a miraculous and important invention, with claims such as melting fat, increasing sexual potency, or containing no cholesterol. Again, a weight loss diet takes its place in written and visual media, whether healthy or unhealthy, but in a striking way. In this chaos, reaching accurate information requires special effort. 

 

While the proverb "Life comes from the throat" proves that life can only come from nutrition, observations and research also show that life comes from the throat. “What's the point of life if I give up the only taste I have left in eating?” or “Can we live without eating what we want?” While those who act with the approach argue that it is meaningless to follow certain rules in nutrition; In studies examining the relationship between nutrition and health, the need to have a correct and balanced nutritional habit is emphasized.

In this article, optimal nutritional practices that are essential for the protection and development of health are discussed.

Nutrition and Health Interaction

With the industrial changes that started about 100 years ago, there have been significant developments from the production to the distribution of food. Efforts have been made to increase animal protein consumption in many developed countries, especially in America and Europe. After the Second World War, it was proven that there was a secret desire for meat and milk in European countries. In the same years, sugar production and consumption constituted another area of ​​interest for the industry in many western countries. As a result of these developments in industrial and agricultural policies, an eating habit has been adopted in which foods of animal origin, fat, sugar, salt and processed foods are consumed in large amounts.

This eating habit, combined with a more comfortable and more sedentary lifestyle, has led to the development of chronic health problems such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, allergies and osteoporosis. 

In poor countries where malnutrition and hunger prevail, growth and development in children is disrupted, people are weak, tired, emaciated and reluctant in appearance, many problems such as skin, eye and bone disorders and anemia occur due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and infectious diseases are common. It is known that it takes a long time and as a result, work efficiency decreases throughout the country.

Inadequate, unbalanced or excessive nutrition not only negatively affects health; It also increases health expenditures of individuals, families and countries. 

From this point of view, "Improving Nutrition with Correct Food Choices" has been among the priority goals of the millennium, and "Nutrition Improvement Approaches and Strategies" have been developed by administrators, health-related institutions and organizations, academicians, researchers, associations and economists, especially the World Health Organization and UNICEF. has become the focus of attention of non-governmental organizations. 

Meanwhile, today's consumers have not been idle, they have become more interested in their health, are looking for ways to protect their health, and aim to protect their health by eating right rather than using drugs. As a matter of fact, Hippocrates, who is considered the father of medicine, laid the foundation for this goal 2500 years ago with the words "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food."

Definition of nutrition, nutrients and food groups 

Nutrition is the use of energy and nutrients in the body to ensure growth and development and to maintain health. 

There are more than 50 nutrients in nature, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are macronutrients. Its units are grams.

When consumed, they provide energy to the body. One gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories, 1 gram of protein provides 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories of energy.

Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients. Its units are milligrams or micrograms. They do not provide energy to the body when consumed.

Nutrients cannot be taken into the body by weighing them. It cannot be taken in tablet or syrup form. Nutrients can only be absorbed into the body by consuming food. In this way, the individual, on the one hand, is happy to eat, and on the other hand, receives the nutrients necessary for his body in a suitable order.

Foods are different in terms of the variety and amounts of nutrients they contain. Some foods are rich in vitamin A, some in vitamin C, while others are rich in calcium or iron. While some foods are rich in protein and some in fat, others may be poor in all these nutrients. For this reason, foods are grouped into 4 groups according to the nutrients they contain or their functions.

 

Food groups:

1. Meat group : Consists of meat, chicken, fish, turkey, eggs and legumes. Foods in this group are mainly rich in protein, iron, zinc and some B group vitamins. Dried legumes have high fiber (pulp) content.
2.  Dairy group: Milk, yoghurt, cheese, ayran, kefir, etc. falls into this group. Foods in this group are rich in protein and calcium. It is also a good source of fat, phosphorus, magnesium and some B group vitamins.
3. Bread and grain group: Wheat, rice, corn and flour made from them, bread, pasta, noodles, bulgur, etc. Foods fall into this group. This group, which contains less protein than the meat and dairy groups, is the main source of carbohydrates.
4. Vegetable-fruit group : All kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits are in this group. Foods in this group are rich in many vitamins, minerals and fiber, especially vitamin C.

Another food group that is not usually included among the food groups is the fat and sugar group.

Fat group : All kinds of fats and oils fall into this group. Fats are also taken into the body by eating foods from other groups. They constitute the richest and easiest source of energy.

Sugar group : Sugar is pure carbohydrate. It only contains energy (empty calories). Because of this feature, it is recommended to include less sugar in your daily diet.

In order to have a healthy and balanced diet, the menus to be consumed at meals should be arranged to represent the 4 food groups defined above (Figure 1). This is only possible by providing diversity in foods.

How to Apply Adequate and Balanced Nutrition? Nutritional Patterns

Some principles have been adopted in order to have an adequate, balanced and healthy diet. These:

1. Providing sufficient energy,
2. Consuming less fat and cholesterol,
3. Consuming less salt and sugar,
4. Adequate dietary fiber,
5. Sufficient vitamins and minerals. 

Among the principles, adequacy of energy indicates weight control, low consumption of fat and cholesterol, careful consumption of animal-based foods, and adequacy of fiber indicates careful consumption of plant-based foods.

It is not easy to follow the principles of healthy eating or to make an adequate and balanced nutrition plan. For this reason, "Nutrition Guides" or "Nutrition Models" have come to the fore in order to easily implement healthy nutrition. At a meeting held in Rome for the first time in 1992, the creation and implementation of nutritional models and the examination of their possible effects were supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

Nutrition models, developed by taking into account the public health problems, lifestyle and cultural structure of the countries, visually explain/define the types and quantities of foods that should be consumed for a healthy and adequate nutritional habit.

Nutritional models aim to meet daily energy and nutritional requirements, taking into account the latest recommendations at the national level and systematic compilations of scientific studies. Thanks to nutritional models, the effect of changes in the types and amounts of recommended foods on nutritional quality can be measured.

Almost all of the models, arranged in the form of pyramids, plates, clover leaves and characterized by different colors, aim to protect health.

The first scientific food pyramid was developed in America in 1992. The base of the food pyramid is the bread and grain group, the second row is vegetables-fruits, the third row is the gradually decreasing meat-milk group, and the fat and sugar group is at the top. In this pyramid, every day 6 slices or more of bread and/or other grains, 5 or more portions of vegetables and fruits, 2-3 meatballs of meat, chicken, fish, 2-3 glasses of milk and yoghurt, a limited amount of food to be used in meals. A careful consumption of fat and sugar, which is not prohibited, is recommended.

In studies examining the relationship between nutrition and health, it has been realized that the food-agriculture policy implemented after the Second World War was wrong and that excessive consumption of food, especially animal foods, threatens human health. The most well-known of the studies is the "7 Country Study", which is the product of 16 Cohort studies conducted in the United States, Finland, Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy and Japan.

At the end of the study, when compared to the countries of the world, it was determined that life expectancy in the Mediterranean region is the longest, coronary heart diseases, cancer and other chronic diseases related to nutrition are lowest, in other words, people living in Mediterranean Countries live longer and in a healthier/higher quality.

The 7 Country Study, called the “Mediterranean Diet” or “Mediterranean Nutrition Model”, was introduced to the world in 1993 at a meeting held in Cambridge by the Oldways Health Foundation, Harvard Medical School Department of Public Health and the European Office of the World Health Organization. At the meeting, "The health benefits of the Mediterranean Nutrition Habit" were evaluated and modeled as a PYRAMID, which serves as a GUIDE, using the latest research (Figure 2).

Introduced as the gold standard to promote or improve lifelong health, the model, based on the foods and cuisine of Crete, Greece and Southern Italy, has been applied by the people of the region for years, and its health benefits have been confirmed by epidemiological and experimental studies. The key to this model is that it has resisted, or defied, the modernized diets of industrialized countries over the last 50 years. 

The foods that should be consumed in the Mediterranean Pyramid shown in Figure 2 are expressed daily, weekly and monthly. While red meat and its products are included several times a month, grains such as bread, rice, pasta and bulgur form the base of the pyramid. Vegetables, fruits, legumes and dairy products have been considered an important part of the daily diet. It is recommended to consume chicken, eggs and desserts, especially fish, a few times a week and to prepare meals with olive oil.

In the pyramid, in countries other than the Islamic Countries in the Mediterranean Region, moderate wine consumption is included, 1 glass for women and 2 glasses for men, and it is stated that this amount of wine reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. The effect of daily physical activity on general health has also been emphasized.

The Mediterranean Nutrition Model 

The Mediterranean Nutrition Model was updated on its 15th anniversary in 2008, at a meeting held by the Scientific Advisory Board. In the update, all plant foods, including olive oil, were grouped in one group to visualize their benefits on health, health-supporting and flavorful spices and herbs were added, fish and other seafood were highlighted among animal foods, and it was emphasized that fish should be consumed at least twice a week (Figure 3). 

The modern trend in nutrition is: more meat (mostly red), other animal foods, less vegetables, fruits, more processed foods; The Mediterranean Nutrition Model continues to be the tradition of the century, to give a feeling of pleasure, to offer great health, and to be a part of the world's living common cultural heritage.

As a matter of fact, in 2010, the Mediterranean Nutrition Model was recognized as an "intangible human heritage" by UNESCO, and in 2012, it ranked at the top as the "most sustainable nutrition model on the planet" among the nutrition models listed by FAO.

A "Healthy Nutrition Pyramid and Plate" was developed in the USA in 2011 by the Harvard Medical School, Department of Public Health, in the light of the latest information. At the base of the pyramid, as in the updated Mediterranean Nutrition Model, the importance of weight control was emphasized, the foods that should be consumed most were stated as whole grains, vegetables and fruits, fish and legumes were highlighted in the meat group that should be consumed in decreasing amounts, then the dairy group and red meat at the top. , white bread, salt and sugary drinks. Healthy oils are recommended to be used in meals every day (Figure 4). 

The "Dietary Guide for Americans", which started in the USA in the 1990s and is updated every 5 years, is prepared in 3 stages. In the first stage, existing scientific data are evaluated by the Advisory Board and presented as a report to the Ministry of Health and Agriculture. In the second stage, nutritional recommendations are developed based on previous guidelines and taking into account the comments of public and federal agencies on the report. The recommendations developed in the third stage are put into practice by official authorities to meet the needs of Americans regarding food, nutrition, health policies and programs. The nutritional recommendations put into practice explain the "adaptations that need to be made in nutrition" to improve lifelong health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. 

Nutrition recommendations implemented with the 2015-2020 guide developed for Americans:

1. Adopt and maintain a healthy eating habit throughout life.
2. Include variety in foods. Be conscious of the content and quantity of nutrients.
3. Reduce energy/calories from added sugar and saturated fats. 
4. Limit salt intake.
5. Choose healthier foods and drinks.
6. Support healthy eating patterns and practices for everyone.

One of the main recommendations of the guide is the message "In order to have a healthy eating habit, consume your foods by taking into account the appropriate or recommended energy amount for you", which draws attention to weight control.

The first nutrition guide in our country was prepared by Hacettepe University (HÜ) Nutrition and Food Sciences Institute in 1975, submitted to the Ministry of Health and published with No: 437. In the guide, food groups are indicated with a 5-leaf clover.

The “Clover symbol” or “4 food groups” given in Figure 1 was created by Prof. in 1974. Dr. It was included in the Nutrition book written by Ayşe Baysal. In 1992, the "4-leaf clover poster" prepared by HU Department of Nutrition and Dietetics was used as an educational tool throughout the country. Nutrition Guide Specific to Turkey was prepared and published in Turkish in 2004 and in English in 2006 by HU Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

In the Turkey Nutrition Guide (TÜBER), which started with a workshop organized for the first time by the Ministry of Health on 8-10 December 2015 and was developed as a result of extensive studies, the "Plate Model according to food groups" was developed in order to make healthy nutrition easier to understand (Figure 5). The plate, where nutritional diversity is important, includes a total of 5 food groups: meat, milk, bread and grains, vegetables and fruits.  

Conclusion

Although it is a bit exaggerated, it is reported that many diseases, from the common cold to cancer, are prevented, the course of diseases is improved, and their duration is shortened, with optimal nutrition practices.

Ensuring a variety of foods by considering weight control, adopting a nutritional habit that includes more whole grains, vegetables and fruits, dairy products, legumes, less meat products other than fish, and limited added sugar, saturated fat and salt will be the assurance of a healthy and quality life. .