Portugal is '40-years behind in healthy eating'

The much-promoted image of Portugal’s nationals munching away on a healthy Mediterranean diet, bringing digestive ease and a long life, is not the reality, according to the country’s nutritionists.

Claiming that Portugal is 40 years behind in promoting healthy eating, it is necessary to "put measures into action with great force," to improve the dietary habits of the Portuguese, according to the Order of Nutritionists.

The Order’s Alexandra Bento, marking World Food Day last Tuesday, commented, that Portugal had been late to the table when the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation said in 1974 that all countries should draw up a food and nutrition policy.

It was more than 40 years before Portugal got around to doing this. The result has been a prevalence of obesity, diabetes and hypertension, said Bento, noting that more half of the population is overweight, one in ten children is obese and one third of children are overweight, which is lining them up for a number of diseases.

Bento says that a series of measures and initiatives should be included in the State Budget and that the Government, like most OECD countries, should spend more on disease prevention.

A country, when it increases its GDP and does not control the food supply, ends up with disease, reckons Bento who points to the doubling of meat availability and tripling of fat availability in Portugal as the economy grows.

The Order of Nutritionists stressing that, according to the Directorate-General for Health, half the causes of illness and death in the country are directly related to diet.

"The Portuguese still do not have good practices when it comes to cooking, although they aim to be as healthy as possible. They continue to prefer techniques like frying and roasting, instead of grilling and cooking, for example," says Alexandra Bento stressing that, in this way, "many 100% healthy dishes are spoiled."

According to the nutritionist, the consumption of fats has almost tripled in the last four decades. Another failure is related to excessive daily consumption of calories.

What we see is that in 40 years, the opportunity to consume more calories has increased, we consumed 400 Kcal more, which is reflected in overweight: more of half the population is overweight and more than 20% are obese," said the nutritionist.

Bento concluded with a tip of the week, vegetable soup, as it’s easy to digest and has a high water content.

Comments  

-3 #10 Strla 2019-07-29 10:52

Bullshit! Don't believe it for a second. They just want to create fear so they increase their profile. I guess there aren't many Portuguese going to a nutritionist.

0 #9 Albert B Aftoora 2018-10-28 10:44

Doesn't the long, and increasing, life span of the Portuguese argue quite to the contrary?

+2 #8 Margaridaana 2018-10-22 15:46

Grilled meat, grilled fish, boiled potatoes and salad. So many restaurants serve just that, followed by fresh fruit. Very wholesome and very healthy, and not expensive! Where is the problem?

+2 #7 Daphne 2018-10-22 13:52

Being a vegetarian or vegan is a non-starter for eating out away from cities in Portugal. Getting a blank look from so many waiters then, having checked in the kitchen, the suggestion "We can do you an omelette" you have no faith in the cooks having the slightest comprehension of cross contamination. Stirring with the same equipment or preparing your food on the same cutting board - as meat items.

+2 #6 Poor Portugesa 2018-10-22 09:27

As a diabetic (apart from over-weight), try finding zero-sugar items (not just cola), apart from jams. When one does, they are 2-3 times the price seen at overseas outlets. Then try making substitute-sugar items at home..

+4 #5 AL 2018-10-22 09:06

Quoting Ed:

Yes, that's the one...

https://www.dn.pt/portugal/interior/mcdonalds-e-coca-cola-patrocinam-congresso-de-nutricionistas-9326660.html

What a joke Mcdonalds and Coca-Cola giving us lessons on healthy eating.
Just like big oil sponsoring the IPCC to tell us the world is going to end if we don't caugh up carbon taxes.

+7 #4 AL 2018-10-22 09:01

It's a shame that the Order of Nutritionists does not mention anything about processed foods and high sugary drinks, being the main culprit for a number of illnesses that affect not just the Portuguese but also other nations. Come to think of it, was it about 40 years ago that these foods were introduced to the Portuguese diet?
As Maryrose mentioned below these organisations are funded by food corporations, the ones that said 60 years ago that sugar was good for you.

+6 #3 Ed 2018-10-21 22:07

Quoting Maryrose Peddle:

Is this the same Order of Nutritionists that is sponsored by the Coca Cola Company ?

Yes, that's the one...

https://www.dn.pt/portugal/interior/mcdonalds-e-coca-cola-patrocinam-congresso-de-nutricionistas-9326660.html

+4 #2 Mr Bob 2018-10-21 21:33

The Portuguese diet is one of the healthiest in the world, unfortunately it's the food combinations and cooking techniques that spoil the show, just watch any television cooking program on tv and see what the popular dishes are, the first one is ''bacalhau com natas'' codfish baked with cream, then the use of cooking fat and lard, that says it all, Portugal has the highest fish consumption of all Europe and second behind South Korea but why are we not healthy, what about other factors like smoking, drinking, will it ever change i wonder.

+5 #1 Maryrose Peddle 2018-10-21 21:13

Is this the same Order of Nutritionists that is sponsored by the Coca Cola Company ?

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