translated from Spanish: Chileans without time: 90% of people do not take care of their food

According to the latest figures provided by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Chile rose from eighth to second in obesity index. In addition, the Ministry of Health estimated that the disease generated an annual expenditure in the country of $1.692 million in the country a few days ago. Without a doubt, this data is not at all auspicious, so the fundamental thing is to understand what the origin of this condition is.
Among the factors affecting poor food is the pace of accelerated living, the few spaces of the day to go to the supermarket, along with the convenience of finding different types of restaurants near workplaces and/or student centers, each one with different options to feed, but very few delivering healthy options. Now, within them the determining factor is always time. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Gremial Association of Pork Producers (Asprocer), 30% of people do not cook at home because of the lack of time.
In relation to these results, the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA) is concerned. One of her nutritionists, Natalia Parraguez, comments: “It is a fact that people’s time is getting scarcer every day, but this does not have to be a reason to stop cooking and feed in a nutritious way, on the contrary we must take it as an opportunity that we it forces us to organize our times better; Not planning our meals can lead to fast, easily accessible products that are usually high in fats and sugars and which also do not produce a feeling of lasting satiety, let alone optimal nutrition. This point can also affect people not having breakfast, having lunch or eating at an aftershock, which plays very against when it comes to wanting to take care of weight, health and avoid obesity.”
According to the same survey, 60% of people say they don’t get into kitchen strides because someone else does it for them, usually someone who’s distant or missthe family group. This is another element that can influence the alarming numbers of fat and obesity that are afflicting the Chilean population today.
The expert stops at this point and clarifies: “When people have no control over their own diet, they will most likely not be able to have a balanced diet. Clearly minors cannot take care of this point and this is where parents play a key role in food education. But for adults, it’s best for everyone to take responsibility and become aware of the food and portions he’s going to eat during the day.”
And what’s the solution?
From INTA they recommend that, to avoid being overweight, the first thing is that people are aware of the amounts they should eat, as well as the contributions that each of the foods they are eating. In addition, always prefer meals that produce a greater feeling of fullness (such as those that provide protein, or whole foods) to avoid being hungry for much of the day and fall into the consumption of fast food and unhealthy snacks.
“The first thing, and while it’s repetitive, it’s extremely important to understand that people should eat at least four meals a day, so you avoid pecking and eating unrecommended or unhealthy foods. Also increase physical activity and drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters daily). Now, on the foods to be chosen, the most recommended are low sodium, high in protein and good source of vitamins. For example, there are vegetables that have vitamin C, extra-lean meats like pork, which is a good source of B-complex vitamins and proteins, also beef and chicken. You have to understand that cooking for the week won’t necessarily take away several hours of the day, you can assemble fast and rich dishes in a short time, or cook one day for the whole week as the batch cooking method does and thus avoid falling into weight problems” , parlaz ends.

Original source in Spanish