Recommendations on how to maintain a healthy weight and prevent diseases related to an unbalanced diet are condensed in the decalogue compiled by the French consumer association 60 Millions de Consommateurs. A collection of tips that are (more or less) simple to implement. (1)
1) Overweight and obesity
Overweight and obesity are forms of malnutrition and increasingly affect adults and children.
Globally, more than one billion people – one in eight – live with obesity. From 1990 to 2022, the incidence is
– more than doubled among adults
– quadrupled among children and adolescents (5 to 19 years of age), warns WHO. (2)
Excess weight is not just an aesthetic issue. It is in fact the cause of an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, but also problems with knees, mobility, etc.
1.1) Calories, a ruthless double whammy
There is only one way to limit weight gain: consume all the calories ingested through food and drink.
Monitoring one’s consumption is useful to focus on areas of excess and modify them. It can be done by recording your dietary calorie intake every day for a week. In addition to the nutritional table of packaged foodstuffs, the search engine of the Food and Nutrition Centre (CREA), which reports the composition of foodstuffs, can be useful for this purpose. (3)
The balance should be supplemented with the activities performed, in order to guess the calorie consumption (smartphone apps help). However, it is not complicated to discover the imbalance. If a sedentary woman consumes an average of 2200 calories a day instead of the useful 1800, for example, she inevitably accumulates weight year after year.
1.2) Small changes in front of the plate
Giving up food to lose weight is very tiring. The decalogue for better eating suggests making small changes:
– learn to recognise and monitor your sense of fullness,
– stop eating when you are no longer hungry, even if there is food left on your plate. In this case, in order not to waste resources, it is good to keep and recycle leftovers for subsequent meals,
– reduce each portion slightly and gradually,
– stay away from industrial products such as pizza, burgers or ready-made meals.
2) Consult the Nutri-Score (in Italy, the Yuka app)
In France, summary nutrition labelling on the front of the Nutri-Score pack is widespread. As we have seen, this logo makes it possible to distinguish the nutritional profile of foods at a glance, allowing one to discard those too high in fat, sugar and salt. (4)
In Italy, the tool is still boycotted. It is, however, available via the free Yuka app, which we have reported on extensively. All you have to do is scan the barcode on the food packaging with your smartphone to obtain a synthetic judgement based on the Nutri-Score criteria, with an indication of the possible presence of undesirable additives and a better evaluation in the case of organic production. (5)
3) First step, optimise food shopping
Pushing a trolley aimlessly through the aisles of a supermarket is the shortest way to buy fatty and sugary food, promoted by cunning and sometimes misleading marketing.
Compulsive shopping is counteracted by planning: deciding on the meals to be consumed during the week and buying the necessary to cook them. The larder should never contain
– pulses (lentils, split peas, chickpeas);
– cereals (pasta and rice, preferably whole grain);
– condiments: oil (rapeseed, olive, walnut), vinegar, spices, garlic and onion.
In the stash, frozen or canned vegetables are also good, but “au naturel”, not cooked.
4) The best time to eat
The times at which we eat affect our health. Recent work by the Nutrition Epidemiology Research Group (Eren) of the Sorbonne-Northern Paris University has shown that the time of our first and last food intake is important. (6)
The researchers followed a cohort of 100,000 people for an average of seven years (with no particular diseases at the start of follow-up, average age 42 years). They found that
– eating breakfast (even just an apple) before 8 a.m. reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 7 per cent, compared to those who start eating later,
– eating dinner before 8 p.m. reduces the risk of stroke by 8 per cent, compared to those who dine later.
Increasing the duration of night fasting also correlates with a lower risk of stroke.
5) Get rid of excess sugar
Sugar is naturally present in food in sufficient quantities for human needs. Everything added (from the teaspoon of sugar in coffee to sugar in industrial foods) can be saved.
Excessive sugar consumption results in fat accumulation in the adipose tissue and liver. It also opens the door to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as well as tooth decay, as pointed out by EFSA. (7)
Adults, and even more so young people and children, should learn to drastically limit sugary drinks, colas, soft drinks or fruit juices, as well as biscuits and cereals for breakfast. The advice is to choose a banana and a natural yoghurt (to which, of course, no sugar should be added) for a snack.
6) Limit salt
The human body needs 1-2 grams of salt per day. It would be interesting to weigh it and thus assess how much is added in home-cooked meals.
Between home consumption and industrial meals or meals eaten outside the home, however, it is very easy to exceed the World Health Organisation’s maximum threshold of 5 g/day for an adult (i.e. 1 teaspoon) and much less for a child. (8)
6.1) Sodium, an essential micronutrient
Sodium contained in salt is an essential micronutrient for the normal functioning of our cells. Without it, there is no nerve transmission or muscle contraction (among other things). But, in excess, it has harmful consequences for health. It is, for example, a risk factor for hypertension and thus for cardiovascular disease. (9)
Estimates of salt consumption far exceed the limit thresholds recommended by the WHO. How to remedy this?
– when cooking replace salt with spices, herbs, or add garlic or onion,
– rinse canned vegetables before cooking,
– examine product labels. A lot of salt hides where you don’t expect it: e.g. in sweet biscuits or some breakfast cereals,
– moderate consumption of foods traditionally high in salt, such as certain types of bread, cold meats and cheeses, meat stock cubes and broths, soy sauce.
7) Ultra-processed food only as an exception
Consuming a ready-made meal from time to time is not lethal. Abusing it with the idea of not having time to cook is, on the other hand, a condemnation.
Foods that have been produced by extensive industrial processing – blowing, fractionation, cooking-extrusion, hydrogenation, etc. – or which contain at least one ingredient that does not exist in its natural or cooked state (flavourings, additives such as emulsifiers, flavour enhancers, sweeteners, etc.) can be harmful to health.
Evidence abounds in the scientific literature of the correlation between a diet based on ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders (overweight and obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension), cardiovascular diseases or certain cancers. (10)
8) Benefits of fiber
Fiber has multiple beneficial effects on human health:
– they are not digested in our intestines. Therefore they do not provide calories,
– they improve intestinal transit and promote the feeling of satiety, as well as the correct functioning of our intestinal bacteria (our microbiota).
In individuals who follow a diet rich in fiber, a significant reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer emerges.
The suggestion is to try to stick to the ‘five portions of fruit and vegetables a day’ as often as possible (more vegetables than fruit), adding legumes, whole grain products and dried fruit. And not just one or the other of these foods, but all of them, because their benefits complement each other.
Another beneficial choice is to replace refined rice and pasta with semi-whole grain versions, preferably organic. The taste is very similar but they contain much more fiber.
9) Less meat, but not less protein
The consumption of pork, beef, veal, mutton, lamb and offal (excluding chicken) must necessarily be limited to no more than 500 g of meat. And cured meats to no more than 150 g per week.
Proteins, however, must not be lacking. Especially as we age, to combat sarcopenia and maintain the body’s muscle mass, which decreases with age.
The key is to diversify protein sources: favor poultry (plain, not croquettes or cordon bleu), fish, eggs and dairy products. Alternate with vegetable proteins, with legumes at the top of the list.
10) Limit alcohol in all its forms
Alcohol is harmful at any dose, it is now well established. In light of the scientific literature, we can only speak of a ‘low-risk’ consumption threshold.
No more than two standard drinks per day, no more than 10 standard drinks per week and at least 1 day per week without drinking, is the recommendation.
Marta Strinati
Notes (1) 60 Millions de Consumers. 10 good habits to adopt to eat mine. 15.5.24 https://www.60millions-mag.com/2024/05/15/10-bonnes-habitudes-adopter-pour-manger-mieux-22802?utm_source=brevo&utm_campaign=lettre2024-05-16&utm_medium=email
(2) World Health Organization. One in eight people are now living with obesity. 1.3.24 https://www.who.int/news/item/01-03-2024-one-in-eight-people-are-now-living-with-obesity
(3) Food and Nutrition Center (CREA). Food composition tables. https://www.alimentinutrizione.it/sezioni/tabelle-nutrizionali
(4) Dario Dongo. NutriScore, tools for calculating nutritional profiles of foods and beverages. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.7.23
(5) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Yuka, if you know it, spread it. The app conquers 2 million Italians in just one year. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 30.9.21
(6) V. https://eren.univ-paris13.fr/index.php/fr/
(7) Marta Strinati. The harmful role of sugars in the diet, EFSA opinion. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.3.22
(8) Marta Strinati. WHO report cards on national policies to reduce salt consumption. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 22.3.23
(9) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Excess salt, chronic diseases and premature mortality. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 30.5.20
(10) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Ultra-processed foods, diseases and premature mortality. Study in Italy. 11.12.21
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
