The dangers of junk food (Germany)

Polish Christmas

The meeting with the Nutrition expert (Italy)

In Italy, the meeting with the Nutrition expert, Dr. De Cristofaro competent physician of the local hospital, was held on Wednesday 22 February 2012 in theauditorium of our school (see photo). In addition to the students involved in the project Comenius, the participation has been extended to other students of the Institute to raise awareness on the issue of food, which in our region is the cause of a growing percentage of obesity.

The meeting has been postponed several times due to the closure of the schools of the province for several days because of heavy snow.

The expert started his speech on how to eat and the value that each of us gives to food.

Next, we tackled the theme of food as a "ritual" that is carried out by each of us daily, and, through different arguments, we dealt with the importance of the acquisition since adolescence of a food model to follow. We also tackled the Mediterranean system, as a value system and an approach to food, and the characteristics of this type of diet: olive oil as the main source of fat, regular consumption of cereals, pasta, bread and rice, potatoes, milk, cheese and yogurt, meat, poultry and especially fish, fruit and vegetables every day and a little wine during the main meals.

During the meeting, lots of speeches were done by our students with questions on food models, on what is right or wrong to take over the day, the style of life adopted; as a consequence it also emerged the importance of regular physical activity to let the teenagers acquire a healthier lifestyle.

At the end of the meeting several boys were open in a confrontation with the doctor, to discuss about a proper diet and the various forms of care with the goal of weight loss followed by a few of them.

In late morning, the students were back in each of their classes and afterwards some other discussions on the same topic will be held under the guidance of the various science teachers.

The Traditional Christmas Meal in Germany

A traditional Christmas Meal in Germany starts normally with a soup. There is a wide variety of different soups, some families make a kind of chicken soup others are asparagus soup or sometimes just a tomato soup.

After the appetizer most of the families in Germany eat meat, which is mostly goose and as a side dish you usually have dumpling and red cabbage. But there are many different ways to modify your Christmas Meal.

The dessert is more or less not existing. Some families prepare something, some don’t. But in every household there is at least one plate with many different sweets like marzipan, chocolate or cookies.

Italian survey results

In December all students completed a survey about their lifestyle and their habits. Here are some selected results of the Italian group:

prepared preserves and jams your family?

62% yes - 38% not

eat dishes based on vegetables?

50% all weeks - 29% once a month - 21% almost never

you know the food pyramid?

46% very - 37% little - 17% not

Do you like eating food belonging to other regions or other countries?

25% very - 54% little - 21% not

In Italia, the meeting with the dietician - an expert who works for hospital - will take place in February 15.

The meeting with the dietician (Germany)

In Germany, the meeting with the dietician - an expert who works for the company that runs our school canteen - took place in January. Two pupils summed up the rules the dietician told us about. Here is what they wrote plus some photos:

Healthy food and lifestyle

To stay healthy, happy and fit there are certain rules you should follow.

1) First of all, it is important to eat many different food products as they all provide different nutrients. But you should choose low-energy food.
2) Secondly, grain products (e.g. bread, noodles, rice; preferable wholegrain) and potatoes contain little fat but are rich in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients.
3) The best you can do for your health is to eat 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each day. Only one of these should be a juice.
4) Another important aspect are milkproducts, fish (2 times a week), meat and eggs. They contain calcium, iodine, iron and vitamins. About 300- 800g of meat per week is the perfect dose. You should choose low- fat products.
5) This leads us to another rule. Fat is necessary but too much leads to overweight and they can cause other illnesses like cardiovascular diseases. Herbal oils and fat are much better than animal fat. Pay attention to invisible fat in sweets, fast food and finished products.
6) Use salt and sugar economically and avoid drinks with a lot of sugar. Salt should contain iodine and fluoride.
7) It is very important to drink water and other low- energy drinks. You should drink about 1,5 litres each day.
8) But food should taste good as well, shouldn’t it? Cook the food at low temperatures and with only little water and fat. This will conserve the natural taste and the nutrients.
9) Enjoy your meal! You should take your time, it’s fun and you won’t be hungry afterwards. And remember the eye eats your meal as well…
10) The last aspect is very important of course- sports. 30-60 minutes a day will help you to keep your weight and live a healthy life.

Greta & Hannah

The meeting with the dietician (Poland)

Polish Comenius Team
A meeting with a dietician
Ms Gabriela Wanat from the Medical University of Silesia

Our meeting with a dietician took place on the 29th October 2012 in our school. Ms Wanat showed our students a multimedia presentation “Keep fit, don’t eat junk food”. Students knew a definition of a eating habits. They also found out what their bodies should get to function properly and why proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are very important for their health.
They could also see a food pyramid. Ms Wanat explained them all the rules concerning a composition of a healthy menu for a day for teenagers. The participants of the meeting did a test about most common mistakes in an everyday diet. Our students could check their knowledge in practice, then.
One of the sections of the presentation was devoted to junk food because young people often eat crisps, chips or pizza. They counted calories of hamburgers or cola. They learnt how serious influence this kind of food has on their physical condition and simply health.
“Myths or facts” was one of the most interesting parts of the presentation because our students could find out if for example potatoes make us fat or not. It is believed that potatoes cause putting on weight. It turned out that it is not true. It is only the case when we eat potatoes with some fried bacon or cream.
Ms Wanat talked to them about the meaning of regular meals, proper choosing of the ingredients of our everyday diet but also about packed lunches. It is better to spend more time at home in the morning and prepare some sandwiches and take them to school. It is easier but not healthy to buy a doughnut later on at school.
The second meeting with Ms Wanat took place on 11th December also in our school. She checked students’ diaries where they made notes about their everyday diet. Students were to write down what they eat before the meeting with a dietician and after the meeting. During the second meeting they compared the results. They could observe how their eating habits have changed. Fortunately, they admitted that it is very hard to do it but it is worth doing because the food we eat has an enormous influence on our physical and mental health. Ms Wanat also discussed with the participants the menu for “A healthy day”.
In January the students made a poster presenting food pyramid. You can see a photo below.
Here are some pictures which were taken during our meetings.