Everyone-adults, children, seniors-should eat them. Meanwhile, when Greek researchers conducted a survey of vegetable and fruit consumption in their country, they found that only 33 percent of those surveyed consumed 4 portions a day. And this is, after all, a country where the Mediterranean diet is king. The aforementioned study looked not only at consumption itself, but also at the impact of vegetables and fruits on health. The observations lasted 10 years. After that time, it was found that people who ate at least 4 portions of fruits and vegetables a day had a significantly lower risk of developing diabetes. This Greek and many other global studies were cited at the conference in the speech given by Dr. Beata Sinska from the Department of Human Nutrition MUW. The specialist also talked about the bioactive compounds contained in fruits and vegetables and how they affect our bodies.
On the other hand, Prof. Artur Mamcarz from the Third Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology MUW spoke about the principles of nutrition for people with metabolic syndrome (MS). The proffessor paid particular attention to the principles of nutritional treatment for people suffering from obesity, which is a component of MS.
During the conference, there were also threads about vegetables and fruits in children's diets. It's a fact that many toddlers would most like to eat pizza and pasta plus, of course, sweets. However, experts argued that all it takes is good example, consistency and a little cleverness to convince a child to eat broccoli, eggplant or tomatoes. Dr. Katarzyna Wolnicka of the National Institute of Public Health PZH-PIB stressed that it is necessary to try to serve a vegetable to a child at least 8 times. Only if all of them fail, we "get to" another vegetable.
There really is something to fight for, because as Dr. Edyta Łuszczka's lecture showed, vegetables and fruits play a key role in the prevention of civilization diseases in children and adolescents.
On the other hand, from a completely different perspective, the topic of vegetables and fruits was taken up by Dr. Oksana Wojas from the Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazard, Allergology and Immunology MUW. The topic of her presentation was the role of foods in the pathogenesis of allergies, the clinical forms of food allergy with special emphasis on cross allergy and anaphylaxis.
Other speakers included: Prof. Dariusz Włodarek from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, who gave a lecture titled: Vegetable and fruit juices - to drink or not to drink?, Ireneusz Kapusta, MD, PhD, from the University of Rzeszow, who spoke about the specific substances of fruits and vegetables and their role in human nutrition, Monika Stromkie-Zlomaniec, clinical nutritionist, who talked about nutrition education with the involvement of students.
The conference was opened by Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, Rector, and Prof. Robert Gałązkowski, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and was conducted by Iwona Traczyk, MD, PhD, from the Department of Human Nutrition MUW.