Evaluation of eating behavior

By Dr. Izzo Lorenzo

An honest, complete and correct assessment of eating behavior is the first step to take. There are one or more occasions on the day to make autonomous food choices outside the home.

Outside the home : the favorite destinations of the kids are the bars or fast food places and the choices are mostly geared towards products that, while being pleasant to taste and practical in taking, are inadequate from a nutritional point of view, both because too rich in calories, fat and salt, and because they are poor in fiber and vitamins. If this consumption becomes too frequent, risks due to nutritional imbalances can be determined.

In the family : even in the family, boys often tend to eliminate or reduce the consumption of some traditional foods, such as milk, yogurt, fish, vegetables and fruit. For this reason, at home it would be good to always have these foods available and to avoid sweets, fizzy drinks, fried potatoes, snacks, etc .; all this in order to compensate for the imbalances and fill the gaps even outside the main meals. Each person should be able to calculate the daily intake in terms of calories and nutrients, to check the correspondence with energy and nutritional needs.

Self-regulation and critical conscience : it is not easy to succeed effectively in the self-regulation of food choices and lifestyle. This can happen only through the formation of a critical conscience that leads to food choices suited to one's nutritional needs, rather than dictated by cultural, social, psychological or myths and / or fashions; this path also includes the adoption of an active and healthy lifestyle, possibly accompanied by the practice of a sport.

The feeding scheme followed by most of the boys usually consists, in a non-existent or almost non-existent breakfast, of a hurried lunch and an abundant dinner, often consumed in front of the television; often all this is also associated with a series of various snacks or between meals (snacks, pretzels, chips, fizzy drinks, etc.).

To modify these incorrect eating habits it is necessary first of all to carry out a correct distribution of the meals during the day. Breakfast, for example, is often overlooked and instead must provide at least 20% of the total daily calories. We need to be aware that in the morning the body needs to get its energy.

Eating well every day means not only consuming food to satisfy one's appetite and sense of taste, but also to guarantee the introduction of a correct amount of energy, nutrients, water and dietary fiber for the proper functioning of the body.

The correct behavior:

1. Maintain your weight within normal limits and, if it is above it, do not delay the adoption of an appropriate diet;

2. adopt a food model that is balanced in its components and varied in its choices (choosing foods that are less rich in calories and prefer fiber-rich vegetables such as fresh fruit, vegetables and water);

3. rationalize the pace of meals;

4. maintain a good level of physical exercise and adopt an active and healthy lifestyle.