AMIDST the celebration of Nutrition Week and the Importance of Water day, a stern message has been sent out by the Health Minister Andreas Gavrielides to all happy eaters.
Cypriots need to stop scoffing and start watching their weights, according to medical studies.
During a news conference to mark National Nutrition Week, which took place last week, emphasis was also given to the importance and necessity of water.
Going under the theme “Water, water…vital for a healthy diet”, pupils of the Ayios Vasilios Primary School in Nicosia sang songs and discussed the importance of water in food. The results of a school survey they had done showed that over 90 per cent of pupils knew how important water was, while a high number of pupils where drinking water regularly.
Also speaking about the necessity of water, guest speaker Dr Antonia Trichopoulou from the University of Athens, said, “We take it for granted but if God hadn’t given it to us for free, it would be the most expensive thing in the world”.
Gavrielides pointed out the need for his Ministry to inform the public on the importance of healthy eating.
“It is with great pleasure that the Ministry of Health organised Nutrition Week. Knowing how important is for people to have the correct diet, it is the responsibility of the Ministry to inform and educate every citizen on the proper food to eat and liquids to drink so as to avoid health complications.”
But Cypriots are not the only ones who eat unhealthily, with international studies showing that obesity and unhealthy eating is becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
“The problem of obesity, resulting from poor diets and modern lifestyles, has had huge implications around the world. So great is the problem that today obesity has been categorised as an epidemic. According to research by the World Health Organisation, 60 per cent of deaths are related to unhealthy diets which can cause heart problems, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and other similar illnesses.”
He said the sprouting of fast food chains around the island was taking its toll not only on our health but also on the food tradition of the island.
“In Cyprus, studies have shown that the island has the same problems as other European countries and the US and that is the problem of people overeating. Eating in Cyprus is adapting to modern life and the modern times and slowly we are weaving away from the traditional Mediterranean diet.
“Research has shown that 24.1 per cent of men and 18.4 per cent of women are obese while 44.2 per cent of men and 28.8 per cent of women are overweight, statistics which are striking for a Mediterranean people.”
Meanwhile, studies, conducted by the research group ‘Health of a Child’ have revealed an increase in overweight and obese children. Recent results have shown that 7.7 per cent of children on the island are obese compared to the 6.2 per cent of five years ago while 29.9 per cent of children are overweight compared to the 19.9 per cent of five years ago.
