Santa Casa nutritionists recommend reducing salt and sugar consumption

The practice of good nutrition begins from birth, with exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age. After this phase, breastfeeding can be carried out in a complementary manner until 2 years of age.

For Cilea dos Santos Ozela, nutritionist at Fundação Santa Casa, Health and Nutrition Day, celebrated this Sunday (31), is an opportunity to debate and evaluate nutritional practices and the importance of realistic and preventive public policies, such as reducing of salt and sugar in domestic consumption.

“Food and nutrition play an essential role in health, as it is through eating the correct foods that the body receives the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it needs to maintain its best functioning. And this relationship between health and nutrition is interconnected”, emphasizes Cilea.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends, through the Global Strategy for the Promotion of Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Health, that governments formulate and periodically update national guidelines on food and nutrition, taking into account changes in eating habits and health conditions of the population and progress in scientific knowledge. These guidelines aim to support food and nutrition education and support national food and nutrition policies and programs.

Healing – Roberta Freitas, nutritionist who manages the food area for Santa Casa, says there is a very famous phrase: “You are what you eat. So food directly impacts everything on people’s health. We often say that food is our main medicine, in addition to preventing us from getting sick, it is also seen today as a cure for many diseases. It is prophylactic and is also a medicine. We use it both to fight disease and to cure disease.”

“In a hospital environment, nutrition is used as an adjunct. It is used to aid healing along with medicines, as well as being the main ally of medicines to shorten the length of stay of patients in hospital nowadays. All nutrients are important for human health. Fat is important, carbohydrates are important, so the key is balance”, highlights Roberta.

Recommendation – Adequate and healthy food is a basic human right that involves guaranteeing permanent and regular access, in a socially fair way, to a dietary practice that is appropriate to the individual’s biological and social aspects and that must be in accordance with special dietary needs; be referenced by food culture and the dimensions of gender, race and ethnicity; accessible from a physical and financial point of view; harmonious in quantity and quality, meeting the principles of variety, balance, moderation and pleasure; and based on adequate and sustainable production practices.

Some tips and attitudes that can make a difference in your diet, directly affecting your health:

– Avoid consuming high-calorie, processed, fatty and salty foods;
– Increase your consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans;
– Drink a lot of water;
– Reduce or avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the use of cigarettes;
– Take preventative exams and always consult your doctor and a nutritionist;
– Do regular physical exercise, daily or at least three times a week, after medical evaluation; accompanied by a physical educator;
– Sleep at least 8 hours in a 24-hour period.

healthy Easter – Even at Easter, when people tend to overconsume sweets, it is possible to look for healthy alternatives that help maintain satiety, as well as keeping their conscience and balance in good health, warn nutritionists.

Nutritionist Cilea Ozela highlighted that studies have shown that the flavonoids present in dark chocolate (70% or more), in particular, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can improve heart health and cognitive function. A review of studies published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology in 2007 concluded that moderate consumption of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.

Consuming chocolate with a high cocoa content has been linked to an improvement in blood pressure. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2005 revealed that regular consumption of dark chocolate with a cocoa content greater than 50% was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure.