What do Croats eat and how do they eat?

[Signals from Food - Introduction]

Food represents one of the most important aspects of life, it is a basic human physiological need and without it there is no life. Croatian nutritionist Dr. sc. Ignac Kulier said "It absolutely does not matter what you put three times a day in your stomach and in that choice lies the secret to good health and a long life."

Is food medicine, or is it not?

Scottish physician James Lind was the first to conduct a clinical trial on how food affects health and investigated scurvy in sailors. In the 20th century, deficiencies of vitamins and minerals in the body were investigated, and it is an interesting fact that until the middle of the 20th century, doctors, in addition to chemical drugs, prescribed natural drugs from food and medicinal plants.

In the 1950s antibiotic becomes widely available and displaces herbal medicines and foods into the category of "charlatanism“. Antibiotics together with operations become a superior tool compared to food and medicinal plants, which we see today represents a major epidemiological problem. Of course, antibiotics are a revolution, good surgeries too, but it is obvious that antibiotics, surgeries, herbs and healthy food must work in synergy to provide a person with optimal health care. On the other hand, the development of the industry increases the production of fast and ready-made food full of trans fats, additives, salt and sugar. Accordingly, we have stopped seeing food and medicinal plants as medicine, and their connection with health is becoming unscientific.

However, in the seventies of the last century, scientists were alarmed, there was a huge increase in chronic diseases. The high rate of growth in the incidence of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is driving scientists in a new direction - research into the impact of food on health. they are the main cause of mortality in the world. The World Health Organization estimates that 68% of deaths in the world in 2012 were caused by chronic diseases, the most deaths were from cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and malignant diseases, and unipolar depressive disorder. Predictions are that in the next 10 years, 52 million people a year will die prematurely from these diseases if they continue with an unhealthy lifestyle.

Many diseases and disorders that affect our body originate from what and how we eat

Industrial society is a generator of chronic diseases, because the diet that dominates in industrial society contains too many calories, excess salt and sugar, excess protein and fat of animal origin, a large presence of additives and chemical agents from agricultural production, and a lack of fiber. The nutritional picture of Croatia is not the best, a large number of obese people, and a large number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancer are particularly related to an unbalanced diet. Croats eat much less fruit and vegetables and fish compared to western EU countries, and this is a consequence of poor information, mentality and lifestyle.

It was found that we consume more carbohydrates than the recommended amount, the share should be 30%, and in our country women consume 53% and men 49%. The consumption of proteins and fats is greater, and the most common choice for proteins is pork, and for fats, animal fats and vegetable oils. Only 4.6% of Croatian citizens are vegetarians or vegans.

What we see through our work and what we can recommend for the purpose of improving nutrition, which is also recommendation of HZJZ:

Include as many fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet as possible
Choose vegetable and animal proteins with as little fat as possible
Include as many fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet as possible
Choose vegetable and animal proteins with as little fat as possible
Choose a variety of seasonal food from your surroundings
Use good fats - hemp , walnut , wild flax oil or olive
Include nuts and dried fruits in the diet
Use spices and teas
Move regularly for at least 30 minutes a day
Drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day

Avoid or reduce:

Full-fat dairy products
Animal products
Sugar, salt and white flour
Fried, processed, ready-made, fast food and sweets
Trans fats, additives, colors and preservatives
Smoked food
GMO
Alcohol

🌱 Matičnjak advises: The Republic of Croatia does not invest enough effort in educating and informing citizens about health protection so it's important to take responsibility and control over your own health. Step by step, little by little, adopt healthy eating habits and live a healthy, productive life, not the alternative.

In the next blog, you will learn what kind of signals food sends to our body and why science views it as a hormonal cocktail for our body.

=> Omega-3 as a hormonal cocktail (1/6)