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The
Latin American Study on
Nutrition and Health
reports that Costa Rica
has the second highest
prevalence of overweight
and obesity in Latin
America. / A.M.
Costa Rica wire services
photo.
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Costa Rica receives
support from FAO to
face the epidemic of
overweight and obesity
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By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministry of Health, with the
technical support of the Food
and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, FAO, began
the construction of a strategy
to fight against overweight and
obesity in all age groups, but
mainly in childhood and
adolescence.
According to the Ministry, this
epidemic has grown, in large
part, due to changes in
individual diet patterns which
now include eating processed
foods high in sugar, fat, and
sodium, and lack of physical
activity, among others factors.
"The country must address the
main socio-economic factors that
determinate a bad nutrition,
through public policies that
contribute to the transformation
of our food systems," said
Víctor Milla, representer of
FAO. "In addition, it is crucial
to ensure the access of healthy,
nutritious food, such as fruits
and vegetables."
The Latin American Study on
Nutrition and Health reports
that Costa Rica has the second
highest prevalence of overweight
and obesity in Latin America.
The specialists of the College
of Nutrition Professionals call
on people to improve their
eating habits because the
children of obese or overweight
parents are more likely to
suffer from this problem.
The study also revealed that
32.6 percent of the population
ages 15 to 65 years were
overweight, and 30.6 percent had
obesity according to the Body
Mass Index (BMI), and that 2 of
3 men and women have excess
weight.
"The incidence of obesity in our
country become public health
alarm and contrary to other
silent diseases, it is obvious
that society urgently needs to
make drastic changes in eating
habits,” said Dra. Norma Meza,
president of the College of
Nutrition Professionals.
The triggers of this problem,
according to the study, are
excess food, snacks full of
pre-packaged foods high in fat,
sugars, sodium and low in
nutrients, high consumption of
sugary drinks and low or no
water consumption, and a diet
low in fruit, and vegetables.
As for adults, the current
situation is no less alarming,
the rate of overweight and
obesity amounts to 64.5 percent,
according to data from the
Ministry of Health.
Nutrition specialists say that
to reduce obesity everyone
should avoid the consumption of
products with excess fat and
candy, cookies and sweets, and
that any diet should always be
supervised by a nutrition
professional.
"When professionals in nutrition
recommend a varied and balanced
diet, we talk about the
consumption of food in adequate
quantities, in such a way that
we guarantee the contribution of
nutrients that our body needs
through fruits, vegetables,
cereals, beans, dairy products,
and meats," said Dr. Meza.
The specialists give the
following advice to fight
against overweight and obesity:
- Eat fruits and vegetables
daily.
- Prefer whole grain foods,
whole grains.
- Eat low-fat chicken, beef,
pork, and fish meat.
- Consume enough water
- Avoid foods that contain large
amounts of sugar, flour, and
fat.
- Establish a meal schedule.
- Cook boiled or steamed foods
instead of frying.
- Consume low-fat dairy
products.
- Eat beans, chickpeas, and
lentils.
- Do at least 30 minutes of
daily exercise.
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What other advice would you give
someone who wants to avoid being
overweight? We would like to
know your thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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