Liceo Scientifico - Linguistico Statale “Leonardo da Vinci” Bisceglie (Italy) A.S. 2007-2008

1. Liceo Scientifico - Linguistico Statale “Leonardo da Vinci” Bisceglie (Italy) A.S. 2007-2008 COMENIUS PROJECT 1 Contract n. 2007/07 – ITA – 01 – C06 - 01462 – 2 Food, we are what we eat teachers: Giulia Dell’Orco, Giuseppe Torchetti In collaboration with INSTITUTE SAINT LÔ (FRANCE) ROSBORG AMTSGYMNASIUM (DENMARK) GRUP SCOLAR INDUSTRIAL (ROMANIA) inizio

2. The weight of the body has always been relevant in the human evolution.

3. Fat people were considered in good health differently from slim people.

4. Even if in the past food was chosen just as nourishment…

5. …today it is chosen for its amount, its taste, its good looking, quickness and easiness in its preparation.

6. Recent studies show that the more a person is fat, the worse is the quality of his life.

7. The modern man makes at least three kinds of mistakes when he sits at table for a meal : he eats too much he eats hypercaloric food he eats “not natural” food

8. A man is, on the biological side, the result of the transformation of the food that he eats : WE ARE WHAT WE EAT

9. These modern eating habits have consequences on human health impossible to be avoided.

10. The most common consequences are: Hypertension Hypercholesterolemia Diabetes

11. Hypertension Blood pressure is the force exerted by blood on the walls of blood vessels. Normally, the blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg. If it is higher, we can talk of high pressure, while hypertension is the chronical rise of blood pressure.

12. It can cause a stroke, or an aneurysm. It is dangerous even if pressure is just a little higher than normal values. The most common form of hypertension has several contributing factors: salt,obesity, sedentary life, diabetes,genetics,age

13. We cannot act on genetics and age but we can avoid hypertension by reducing the amount of salt, preventing hypercholesterolemia and diabetes, and by increasing physical activity.

14. Cholesterol Cholesterol is a polycyclic alcohol whose synthesis occurs in the liver, which metabolises saturated fats. Our body produces cholesterol continuously, but it will use only the necessary amount for the synthesis of biliary salts, vitamin D and several hormones. Cholesterol is normally transported in blood by lipoproteins: LDL and HDL.

15. The first one carries cholesterol from the liver to the other tissues, and the second one in the opposite direction. The hypercholesterolemia is an higher amount of cholesterol in the blood dued to hereditary causes or food. Diet is the basic treatment of hypercholesterolemia, in order to reduce the higher levels of cholesterol. Hypercholesterolemia can lead to atherosclerosis.

16. Atherosclerosis The atherosclerosis is a disease which consists of the progressive hardening of the arteries and loss of elasticity. Although it is a disease that develops with old age, it could start to develop very soon.

17. The main clinical symptom of atherosclerosis is the ischemic heart disease. The most common causes are: lack of physical activity, wrong diet, smoke, diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

18. The typical damage of atherosclerosis is the “plaque”, a thickening of the artery wall. The plaque is responsible for the symptoms of atherosclerosis since it obstructs the vessel.

19. When the “stenosis” of artery exceeds a threshold level, the passage of the blood is difficult and nutrition of tissues is compromised.

20. Diabetes Diabetes is a disease characterized by disordered metabolism and a high level of sugar in the blood resulting from lower levels of insulin . The causes of diabetes are still unknown. It is thought that it is often caused by hereditary characteristics but it is sure that a large use of carbohydrates predisposes to this disease.

21. Diabetes is more common among white people than among black one, therefore it is a typical disease of developed countries. Diabetes causes many complications. Acute complications might occur if the disease is not adequately controlled. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal failures, retinal, nerve and microvascular damages.

22. Since hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes depend on a wrong diet, it would be enough to avoid diet mistakes in order to be healthy.

23. The most important thing is to match the food we eat with the capacities of our organism and the climate of the place we live in.

24. In our case the diet must be composed of a lot of vegetables and few animal foods.

25. EAT IN COLOUR

26. What food is included in the grains group? Any food such as bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, and grits are examples of grain products.

27. What food is included in the vegetable group? Any vegetable counts as a member of the vegetable group. Vegetables may be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrate.

28. What food is included in the fruit group? Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or pureed.

29. What food is included in the oil group? Oils, butter and margarine are fats used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants, butter and lard are derived from animals. It is not healthy to eat large amounts of oils and butter.

30. What food is included in the milk group? All foods made from milk are considered part of this food group. Foods rich in calcium are part of the group, while foods that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not.

31. What food is included in the meat & beans group? All foods made from meat, poultry, fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds are considered part of this group. Dry beans and peas are part of this group as well as the vegetable group. Most meat and poultry choices should be lean or low-fat. Fish, nuts, and seeds contain healthy oils.

32. The last colour you should use to live better is white...physical activity! Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should add up to at least 30 minutes a day. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

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