The holiday season is the time of year when people overeat the most and alcohol consumption soars, which leads us to reflect on the impact these habits have on our health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reminds us that what we eat and drink can lead to our body developing future health problems, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. The following article teaches us that it is possible to have a healthy holiday season if you know how.<\/p>\n
Tania Mesa – Director of Neolife Nutrition and Nursing Unit<\/em><\/p>\n Alejandro Monz\u00f3 – Neolife Nutrition and Nursing Unit<\/em><\/p>\n What if we start the year with a new concept of holiday cheer?<\/strong><\/p>\n Eating habits<\/strong>, in all their cultural variants and in a broad sense, define people’s overall health<\/strong>, growth, and development. The promotion of a healthy diet<\/strong> is often based on reducing saturated fat and calorie intake, and increasing the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and fiber. Unfortunately, flavorful foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt are available anywhere and anytime, and are especially popular at the Christmas<\/strong> table (1).<\/p>\n Chronic noncommunicable diseases<\/strong> are one of the biggest dangers to our health in the 21st century. Changes in eating habits and lifestyle<\/strong> have the greatest potential to reduce the risk of disease and improve life expectancy and quality of life for the population.\u00a0 The Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition<\/em> (SEEN), after conducting several reviews and studies, has concluded that eating habits (1):<\/p>\n In the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund<\/em> (WCRF) report (Figure 1.), ten recommendations were presented for the acquisition of healthy lifestyle habits and the prevention of chronic diseases (2). There is a whole range of factors, which undoubtedly affect our health<\/strong> and with sufficient knowledge, we have the ability to make healthy choices, including during the holidays.<\/p>\n In general, the holiday season, and although a lot of people are on vacation, may pose risks<\/strong> to our health, because of the frequency with which, over the course of several days, healthy habits are replaced by others that are not so healthy (drinking more alcohol<\/strong>, smoking, sedentary activities, overeating sweets and fats, etc.). A simple meal or dinner, such as Christmas Eve and Christmas, both separated by only a few hours, may involve the consumption of up to 3000 kcal per day, which is almost double the daily recommended calorie intake for one person (on average).<\/p>\n To get an idea of the extraordinary calorie intake<\/strong> we have during a holiday meal, in addition to the snacks in between meals, let\u2019s see a few examples:<\/p>\n Recently, new reviews show that people underestimate their calorie intake by up to 500 kilocalories a day. This type of food, all at once and in high quantities, add up to a very high caloric intake (3). And not only that, but the quality of those calories is also of paramount importance. According to a study published in Nutrition Reviews<\/em>, most people underestimate the number of calories they ingest (3). Eating habits<\/strong> have undergone major changes from industrialization to the present day. And, therefore, the intake of foods that predominantly contain flours, sugars, and fats has increased, with no thought to the consequences that this entails.<\/p>\n The study found that fats<\/strong>, sugars<\/strong>, alcohol<\/strong>, and sugary drinks<\/strong> are the food groups we underestimate the most. When attempting to lose weight (especially fatty tissue), people tend to underestimate their calorie intake, when their intake is actually much higher. The cocktail you drink when you’re cooking, the dressing you add to the salad, dishes with a lot of oil, snacks, pre-cooked and ultra-processed foods, etc. All this has an impact on our health goals and eating habits, and these excesses are plainly evident during the holiday season.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the Federaci\u00f3n Espa\u00f1ola de Sociedades de Nutrici\u00f3n, Alimentaci\u00f3n y Diet\u00e9tica<\/em>,Spanish Federation of Nutrition, Food and Dietetics Societies, (FESNAD) reminds us of the importance of following the right diet during this time of year (5). The holidays don\u2019t last 30 days, so you should avoid excesses<\/strong> during this time and limit snacking on key days, like Christmas.<\/p>\n According to the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology Nutrition Work Group<\/em> (SEGG), a majority of the population over 65 is diagnosed with a disease that could benefit from a healthy diet (6): over 60% have high blood pressure, 38% have diabetes, 50% have high cholesterol, 20-30% suffer from constipation, and 38% have osteoporosis. That\u2019s where the importance of good eating habits lies for the elderly, and even more so during the holiday season. Emergencies and hospital admissions increase by 25% during the holiday season (7). The health<\/strong> of our loved ones is very important, and what better reason to raise awareness of the importance of healthy eating habits, than the aim of preventing<\/strong> disease and improving quality of life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Once again, FESNAD emphasizes how important this is for those who suffer chronic diseases<\/strong>. On these special dates, patients should take special care with their salt intake, exercise a greater control of their consumption of sweets, and avoid excess fats and alcohol. As they conclude, even if there is nothing that is strictly prohibited, these patients and the general population should remember the need to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, exercising great measure.<\/p>\n In addition to the health problems we\u2019ve already mentioned, people also suffer the following frequent ailments during the holidays (8):<\/p>\n At Neolife<\/strong>, we\u2019d like to remind you that a first step towards eating healthier over the holidays is to ensure that any excess occurs only on the 4 or 5 truly festive days. If you are getting together with family and friends on additional days, you may want to propose other non food-related activities. We have mentioned the consequences that excesses on these dates may cause, in addition to the weight that is usually put on.<\/p>\n Therefore, this Newsletter, with the aim of improving your health for the coming years and raising awareness of its importance, presents simple guidelines for better eating habits<\/strong>, proposed by the Sociedad Espa\u00f1ola para el Estudio de la Obesidad<\/em>, Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity, (SEEDO) and FESNAD, with which we will be able to enjoy the festivities without neglecting our nutrition nor suffering the negative consequences on our health<\/strong> (9):<\/p>\n From everyone here at Neolife<\/a>, we wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.<\/p>\n BIBLIOGRAPHY<\/p>\n (1)By Luis Rom\u00e1n, D.A. et. al.. (2017). \u201cDietoterapia, nutrici\u00f3n cl\u00ednica y metabolismo\u201d. Tercera edici\u00f3n. Vegenat, Healthcare. Sociedad Espa\u00f1ola de Endocrinolog\u00eda y Nutrici\u00f3n (SEEN) y Grupo Aula M\u00e9dica, S.L.<\/p>\n (2)\u00a0World Cancer Research Fund\/American Institute for Cancer Research. Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: A Global Perspective. Continuous Update Project Expert Report 2018.<\/p>\n URL: https:\/\/www.wcrf.org\/sites\/default\/files\/Summary-third-expert-report.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n (3) Hall D., K. et. al. (2019). \u201cUltra-processed diets cause excess calorie and weight gain: an inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake\u201d. Cell Metabolism, 30, 67-77.<\/p>\n URL: https:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-metabolism\/pdf\/S1550-4131(19)30248-7.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n (4) Mozaffarian, D. (2017). \u201cFoods, obesity, and diabetes \u2013 are all calories created equal?\u201d. Nutr. Rev, 75(1): 19-31.<\/p>\n URL: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/28049747<\/a><\/p>\n (5) (2015). \u201cEvita los excesos en las comidas durante la navidad\u201d. Gabinete de comunicaci\u00f3n. Federaci\u00f3n de Nutrici\u00f3n.<\/p>\n URL: https:\/\/www.fesnad.org\/index.php?seccion=dinamico&subSeccion=noticia&idN=90<\/a><\/p>\n (6) (2015). \u201cAnte los excesos navide\u00f1os, la SEGG recuerda que la dieta es una herramienta efectiva para modular el envejecimiento\u201d.<\/p>\n URL: https:\/\/www.segg.es\/ciudadania\/2015\/12\/21\/ante-los-excesos-navide%C3%B1os-la-segg-recuerda-que-la-dieta-es-una-herramienta-efectiva-para-modular-el-envejecimiento<\/a> (7) (2014). \u201cRecomendaciones sobre alimentaci\u00f3n en Navidad\u201d [Recommendations for eating habits over the Christmas holidays]. Punto Farmacol\u00f3gico N\u00ba61. URL:https:\/\/www.cofpo.org\/tl_files\/Docus\/Puntos%20Farmacologicos%20CGCOG\/20111230%20<\/a> INFORME%20<\/a>RECOMENDACIONES%20SOBRE%20ALIMENTACION%20EN%20NAVIDAD.pdf<\/a> (8) Maset, J. (2015). \u201cNavidad saludable\u201d. Cinfasalud. URL: https:\/\/www.cinfasalud.com\/areas-de-salud\/cuidado-diario\/en-vacaciones\/navidad-saludable\/<\/a><\/p>\n (9) FESNAD-SEEDO. (2011). \u201cRecomendaciones nutricionales basadas en la evidencia para la prevenci\u00f3n y el tratamiento del sobrepeso y la obesidad en adultos\u201d. Revista Espa\u00f1ola de Obesidad. Vol.10(1).<\/p>\n
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