In Western industrialized countries, more than 70% of all diseases depend on lifestyle and diet. When it comes to obesity, Germans lead the way, according to new research. This raises the question of how such a development could have occurred. One explanation is the change in lifestyle over the last 5 decades. Food is a fundamental part of our lives. Food not only provides us with energy and nutrients, but is also part of our life culture and habits. Our society, and therefore lifestyles and food culture, have changed dramatically over the past few decades.
From balance to surplus
Until the first half of the 20th century, heavy physical labor was performed by the majority of the population, for example in mining and in the fields. Modern times are characterized by a lack of movement due to motorization and automation. If we look at the average energy intake and consumption over the last 5 decades, we see that over this period the gap has widened. The amount of work and physical activity has shrunk drastically over the last decades. For an average adult German, this has probably decreased by around 40 percent. At the same time, energy intake has risen sharply since the 1950s in response to the famine years. Over the decades, calorie intake has continued to increase steadily and is now stagnating at a high level. On average, every German has an energy surplus of several hundred kilocalories.
On the conflict of time when it comes to eating
We have evolved from food producers to pure consumers. With that, the skills, abilities and willingness to cook for ourselves have also diminished. Our modern professional lives often require flexible scheduling. As a result, the topic of food is increasingly relegated to the background:
1. there is no longer the typical meal pattern.
Although three main meals are still generally eaten, fixed meal times in the family circle are becoming rarer. People no longer eat at fixed times, but rather when their schedules permit. Spontaneous hunger is often satisfied in passing by fast food. Just as little as the meal itself is perceived, many are not aware of the calorie amount of the small break snack. Or would you have known that a hamburger Royal TS with a medium portion of French fries and a small Coke is worth around 1,000 kcal, covering just under half the calorie requirements of the average person? 2. the effort for the food preparation sinks and more finished products are used
Dishes from the freezer or the can – so-called convenience food – meet these time-saving needs: They are quickly prepared, ready assembled. Cooking and seasoning become superfluous. However, to say across the board that these meals are unbalanced is inappropriate from a nutritional point of view, because the range on offer today is very broad and the nutritional quality of what is on offer varies greatly. It is to be criticized that with the increasing use of finished products the original taste of the basic food as well as the competent handling with them become ever stranger to us. 3 More and more people are eating outside the home
More and more people are eating out, either because business is best conducted over a good meal or because going to the Italian restaurant around the corner after a long day at work is more relaxing than wielding a wooden spoon. According to the 2004 nutrition report, a good quarter of the German population eats out at least once a day. Whether canteen, cafeteria, restaurant or snack bar around the corner, the trend toward eating out continues unabated. Lunches, in particular, are being eaten less and less at home. Many a calorie bomb is served to us in the process. But here, too, the following applies: those who critically examine what is on offer with open eyes can make a healthy choice.
Healthy living – preventing disease
As mentioned at the beginning, a large number of diseases are promoted by an unbalanced diet and unhealthy lifestyle. This in turn means that we can actively do something for our health by eating healthily, exercising regularly and avoiding smoking, alcohol and being overweight.We would like to take a closer look at the influence of nutrition and lifestyle on the development of diseases or the maintenance of health in a series of articles for you and give you many tips on how you can actively pursue a healthy lifestyle in today’s living environment.
