Less junk food and more healthy and traditional Mediterranean foods. During the pandemic, adolescents rediscover, even out of necessity, a more regular and intimate conviviality at the table, restricted to the family circle, associated with a healthier diet. Many kids lower their sugar and fat intake and consume more plant-based foods, without however eliminating some whim. This is what emerges from a survey carried out on almost 500 high school students in Emilia-Romagna, not suffering from eating disorders, of which 65% are female. However, some shadows also emerge: with the pandemic, a third of them have started to eat more or worse and almost 2 out of 10 have also associated the word “problem” with food. The study, coordinated by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and the Crea – Food and Nutrition Research Center, has just been presented in Rome at an event organized by Cattolica, in collaboration with Anbi and with the Piacenza Reclamation Consortium.
Children, the immune defenses are strengthened at the table
by Priscilla Di Thiene
2 out of 3 kids eat better
One thing is certain: the pandemic has changed eating habits for more than half of adolescents – precisely 54% of those interviewed. “The greater free time, spent mostly at home, has led to a greater attention to food even for the youngest”, he explains Laura Rossinutritionist at Crea and coordinator of the work together with Edoardo Fornari, Professor of the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences at the Cattolica. “This attention is proof of how food has been a central element and, especially for those who live in the family, also a glue of relational and social life”. The changes are often for the better: with the pandemic, 2 out of 3 teenagers said they started choosing foods with less fat, less sugar, less salt or reduced the overall amount of food consumed (or both) ”.
Parents and children in the classroom to discover the benefits of the Mediterranean diet
by Irma D’Aria
Even the very young recognize and prefer typical regional products, associating them with a higher quality level than more commercial alternatives. Another positive aspect, moreover, concerns the methods of eating the meal, given that you return to sit at the table with the family. “It is perhaps no coincidence that in this period food is perceived by children above all for its functional benefits, therefore as nourishment”, Edoardo Fornari explains, “more than as an opportunity for socialization or as a source of gratification – and this probably due to the reduced sociability outside “.
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by Francesco Cro
Some shade
But there are also some critical elements, which concern a good slice of young people. 1 in 3, for example, said they eat more or less healthy foods since the pandemic began. The habit of skipping breakfast is also consolidating: 1 in 4 children forgoes the first meal of the day, which, according to experts, is important for nutritional balance. While almost 80% of adolescents exercise at least once a week, there remains a share of more than 20% who never move or at most once. Furthermore, 16% of the respondents associated the concept of food with the word “problem” with a high score (4 or 5 on a scale ranging from 1 to 5). “It will be an interesting aspect to investigate – adds Fornari – to understand the origin of the problem and how much it is also linked to the pandemic”.
A rather positive balance
The balance sheet, therefore, seems quite favorable, even if the data currently concern only 500 students from Emilia-Romagna. “Although limited, the data are in part in line with other information collected at national level”, adds Rossi, “even if it will still be necessary and interesting to expand the survey. It should also be noted that the study did not include children with eating disorders, for whom the pandemic and associated negative emotions may in some cases have favored an exacerbation of the problem.