Taste a good dish even before eating it. That simple lunch that becomes the prelude to pleasure for the taste buds. And it’s a little emotion. The refractories are few, those who let themselves go, many. It is above all women who strongly believe this, 70 percent of them swear by food as an influencer of individual happiness. And if it is science to argue that a food (desired, of course) is good for the emotional sphere and that, in chain, invigorates the immune system, the accounts add up: sitting at the table can make us happy.
I study
Without excess, but a truly beneficial virtuous circle is triggered. Who says that? Once again it is a study (“Food and Immune System”) which, in this case, is based on a survey commissioned by the researchers of the Nestlè Foundation from the survey company Toluna, to testify how our diet, if correct, contributes to make us feel good and give us a small slice of happiness.
The sample examined, consisting of 2,000 people aged between 18 and 64 and considered representative of the Italian population, revealed the high importance attributed to food in strengthening our immune system. An interview that takes on value also because, conducted in a pandemic period, it measures the perception and beliefs of the participants.
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The ‘right’ foods strengthen the immune system
But there are some distinctions to be made. For example, not all foods are believed to be decisive in contributing to immune well-being. So what are the top results? 84 percent promoted citrus fruits, kiwis, lemons and, in general, foods rich in vitamin C. A belief that led 52% – mainly women (86%) – to increase their consumption in recent months.
Fish and vegetables
In second place in the ranking are 74 percent of the sample fish rich in Omega 3 (in the last year it recorded an increase of 32 percent). The “vegetables” sector earns a good third place, again up by 39% in terms of consumption. Next, here is honey with propolis (increase of 24 percent), among women (69%) and, in general, in the range between 45 and 64 years. In the fifth position, here is again the vegetable with spinach, and in the sixth place the milk, both for calcium and for vitamin B, while in the seventh place the meat for the iron (44%) and in the eighth the ginger .
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The Mediterranean diet
“We must remember that the basis of the Mediterranean diet are seasonality and variability. And then, with regard to spinach: today we know that they do not represent the main source of iron for the body due to the low percentage contained (3mg of iron in 100g of raw product), in a form that makes its absorption limited, “he explains Giuseppe Fatati, president ofItalian obesity network (deals with obesity and prevention, networking the evidence emerged from scientific societies).
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The boys
But the quantity of meat eaten by young people makes one reflect: it is they who, for 51 percent, eat more between 18 and 24 years, precisely because of the iron. “It is a fact to be verified remotely – explains Fatati – to understand if the phenomenon is linked only to isolation from a pandemic or to a real change in behavior”.
In the last two years, the percentage of people who swallow supplements has also decreased, a share that considers them a useful shortcut to integrate diets low in specific nutrients. And also in this case the reference range is represented by women between 35 and 54 years, while the least interested are young people aged 18 to 24 (drop in consumption of 44 percent in the last year).
Isolation from Covid
“Isolation from Covid initially created a whole generation of small and improvised little chefs, – reveals Fatati – then boredom took over and, in the end, a diet consisting of ready-to-use foods prevailed. But there is a precise relationship. between mood and food: if the diet is balanced and healthy, an inflammatory state is kept under control. Because yes, inflammation also worsens mood. Depression. On the other hand, even smells and colors sharpen our senses in a positive direction: the mother’s sauce with its inviting scents has always shown us this “.
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