Through a healthy lifestyle, we prevent excess weight, which is a worrying trend not only in Romania, but all over the world.
“We actually prevent many other conditions that are associated with excess weight: cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, joint problems. People need to understand that excess weight is a disease in itself, which can be prevented through a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Daniela Onu, a specialist in Diabetes and Nutrition, during the webinar “How to live a balanced life”, organized by the independent telemedicine platform Digital Clinics.
The online event was attended by speakers Dr. Daniela Onu, a specialist in Diabetes and Nutrition, and physiotherapist Daniela Ciurea, specialized in Balneo-Physiokinetotherapy and Recovery. The webinar recording can be watched here: Digital Clinics Well-Being
Dr. Daniela Onu explained in detail the main problems her patients face.
"Most patients come to the office with the desire to lose weight, because they carry many extra pounds. Some of them also have the desire to change their lifestyle, to do sports in an organized way. But the most worrying thing, from my point of view, as a nutritionist, but also as a mother, is that there are more and more children with weight problems, even obesity.
For me, this is an alarm signal, a phenomenon that is gaining momentum. We need to pay great attention to childrens' nutrition," said Dr. Daniela Onu, a specialist in diabetes and nutrition.
According to the specialist, medical supervision in these cases is extremely important.
"Children are in the growth phase or entering puberty when this excess weight appears and it is very important that the nutritional intervention is done under the supervision of a specialist. In the case of children, restrictive diets are prohibited: children have certain nutritional needs that only a doctor with solid training can inform the parents about. I have also encountered cases in which parents have turned to a fitness instructor for a diet,” the doctor added.
The specialist also explained in detail the danger posed by excessive consumption of fast food.
“First of all, fast food is usually cooked in a non-dietetic way. Frying is the cooking method used in most of these restaurants. We can replace fast food fries with potatoes cooked at home, in the oven, and thus reduce the calorie content. Fast food, due to its unhealthy preparation method, contains a large amount of trans fats, which are carcinogenic. In addition, we are talking about real "calorie bombs": we have carbohydrates, bread, a bun, french fries, fried meat, possibly a sauce, but less vegetables. That is why it is to be avoided.
If we cook at home, first of all we should also train children in this activity, possibly from the shopping stage, to teach them to make healthy choices. Cooking as a family can become an enjoyable activity. Moreover, we have control over the ingredients we put in the food, over the amount of oil, we can use varied, colorful, fresh vegetables.
It is a much healthier option, although it requires more time and even a greater expense. My advice is that fast food should remain an exception.
Not only a healthy and balanced diet helps us to stay fit, but also sports. But how can we bring sports and exercise into our lives? Physiotherapist Daniela Ciurea explained how we can "mobilize" ourselves.
"For people who have a job that involves a lot of time spent at the office, I would recommend doing sports daily or once a day, but with a moderate intensity.
If we choose, for example, to do exercise and sports only on the weekend, with the idea of making up for lost time, problems may arise due to the fact that we are not physically prepared. In other words, the effort we suddenly ask of the body may result in injuries or muscle fever. Therefore, it is important to have a clear frequency. A useful tip would be, if we want to introduce this new and healthy habit of doing sports, to link it to an existing habit. This way, we will be able to stick to the plan. But if we don't schedule them, we tend to postpone them and even abandon them," explained balneo-physiokinetotherapy and recovery physiotherapist Daniela Ciurea.
Through online #digitalwellbeing events, Digital Clinics aims to draw the attention of the general public to conditions that can be prevented, but also kept under control if detected in time.
The first webinar, organized in December 2021, had as its theme Burnout, the occupational disease of the century. Additional information about the webinar "Burnout. How to recognize it and how to prevent it" is available here: Burnout Webinar
