“Diet” is not synonymous with food restriction. At the word “diet” it is often attributed a negative meaning, linked to the idea of having to restrict food intake. In fact the word “diet” comes from the greek and means “way of life”, just the sense in which it is correct to understand the meaning of this word, even today.
The majority of current communicative stimuli concerns, for better or for worse, the sphere of food. On the streets, in shopping malls and even in our homes, through any media form, the inputs proposed advise what foods to buy, what to eat, how to lose the excess weight, how to achieve the well-being … all in a society where their quest ‘ last term, “welfare”, is widely abused, giving the sense most appropriate to the needs of that area of marketing. This creates, in the “layman”, an inevitable confusion.
In this context, the role of the nutritionist should hire a connotation which is similar as possible to that of the teacher: an expert guide, rather than simply deliver to the patient a diet, take him by the hand and accompany him for the first part of a path on which can then move smoothly on its own.
Overweight, obesity and multifactorial diseases related to it, are in fact the consequences of poor diets and the majority of them can be prevented effectively by means of a proper attitude towards food.
The nutrients give the energy required for life, to reconstitute cells and tissues, to regulate the operation. An adequate supply of nutrients, in quality and quantity, it is essential for the body, in sickness and in health.
The nutritional quality of food is the most important benefit that we can achieve when we eat and effective guidelines are a necessary tool to maximize these benefits.