Whether you read local or national Spanish dailies, it's becoming impossible to ignore the alarm bells ringing in the health sections. With obesity rates rising and children developing diseases once reserved for middle age, Spaniards are waking up to reality: the "American Diet" is threatening to wipe out the Mediterranean Diet. And that's a fact.
As an American living in Spain, I feel like I'm watching history repeat itself. I grew up when these same alarm bells were starting to ring in the United States. And here I am, raising my children in a country known for contributing to the development of one of the world's most legendary diets - and now precisely the poor dietary habits I thought I'd escaped from seem to have followed me here!
The recent news that Málaga's "Colegio de Médicos" (Medical Association) is preparing a nutrition awareness campaign has cheered me up a bit. The idea is to promote "Five Colours a Day" with special awareness campaigns staged once a month through July of this year. The five colours metaformin prilosec what tramadol hcl-acetaminophen is par correspond to groups of fruits and veggies, which are known for special properties depending on their colour:
Red - to promote cardiovascular health and protect against cancer, among other ills - look for tomatoes and strawberries, for example.
White - to prevent diabetes and keep cholesterol levels in check, among other things - time for that lovely cauliflower, but you can also try the Spanish "chirimoya" (bread fruit).
Orangy/Peachy/Yellow - for all those anti-oxidants and great vitamins - this includes peaches, oranges, pineapple and the like.
Green - to balance your hormones and so much more - look for everything rom avocados to kiwis and artichokes.
Blue/Violet - to keep your heart healthy, manage your blood pressure and a host of other things - I hope you like eggplant. Or you could try blue berries, figs or plums.
This is good, yes. I especially agree with focusing on the promotion of all things good and wonderful. We don't want to bog people down with a list of sins they mustn't commit. However, to get to the heart of the matter, it is necessary to educate people about this river of processed foods, packed with fats, sugars and salt that is flowing into Spanish supermarkets and meeting with great success as it lands in so many welcoming shopping trollies. To eat right, we need to know what to eat... and what not to eat.
Best of luck to the Málaga Medical College!