Some people have a natural tendency to put on weight and store fat. Certain genes contribute to obesity, but unhealthy lifestyles also play a part. The right amount of the right food in combination with regular exercise is the key to a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Do consumers know what a healthy diet is?
Most public information campaigns seem to be about food. If consumers want to learn what constitutes a healthy diet, the many foundations, product boards, associations and the media will tell them precisely what they need to know.

Many people think a healthy diet is complicated, unappetising and expensive. This was one of the findings of the joint 'Manage your Income' project organised by Heartbeat Limburg and the Maastricht Team for Integrated Debt Aid, which organise courses for people in debt.

The 'Healthy food doesn't have to cost a lot of money' course found that leading brands and foods making health claims were seen to be more expensive but better than secondary brands. Many participants thought only a leading brand of fruit juice could replace fruit, not a secondary brand. This is not so.

A healthy diet is one that contains the right amount and balance of nutrients. A test found that participants in the project ate too much meat and not enough vegetables and used too much fat in the frying pan (source www.voedingsmagazine.nl, April 2003). Knowing what you buy and eating less but more healthily is a good way to save money.

European labelling regulations provide guidelines on the information that food manufacturers must provide on their products. GMOs, allergens, colourings and flavourings and a table of nutritional values must be shown. Would the message 'Eat healthily and in moderation' encourage consumers to read the entire label and to consider the information in their daily diets?

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know your opinion on the home page.

Breda, 2 October 2003