Red, green, white, orange and purple: these are the five colors that should never be missing from the table. In fact, they are the shades linked to fruit and vegetables, very important ingredients for a healthy diet, the Mediterranean one, capable of contributing over 50% to the prevention of the “big killers”, primarily cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Yet, only just over one in 10 Italians actually follows the principles of the Mediterranean diet and, considering the high levels of childhood overweight and obesity (42%), there is still too little nutrition and prevention education in general in schools.
Cancer, prevention instructions
by Elisa Manacorda
Promoting healthy habits at the table, with an eye on mental health and beyond, is the objective of the second edition of the Festival dei 5 Colori, which will be held from 15 to 19 May, at the Maschio Angioino in Naples. The event, presented today at the Ministry of Health, is promoted by the Pancrazio Association in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Policies, the Municipality of Naples, the Parthenope University and the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital. Between music, shows, meetings and round tables will discuss correct table habits and prevention, directly involving adults and children thanks to the collaboration of many schools. The packed program is available on the website –
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by Irma D’Aria
“Health protection is not simply linked to care and assistance, but also to sustainability which is a faithful ally of the knowledge of correct lifestyles, and of a scientific education that must be cultivated right from school – explains the president of the Institute Superior of Health, Rocco Bellantone – . This is why dedicating a party to this very theme is meritorious, and goes in the right direction. The Institute is also involved with its experience to make children, but also adults, aware of how to protect the primary good of health. We must create a civic awareness about health which does not exist in Italy, and the ISS can give its precious technical contribution in this sense.” “Initiatives such as the 5 Colors festival are important for, and here I quote your slogan, nourish education, mind, feelings, relationships and happiness – he continues Marco Mezzaroma, President Sport e salute SpA – And sport unites them all. This makes us understand its power, because sport is not just aimed at medals. No, sport is life. Exercising, doing sport constantly, learning to eat correctly, knowing what and how much you eat is the greatest gift you can give yourself, because it means adopting a healthy way of living that you will carry with you for life” .
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by Noemi Penna
“In this new edition of the Festival of 5 Colors – he says Maria Teresa Carpino, President of the Pancrazio Association and creator of the Festival – we have planned moments dedicated to the Associations, training moments aimed at children, students and families and as always great moments of leisure. It will be an unusual and original way to address delicate issues such as obesity and tackle the topic of prevention all together. This year we involved more than 1000 primary schools and we are very satisfied to see the children happy to carry out our food education journey”. “It is therefore necessary – he comments Giuseppe MorinoScientific Director of the Festival – transfer the scientific evidence (a 2023 meta-analysis further confirmed the positive impact of the Mediterranean diet in reducing childhood obesity) into playful paths that involve children, families and schools, starting with the promotion of breastfeeding and from the early experimentation of different flavors up to the family habit of consuming legumes, fruit, vegetables and fish”.
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by Cinzia Lucchelli
The importance of prevention: the opinion of clinicians
That prevention begins at the table is scientific evidence now shared by various specialists: from nutritionists to oncologists, up to cardiologists and psychiatrists. And it has always been demonstrated that sport is a phenomenal ally.
“The Mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet par excellence, which leads us to consume all the foods we have available, while being careful about how we introduce them into our daily regime”, he adds Giorgio Calabrese, president of the National Food Safety Committee of the Ministry of Health and professor of dietetics and human nutrition. Prevention also means control of one’s health status which in a person’s life, especially if a woman, must start from a young age. The culture of prevention must be inculcated from adolescence and among the first habits to be followed from childhood there must be that of healthy and correct nutrition – highlights Giovanni ScambiaScientific Director of the Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS Foundation and Full Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Rome – For this reason I believe that this project is very useful for promoting the ‘culture of prevention’ already in schools: only in this way can we be prepared at every stage”. Among the numerous benefits there is also the prevention of tumors.
“Primary prevention and vaccinations are concepts closely linked to each other. Fondazione IncontraDonna, signatory of the manifesto for the elimination of tumors related to the papillomavirus, is active in promoting the importance of HPV vaccination – he explains Adriana Bonifacino, president of the IncontraDonna Foundation – . In Italy there is still a lot to do, the national and regional data from the Ministry of Health highlight how the value of national vaccination coverage for HPV in boys and girls is still far from the objectives to be achieved for 2030 developed by the World Health Organization to eliminate HPV-related cancers. It is therefore essential to inform and raise awareness among the population for greater and convinced adherence to the HPV vaccination aimed at achieving significant vaccination coverage in Italy”.
Prevention doesn’t just mean protecting yourself from physical illnesses. “There is no physical health without mental health – underlines Giulio Corrivetti, director of the mental health department of the ASL of Salerno and vice-president of the Italian Society of Psychiatry -. A healthy lifestyle, which includes a correct diet and regular physical activity, also promotes the prevention of mental health disorders. Personalized nutrition is useful in preventing the neuroinflammation underlying many neuropsychiatric pathologies. This action is mediated by the functionality of the microbiome, whose epigenetic role as a modulator between nutrition and health, and between individual risk and protective factors, attributes a therapeutic value to personalized nutritional programs”.
Prizes and entertainment activities
Prizes will be awarded to illustrious figures such as the writer Maurizio De Giovanni, Stefano Di Carlo (Doctors Without Frontire), Paolo Ascierto, Claudio Gubitosi, Matteo Garrone, exceptional figures who work every day for the cultural, sporting and spiritual growth of children. Special prizes will also be awarded to those who work with commitment and passion in the field of medicine. We will discuss nutrition, sport, diabetes, primary and secondary prevention and correct communication in the healthcare sector. Ample space will be given to the Associations that will talk about themselves to the public present in the room.
Accompanying the cultural meetings will be numerous entertainment activities, such as theater workshops and shows, dance performances, prizes and aperitifs every evening from 6pm onwards with 0 km products with the excellent products of the Campania Region. We will also talk about nutraceuticals and “food of the future”, a topic that is more relevant than ever. The screening of cartoons created on the theme of food education will be dedicated to the little ones and their parents.
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– 2024-04-10 14:50:40
