Fat nation... But half the population on diet

P Morris

May 4th 2009, 12:42

@Anne Bon

I find it "funny" that, say, a burger from McDs, is cheaper than a healty sandwich.
It's a strange old world.

n camilleri

May 3rd 2009, 23:15

And for those who can't afford the high standard of living obviously jinfexxew fil-pastizzi, ghagin u ravjul, kirxa w bigilla and galletti, cheap mega sugared lemonades and not to forget xi kaxxa gelat u hobza biz-zejt and anchiovies. Then bicca pudina u bela te with some sweeteners...karta r-roza for the pilloli to lower the cholestrol u l-pressjoni... for sure that's cheaper then decent homemade salads/vegetables and fresh fish/meat nowadays...

c.caruana

May 3rd 2009, 20:16

Better fat than dying with starvation!!

GiovDeMartino

May 3rd 2009, 11:41

Fat Nation. It's the fault of 22 years of Nationalist govts. With such a high standard of living - especially foll. the 16 years of near starvation of socialist regimes -what do you expect? Kulhadd jaghtiha ghall-hela.

Vfarrugia

May 3rd 2009, 10:49

Most people have to learn how to eat and drink responsibly and in moderation. What is moderation? Eating till one is full, then stopping. Not going on eating till your plate, the borma, and the children's plates are clean as well. Sounds easy enough, and while for those of us who are naturally thin, it sounds like common sense, for my heavier freinds it sounds like anathema. Want to have dessert after dinner? Sure. Just don't eat dinner till you're full, leave space for it. Dessert should be a couple of forkfuls, not half a cake, with extra panna, and extra chocolate sauce as well! If you want to add the panna and chocolate sauce, reduce the portion size of the cake. Want to have a beer? Sure, one can either have a single pint, every other couple of days, or else a half pint daily. Want to drink 6 pints a day? Well, don't come complaining that you can't see your toes then...

Does all this 'rationing' seem stressful, yes, it does take some getting used to,but once you get used to controlling your treats, you'll appreciate them more, and your body will thank you for it.

John Lauri

May 3rd 2009, 10:36

Cosuming the right foods to maintain a healthy weight is easily done. It takes just a little bit of education as to what is good for you and what is not !

A man should consume no more than 2500 calories and a woman should eat no more than 2000 calories per day. No more than 600 calories should be eaten per meal.

This should be made up of the following ratio : 45% carbs, 40%protein and 15% fat.

Most processed and refined food is junk and should be avoided. One should eat 5 portions of fruits / vegetables per day. You diet should contain, fish, white meat, vegetables, nuts, grains and plenty of fibre.

Eating a huge amount of pasta. pastizzi, pizzas, chocolates, candy daily is inviting obesity.

I find it repulsive watching people eat in restaurants in Malta. It seems that the concept is : eat until you feel you are going to explode. Ever heard of eating the right portions for an elegant sufficiency ?

And one final thing.. get off your lazy bottoms and excercise !! You should excercise for at least 30 minutes per day. A 30 minute brisk walk will do it !

I Alamango

May 3rd 2009, 09:45

I think this problem crops up from a very early age. Here in Malta kids are not practicing enough sports and do not make enough physical activity.. from an early age they are pressured with school things... From School to Private lessons to Musew lessons to study.. etc etc.. we have to invest in a better system, There has to be a fair balance in both physical and mental lifestyle!

On the other hand, we adults are kind of attracted to all these fast food frenzies... kebabs, crepes, burgers, hotdogs, pizza, qassatat, pastizzi... We do not have genuine fast food take outs like in the UK.. they've got Tesco salads (definately a BIT more healthy fast food than our current choice).

One last thing... if this survey is a very recent one, it really makes sense that the population is on diet as SUMMER is almost here! Some are always on diet in March/April - to FIT in their new Swimwear! :)

G Camenzuli

May 3rd 2009, 08:23

Smoking, fried foods, processed foods, pollution... Gone are the days of soppa ta' l-armla and a breath of fresh air!!!!

Joe Fenech

May 2nd 2009, 08:25

Oh yeh - diet!!! That means that they're almost eating the right proportions! We're a poplu injorant!

Anne Bon

May 1st 2009, 23:04

@ Brian Camilleri

We are far from the happiest im afraid! Depression rates are sky high in Malta. Equivalent to northern countries. Only they have lack of sun to blame..we don't!

If children don't do enough exercise and eat healthy, its because of their parents, lack of sports at school due to too much emphasis on studying, and maybe the price of sending a child to practice a regular sport.

What we do have is (at least for half the population) persons very successful at school, that get noticed, and excel even when compared to people abroad. Our education system is very good, excluding the stress put on children to do well, and the stress on those who don't do well.

Antoine Grima

May 1st 2009, 21:50

The biggest problem is that all healthy foods are tastless . If its tasty and good it's bad for you. But chin up !!!!!! We have been voted to be the happiest .!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian Camilleri

May 1st 2009, 18:26

Many local and EU-sponsored surveys conclude that, Maltese peoples are the shortest, Less-read, the laziest, now obese and not long ago we were classified among the raciest and less tolerant among EU citizens. What an amalgamation? But be happy and smile-we are the happiest among EU citizens!

Johanna Scicluna

May 1st 2009, 16:20

Unless one is a vegan, good quality healthy food is expensive. We try to give to our kids least processed food, with least additives possible .... our monthly budget for food ends up to be quite high .... this includes if we go out for a snack .... it's much cheaper to buy chicken nuggets from fast food chains than a grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables!!
Even to buy whole grain stuff it's more expensive!
If one is on a tight budget it's cheaper to opt for high carbs, fat loaded food eg ... pizza, pasta, pastizzi etc... than wholesome food.
Both my husband and I work and are professional, yet we still find it expensive to buy wholesome unadultered food, including fresh fish not coming from fish farms!
This is not to mention that if one can afford to pay, may choose to send his/her children to schools which provide regular physical education and have ample outdoors for recreation plus paying for extra curricular activities!
We have to admit that most of us live in apartments without ample open space, and most neighbourhoods don't boast of public gardens/ playing fields were kids can play (excercise) safely and regularly.

Stephen Farrugia

May 1st 2009, 14:29

Lets start off from the schools... 3/4 tal klassi tiei ikollom average ta cikkulati u pakkett / KULJUM + coke/fanta...

Schools should have a microwave at the canteen, so that people can eat healthy warm food which is ready in less than 2 minutes.

Anne Bon

May 1st 2009, 13:40

@ P Morris

It is a known fact that people with lower income eat less healthy

Cheap food is less healthy than expensive food, and contains loads of carbs...bread, pasta, PASTIZZI etc
Meat, fruit and vegetables are higher in cost

A Zammit

May 1st 2009, 13:37

Everyone is to blame!

Starting off with the schools and teachers. In my days, during Xmas we used to get something cooked fresh from home. Today, teachers ask the parents to pay an amount of money to take the children to a Junk Food House (not to mention any names here).

The parents are the worst of all. I work in an office and there is 'tal-pastizzi' nearby. Every morning and after school, I see parents feeding their 8-10 year old kids tons of fat. I am not exagerating in saying that there are parents feeding kids pastizzi everyday.

What happenned to the traditional Maltese dishes? Soups, fish, vegatables, seeds and nuts...

If during childhood we are fed rubbish and grow up lazy, it is very difficult to change our way of life and even more change our body composition. I do not condemn such people who became obese and tax them. I tax all those shops and 'gabbani' who sell junk. Obese people get illnesses such as heart failures more often than 'normal' people. Indeed this does cost the government and our country lots of money.

john fenech

May 1st 2009, 13:34

Life is about choices, for instances the comments about this article varies from the validity of the survey, lifestyle , the exigency of a dietary regime , justification of a life treating vice, excess weight taxation and also some humour. While this survey excluded the juvenile which make up 24% of the Maltese population.

In my opinion intriguing is the fact that the majority of Maltese adults - 80.3 percent, said they were satisfied with life even though:
1) 44.3 per cent of deaths are caused by diseases of the circulatory system.
2) 11% of the population are diabetics.
3) Cancer is the cause for 25% of morbidity.

Therefore it could be that those who are satisfied may be overweight but not obese are non smokers do not abuse alcohol or other substances and are not effected by other life threatening diseases and are happy with their partner. And live in the eternal hope that the life style and needs of the Juvenile population will not impose additional problems. Otherwise as a nation our inclination or lack of knowledge about health related topics is suicidal.

P Morris

May 1st 2009, 12:57

And of course, if you push certain people too far with loosing weight (predominately women) you end up with conditions like bulimia and anorexia. And this opens up another set of problems.

Steven Brockwell

May 1st 2009, 12:34

since the height of the said persons were not taken into consideration i would say that these stats are lame and incorrect. i am 5 foot 10 weigh 72 kilos with a 33 waist? so now you say i am over weight?

Joe Psaila

May 1st 2009, 12:25

@Albert Bezzina
Same thing can be said about smokers. When somking becomes addictive it s not a pleasure anymore.

T Vella

May 1st 2009, 12:00

Albert Bezzina: If cigarettes are taxed for health reasons and cars are taxed for health and environmental reasons should not obesity be taxed too?

Good point, but normally, overweight people are unhappy and imposing a tax on their obesity would make them unhappier (and also angry) and they might eat more! Maybe there could be a "reward" for those who enter and successfully complete a weight-loss programme run by the Dept of Health. This is more encouraging than imposing a tax.

Christian Hudson

May 1st 2009, 11:54

Looking on the bright side - this is good news for nutritionists and keep-fit workers and for importers of "slimming food"; their jobs are guaranteed.

T Vella

May 1st 2009, 11:48

Wow, that photo is impressive and says a lot!

The sad thing about weight-reduction diets is that once you lose weight, you eventually gain it back plus some more, then you go back on another diet...so your life ends up a perpetual diet - it's very discouraging.

Albert Bezzina

May 1st 2009, 11:42

How about imposing on obesity. If cigarettes are taxed for health reasons and cars are taxed for health and environmental reasons should not obesity be taxed too? I stand to pay a reasonable sum myself if this comes along! Think of the reduction in the nation's carbon footprint from reduced consumption of superfluous food.

Francis Buhagiar

May 1st 2009, 11:41

The government put taxes on those who smoke as to cover their future medical expenses. Would it not be a good idea if the government reduce tax to those who keep themselves fit slim and healthy as to encourage others to look after themselves?
Frans Buhagiar

Nicholas Robert Micallef

May 1st 2009, 11:31

The government should give monetary incentives for people to buy more healthy food and impose a tax on fast food, the same way a tax is imposed on cigarettes. This would discourage people from pursuing an unhealthy lifestyle. Parents would think twice before they give out money to their children to buy a fatty snack like pizza or pastizzi.

Vincent Galea

May 1st 2009, 11:20

It is a uniquely human endevour to learn how to use free will power properly.
We all want to be great, look good and healthy but achieving our goal takes a lot of effort.so we get distracted and take the easy route. The escape route.... grabbing the remote and slump down the couch.Everday we are confronted with many escape routes.
A group of soldiers were returning home singing after a victorious battle. A. wise man meets them
" Friends you are retuning from a minor battle. Now you are going to face a major one......
the war within yourselves "
Let's beat our body at its own game. Let's coax the body the same that it coaxes us..
I did. Did you ? : ))

Joe Psaila

May 1st 2009, 11:18

The goverment should introduce a tax on people with obesity. I am a smoker and the goverment punish me with an unjustified tax on each packet of cigarette which he claims it is there to cover the costs of medicine and therapy while in hospital when the individual gets a lung cancer. Obesity should be treated the same way.

christopher camilleri

May 1st 2009, 10:49

Its safe to say that the maltese are lazy when it comes to taking care of their bodies!! 1/2 the population wants to slim down. . . but what about adopting a healthy lifestyle instead of wining about how little we're going to eat for a few months to shed the weight juust to put it back on next winter??? How about, instead of not eating, or not eating properly, this 1/2 of the population engages in regular physical activity. . . yes. . .to break a sweat is healthy!!!!

P Morris

May 1st 2009, 10:25

I am surprised that people can afford to eat so much to get to this size. The price of food is alarming to say the least.

D.Galea

May 1st 2009, 10:18

I can't comment on our nutritional habit except for noting that unfortunately although wiht good intentions most of those following a diet do so without the proper guidance & on based on the wrong definition, that of "slimming down" rather then adopting a healtier eating habit.

What really ircked me is that it's being implied that cohabitation is not sadisfactory way of living with your partner, it's simply nonsense as for most part it's the same as living a married life unless the factor of seperations and lack of divorce are brought in as reasons as well, but apparently these have been conviniently been left out of mention.

Scott MacDonanld

May 1st 2009, 10:10

for anyone who cares, search for a book called the 150 healthiest foods in the world.

Should be given as a school book.

Tanya Briffa

May 1st 2009, 10:07

The majority of Maltese adults - 80.3 percent, said they were satisfied with life. Most satisfied were married couples and those with a very good or good standard of living, those cohabiting the least.

Insiba difficli biex nemmina din meta ahna l-Maltin ma naghmlu xejn hlief neqirdu. Probabbli x'hin insibu survey quddiemna ma nkunux ezattament onesti fir-risposti taghna. Imbaghad xi nghidu ghal "those cohabiting the least"? Forsi dawn li ma jimpurtahomx mill-konvenzjonijiet tas-socjeta kapaci jkunu aktar onesti?

J Borg

May 1st 2009, 09:20

I wish more people would explain what they mean when they are on diet.
Some people think that eating as much as you can of 'light' products is actually ok.
It is NOT.
A balanced diet involves
REGULAR exercise - this is also for kids
Eating good food - veg and fruit
DRINKING water - alcohol has a very very hight calorific value

I once met a mother who was bragging about her 'obese' child- le jahasra xejn ma tiekol - and right after collecting her from school i see the child buffing a pizza (full of saturated fats ) and two sausage rolls in her mother's hands ready as a 'snack'.
there are a lot of ways you can get your weight on track. I am not speaking of size zeros here, nor looking the perfect model, eating healthily will help you avoid diabetes, heart disease etc.

LOOK AT THE LITERATURE ON THE TOPIC . ALSO regular exercise is the key.