Wellness updates in focus. - Minister advocates healthy cooking habits.
The food we consume can have a significant impact on our health as well as the protection of the environment and conservation of species. These were the key takeaways from a cooking event held by Rhineland-Palatinate's Environmental Minister, Katrin Eder, on Monday at the Mainz University Medical Center. Here, she collaborated with trainees from the nutrition and dietetics training center of the university clinic to prepare vegan snacks, vegetable toppings, and sugar-reduced desserts, amongst other things.
According to the minister, the entire food system, which includes agriculture, processing, transportation, and storage of food, is responsible for more than a third of all greenhouse gas emissions around the world. By changing our shopping, eating habits, and how we manage food, we can achieve a considerable impact.
The ministry cited nutritional guidelines from the German Nutrition Society and the Planetary Health Diet, a diet plan developed by the "Eat-Lancet" Commission, a group of scientists, which aims to consider both the health of people and the planet. Unfortunately, the current food reality in Germany differs from these recommendations. We are not eating enough vegetables and fruit and are consuming too much sugar or meat.
The cooking bus that hosted this event has been in existence since 2013 and travels through Rhineland-Palatinate, attending approximately 90 appointments annually at schools, daycare centers, vacation camps, or even adult education institutions. During these visits, the aim is to make people more aware of topics like balanced nutrition, food waste, and how to reduce waste by using reusable dishes or edible containers. On this particular day, a dessert made with strawberries in waffle bowls was served.
Eder explained her decision to halt the cooking bus, a truck equipped with kitchen equipment, at the university clinic, which is staffed by around 9,000 employees. She believes that by making small changes in the selection of food and the arrangement of the food offer at this major hospital, significant progress can be made. The management of the hospital, which is undergoing extensive construction and expansion projects over the coming years, will take these considerations into account, and even explore suggestions from other countries. The training center for nutrition and dietetics in this university clinic provides a three-year training program for diet assistants and dieticians, with 18 training spots available each year.
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- To promote sustainable food practices, Eder suggested incorporating transportation-efficient methods, such as using local produce, into the food system to reduce emissions associated with transportation of food.
- In line with her plea for environmental consciousness, Eder encouraged individuals to adopt healthier food choices, such as reducing meat consumption and increasing vegetable and fruit intake, which could also lead to healthier lives according to nutritional guidelines from the German Nutrition Society and the Planetary Health Diet.
- During the event at Mainz University Medicine, the Environmental Minister emphasized the role of University Medicine in leading by example by emphasizing healthy food options and waste management as part of its expansion and construction projects.
- In her efforts to foster healthier food habits at large institutions, Eder decided to halt the cooking bus at the university clinic, believing that small changes in food selection and arrangement could lead to significant positive impacts on the health and wellbeing of its 9,000 employees.
- As part of its mission to promote nutrition and health, the training center for nutrition and dietetics at Mainz University Medicine is offering a three-year training program for diet assistants and dieticians, contributing to the Eder's vision for a more sustainable and healthy food system in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Source: www.stern.de
