WHO HBSC study: girls often think they are overweight, and boys are more likely to be obese. Both, the eating and health behavior is strongly dependent on the parental home.

25 percent of all 15-year-old girls go on a diet or try to lose weight in some other way.

This is the conclusion of the World Health Organization’s Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which is updated every four years.

According to the study, girls consider themselves too fat more often than boys: 43 percent of all 15-year-olds say they have too much on their ribs. Even 11-year-old girls think 26 percent are too fat. It is boys who tend to be overweight and obese: according to the survey, 7.8% of girls and 10.1% of boys are overweight or obese. On the other hand, 17.8% of girls and 12.6% of boys are classified as underweight.

The close connection between wealth and body weight

The study shows that the conditions in the parental home have a decisive effect on body weight: the higher the family wealth, the fewer young people are overweight or obese. The downside: Boys and girls with a high family wealth are also more likely to be underweight than children who grow up in households with lower wealth.

According to the study, where healthy eating culture is practiced, mature and healthy children grow up. However, the eating habits of many children and young people give cause for concern: only 29 percent of all 15-year-old boys eat fruit every day (37 percent for girls), and 22 percent of boys drink soft drinks every day. Vegetables are on the daily menu for 30.6% of girls and only 19.5% of boys.

It also looks modest when it comes to exercise: While eleven-year-olds still get 25 percent of the daily recommended exercise, it is only 16 percent for 15-year-olds. On average, girls move less than boys.

The international coordinator of the HBSC study and senior editor of the report, Dr. Jo Inchley, said: “Many aspects of health follow social patterns. Young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds not only have fewer health-promoting behaviors and poorer health outcomes, but they also have fewer social assets, such as support from family and friends.”

After all, the number of young people who smoke or consume alcohol has fallen significantly since 2010.

Eating habits: The Germans are getting fatter. The reason for this is revealed by the eating habits of Germans, which the German Society for Nutrition presented in the 13th Nutrition Report in February 2017. They also emphasize that the consumption of foods with a high energy density must be restricted in order to reduce the risk of obesity.

Eating habits: Germans are overweight

Being overweight is becoming an increasingly common problem in Germany: 59 percent of men and 37 percent of women are overweight. Men gain a lot of weight with age: At the end of their working life, 74.2 percent are overweight – for women of the same age it is 56.3 percent.

Prof. Helmut Heseker, former President of the DGE, who worked on the topic for the 13th DGE Nutrition Report, explains: “Many people in Germany eat too much energy-rich food and exercise too little.” The options for action to minimize the incidence of obesity become clear in the following eating habits.

Positive eating habits: More variety of vegetables on the plate

The consumption of vegetables (especially tomatoes, carrots, onions, leafy and stalked vegetables), berries, and nuts is increasing at the same time. This trend leads to a higher intake of some vitamins, phytochemicals, minerals, and fiber.

However, the consumption of fresh fruit and citrus fell. Prof. Dr. Peter Stehle, Editor-in-Chief of the 13th DGE Nutrition Report, says: “We must continue our efforts to promote the consumption of foods with a comparatively low energy density. This includes above all plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruit.”

Fish is eaten too seldom

While meat consumption has been too high for several years but has been constant in the development of eating habits, too little fish has been consumed since 2010. This has a negative impact on the health of the population, as important omega 3 fatty acids and iodine for the prevention of coronary heart disease are missing.

Consumption of grain products: good for health

In recent years, eating habits have evolved towards continuously consuming more durum wheat semolina, pasta, and rice. The DGE evaluates this positively: The cereal dietary fibers probably reduce the risk of diabetes mellitus and colon cancer.

More cheese is good, but caution should be exercised

The consumption of fresh milk products has remained relatively stable in recent years, but the consumption of cheese has increased. This development in eating habits has a positive effect on health through a higher intake of proteins, calcium, iodine, and vitamin B2. However, you should be careful with high-fat variants, as they may contribute to a higher energy intake.

The consumption of water as a thirst quencher should continue to rise

Germans drink more water and soft drinks, but when it comes to eating habits, the DGE recommends increasing water consumption even further and reducing the consumption of sugary drinks to avoid obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The DGE justifies the increase in coffee consumption with the “to-go trend” and warns against coffee specialties containing energy.

One bar of chocolate more per year

Since the year 2000, the consumption of chocolate by the population has risen by a total of 25 percent. Although there is a declining trend in the consumption of sweets, every German eats an average of one more bar of chocolate a year than before.

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Lots of vitamins and minerals: grapefruit as a true super fruit

It is a real vitamin bomb: the grapefruit. The healthy fruit tastes bitter, but contains a particularly large amount of vitamin C, which promotes the development of connective tissue. The grapefruit owes its color to the dye lycopene, which also makes tomatoes red, for example.

The B vitamins contained in grapefruit, which are particularly important for the development of amino acids, i.e. protein building blocks, also boost the metabolism. The dietary fiber pectin leads to a feeling of satiety and also has a positive effect on blood sugar and cholesterol levels. However, most of the pectin is found in the skin and core of the fruit.

Furthermore, grapefruits also contain many minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphate. Minerals are important for the body, but some of them have to be ingested through food.

Hot spices reduce cravings

Hot spices are also very healthy. The healing effect of the ginger root, for example, has been known in Asian medicine for centuries, according to NDR, and not only helps as a tea for colds. A study from New York proves that the root in water also helps with weight loss.
In food, hot spices such as ginger or chili lead to less cravings for salty, fatty and sweet foods.

The hot substance capsaicin in the chili pepper has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, as do the substances gingerol and shogaol contained in ginger. According to the Lucerne Health Center, the spiciness contained in chili increases

The vitamins and minerals contained in ginger in addition to the pungent substances, including vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron, are located directly under the peel.

Coffee: Germans’ favorite drink as a calorie burner

Coffee is the favorite drink of the Germans. Whether at work, at home or in a restaurant, on average everyone drinks 162 liters a year. The substances contained should even help with weight loss.

The caffeine in the beans stimulates the so-called thermogenes and, similar to the hot substances in ginger and chili, also boosts fat burning. According to the information platform, coffee should even relieve sore muscles after exercise. But be careful: Too much coffee can also have negative effects and harm the body.

Almonds as a power fruit

It has been known for a long time that nuts are said to help you lose weight. But in addition to walnuts, sweet almonds in particular are particularly good fat burners. Almonds are often counted among the nuts, but they are a plant species of the rose family. The core of the stone fruit is the almond, which botanists therefore count as a fruit.

The fruits contain many vitamins E and B, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc as well as valuable vegetable proteins and roughage. These ingredients and unsaturated fatty acids fill you up without the body absorbing many carbohydrates.

Buttermilk: Slimming through bacteria

The low-fat milk product, which is a by-product of butter production, gets its typically bitter taste from the addition of lactic acid bacteria. Buttermilk has less than 1% fat and is rich in minerals and vitamins.

With around 232 milligrams, just 500 milliliters cover more than 20 percent of the daily calcium requirement recommended by the German Society for Nutrition. This stimulates the breakdown of body fat and thus helps with weight loss. According to the Association for Independent Health Advice, calcium suppresses the production of the hormones calcitriol and parathormone in sufficient quantities, which means that the body stores less fat and fat loss increases.

Eating in the evening makes you fat? This opinion is widespread. But is that really true? Here you get the answers.

Link between weight gain and late eating? Experts have been researching the question for a long time

In 1985-86, a study (Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals) was conducted that recorded the dietary habits of 1,802 women. It showed that no connection could be established between a late meal (after 5 p.m.) and weight gain, according to the DGE. Even in a larger study (NHANES-I) from 1982 to 1984, in which the eating habits of 7,000 men and women were observed, even after ten years of follow-up (follow-up study of NHANES-I), no connection could be found between eating in the evening and the body weight development can be determined.

In another study from 2002, researchers compared the eating habits of overweight and non-overweight women. The overweight women ate more meals a day than the normal-weight women. In addition, the overweight women ate more volume in the evening compared to the normal-weight women. However, this study only indicates that overweight women not only ate late, but generally ate more. But not that they are fat because of their late eating habits.

Another 2004 study analyzed 7-day consumption logs from a total of 900 women and men. This study also showed that people who eat more in the evening already had a higher energy intake during the day than subjects who ate most of it in the first half of the day. It also found that subjects who ate a larger, more nutritious breakfast ate less food during the day and evening.

Researchers cannot link obesity to late night eating

These studies show that eating out at night does not automatically make you fat. However, the time at which you eat food still plays a role. Because if you eat a lot and plenty of it early on, you will show less hunger during the day. It has been proven that people who eat a decent breakfast have a lower energy intake during the day and also in the evening. Despite these results, according to the scientists, more research is needed in this area in order to be able to speak of reliable knowledge. However, the daily calorie intake still determines whether you gain or lose weight. If this is too high, you gain weight – no matter when you eat.

The results of a small 1997 study on weight loss support eating late meals to preserve lean body mass, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. For this purpose, researchers observed ten women in a weight loss program. They found that eating a large breakfast leads to slightly greater weight loss than a large evening meal. However, a large dinner resulted in better preservation of lean body mass.

So the secret isn’t skipping dinner: it actually has benefits for the body. This makes the widespread assumption that it makes you fat a myth. On the other hand, it makes much more sense to eat a balanced breakfast. A balanced breakfast fills you up early in the day. Thus, this variant prevents food cravings during the day.