Project “We are what we eat. Мы то, что мы едим

English saying goes “We are what we eat”, and it’s true. The food we eat can influence our body and our mind. It contains nutrients, such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates. Different products contain different nutrients. For example, we can get lots of vitamins eating fruit and vegetables.

and the most important is the taste. If we like the taste of the product, we often eat it. The second factor is its nutritional value. If the product is healthy and useful for our body, we should add it to our ration. Other factors include culture and religion. Advertising also influences our choices a lot. When we see colourful ads on TV, we decide to try the product. For some people food is just a fuel for energy.

time you are seventy-nine? The average Frenchwoman, for example, will eat:

already? Scientists say that we eat about half-a-ton of food a year – not counting drink! Some people eat even more.

the fattest people in the world. 55% of women and 63% of men over 25 are overweight or obese. (Doctors say that you are obese if you weight at least 30% above ideal body weight.) “Compared to Europeans, Americans eat all the time,” writes Joanna Coles, a British correspondent for The Guardian. “At the hairdressers, in their cars, during college lectures, while waiting in hospital and at the cinema, where they arrive clutching monster buckets of pop-corn, Doberman sized hot-dogs and containers (!) of diet Pepsi”.

Europe is quickly catching up. According to WHO, almost one-third of people living in the European Union are now overweight and one in 10 is obese. Britain has replaced Germany as Europe’s most overweight nation! 20% of women and 17% of men are obese. And the English are fatter than the Scots or Welsh. Russia, the Czech Republic and Finland also have some of the heaviest people in Europe. Even in such countries as French, Italy and Sweden, Europe’s slimmest nations, people (especially women) are becoming fatter. Among the French, Italians and Swedish, who are considered to be Europe’s slimmest nations, the number of overweight people is dramatically rising.

always in a hurry. We have no time to relax and enjoy a meal. We want to eat fast. Every day a new McDonald’s restaurant opens somewhere on our planet. Soon American food will take over the whole world. Another reason is lack of exercise. We spend too much time in front of our computers and TV-sets. We walk less, because we prefer to use cars or public transport. Yes, many people nowadays are exercise crazy, they spend hours in gyms – and then they rush to have a good snack!

is not always healthy. Doctors say that chips and pizzas are fattening, Coca-Cola spoils our teeth, coffee shortens our lives. If you go on eating too much, you’ll become obese, and obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Some scientists believe that food influences not only our bodies but our spirits as well. Foods with lots of additives, fat or sugar can make you violent and anti-social. Natural foods like fresh fruit and vegetables which contain lots of vitamins and minerals can make you more intelligent, optimistic and energetic. So think twice before you start eating!

fit, don’t think that this doesn’t concern you. Teenagers, too, are getting fatter. Obesity rates in teens, according to experts, are doubling! Surveys show that the favourite foods among teenagers both in Europe and the USA are: hamburgers (cheeseburgers, fishburgers, beefburgers, eggburgers…in fact anythingburgers!) chips (they are called French fries in America) hot dogs pizzas icecream

watching TV, and nobody knows how much they sit in front of their computers…) What will today’s teenagers look like when they grow up? Imagine yourself as a lazy, fat old man or woman with eyes glued to the TV screen, hands digging down in a packet of chips, munch-munch, staring at the glaring pictures. A real nightmare! But this is the danger hanging over your life!