The case in summary New research shows that young Norwegians have too little knowledge about healthy eating. Many struggle to read nutritional content, understand labeling schemes and make good choices in the store. Young people get a lot of information about diet from different sources, which can cause confusion. The research shows that those who know the most have the best diet. Young people who have not cut out large food groups have the least knowledge and the worst quality of food. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Else-Linn Austad (20) is filling her shopping basket on a Monday afternoon in December. She wants healthy food that is also good. Potatoes, carrots and salmon are added. – And finally the best part: Easy sleep, she says. The 20-year-old tries to choose as many raw materials as possible. Determining whether other foods are healthy or unhealthy can be complicated. – It depends on the product. It is not always easy to understand. One has to interpret a little. It could have been written a little more simply. Else-Linn tries to choose as many raw materials as possible. – There are many healthy things that are also good, she believes. Photo: Kristine Sandnes / news Struggling to understand – Young Norwegians do not know enough about making good food choices, and struggle to navigate today’s food landscape, says Synne Groufh-Jacobsen. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Agder, and has just surveyed what 165 Norwegians between the ages of 16 and 24 have eaten for six months, and what knowledge they have about food and diet. The result gives a good picture of how the diet in the age group is in general, the researcher believes. – Some of what we see is that they struggle to read the nutritional content of food and understand labeling schemes. This in turn leads to them not being able to put together good meals. Synne Groufh-Jacobsen is a doctoral student at the Department of Nutrition and Public Health at the University of Agder. Among other things, they were asked to read the back of food products and say how much sugar they contain, which turns out to be difficult for many. Why is it like that? The researcher has some theories. Young people are bombarded with dietary advice – Many young people are confused, says Groufh-Jacobsen, who points out that this was one of the motivations for starting the study. – Young people today are exposed to an incredible amount of information. From friends, family, school – and especially social media. We know that it is also difficult for adults to navigate all this information, she says. So, what does healthy eating actually mean in this context? 🥗 Lots of vegetables, fruit, berries and fish. Coarse grain products instead of fine ones. Water as a thirst quencher, and a good balance between how much you eat and how much you move. 🌭 Small sweets, soft drinks and other foods with a lot of sugar. Little salt, red meat, processed meat and other fast food. It is therefore the Norwegian dietary advice from the Norwegian Directorate of Health that is used as a basis for the research. Incidentally, these are in the process of being renewed. They will arrive in 2024. It is too difficult to make good choices in the store. In Norway, we have two brand schemes that will make it easier for us to eat healthy. The green keyhole indicates that the food is good in terms of content of fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt, fiber and whole grains. The bread scale shows the proportion of whole grains, combined flour and bran in bread. Generally speaking, the young people in Groufh-Jacobsen’s research have little idea of these. – The labeling schemes we have in Norway today are too poor. Consumers need more guidance to be able to shop in the store, she states. In Chile, they have gone further with the labeling of unhealthy food, news has previously told about. Junk and candy now have a black octagon on the packaging. There is talk of more branding schemes here at home as well. In Chile, foods have this label if they contain too much sugar, salt, saturated fat or kilocalories. Photo: Katharina Meyer / DPA Food and health is too little a subject in school A discovery in the research makes Groufh-Jacobsen very hopeful: – Those who have higher nutritional skills also have better diet quality, she says. Those who can do the most are therefore the healthiest. The young people don’t give a damn. Jorid Grut Meland recognizes this. She has been a food and health teacher for 20 years. – Some are very interested and concerned with healthy food. Others know little and quickly choose food with a lot of calories that is filling and tastes good. The ultra-processed food, says Meland, who works with Oppdal secondary school. She would like to see food and health given more space in the Norwegian school. – Here we are lucky to have a management that prioritizes the subject. This is probably not the case everywhere. Researcher Synne Groufh-Jacobsen says that food and health is too little a subject in school. – Habits are established early and are taken with them later in life. Diet is one of the most important things we do to prevent lifestyle diseases, she emphasizes. Young people with a type of diet positively surprised The participants in the new study consisted of vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, flexitarians and young people who have not cut anything in particular from their diet. – I had a thought that many young people jump on the trend of eating plant-based without thinking much about it. There is a lot of plant-based fast food, which many perceive as healthy because it is labeled as “plant-based”. Removing all animal products and being left with only such food is absolutely not healthy, says Groufh-Jacobsen. There are many plant-based foods that cannot be categorized as healthy. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news But it is those who have not cut out large food groups who come out worst when it comes to both knowledge and quality of food. – That surprised me, says the researcher. They contain both more sugary soda and less vegetables and legumes. Those who eat plant-based appear to have the most knowledge about nutrition. – It is positive to see that many young people are becoming more familiar with it when they switch to a plant-based diet. The research is published in Cambridge Core.
ttn-69
Young people in Norway know too little about a healthy diet, research from the University of Agder shows – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
