A culinária na promoção da alimentação saudável: delineamento e experimentação de método educativo dirigido a adolescentes e a profissionais das redes de saúde e de educação Cooking in the promotion of a healthy diet: designing and testing an education model directed to adolescents and professionals of healthcare and education networks

OBJETIVO: Apresentar o delineamento e a experimentação de método educativo para promoção da alimentação saudável, tendo a culinária como seu eixo estruturante. MÉTODOS: Os referenciais teóricos adotados foram: preceitos da promoção da saúde, concepção crítica de educação em saúde, direito humano à alimentação adequada e segurança alimentar e nutricional e reflexões sobre cultura alimentar no contexto da contemporaneidade. As etapas de desenvolvimento do projeto contemplaram: identificação de representantes dos grupos de interesse (merendeiras, professores de ensino fundamental, adolescentes e profissionais de saúde da atenção básica, incluindo equipes de Saúde da Família); estruturação e experimentação, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, do modelo de ação educativa; análise dos materiais coletados e confecção de materiais educativos. RESULTADOS: O modelo proposto e experimentado consistiu em oficina educativa estruturada em: vivência culinária; debate entre os participantes; encontro denominado Temperando Conceitos, no qual foram aprofundados os temas surgidos no debate; e encontro de avaliação de todo o projeto. Foram realizadas oito oficinas educativas envolvendo 116 participantes, que avaliaram o modelo proposto como capaz de os sensibilizar sobre o tema e incentivar para mudanças em relação à sua prática profissional e pessoal. CONCLUSÃO: O modelo experimentado configura-se em inovação metodológica no campo das práticas educativas para promoção da alimentação saudável e mostrou-se factível de ser aplicado. Como forma de continuidade do estudo, está em curso projeto de pesquisa para desenvolvimento de método educativo voltado à formação de multiplicadores para a promoção da alimentação saudável, utilizando o modelo aqui apresentado como uma de suas estratégias educativas.<br>OBJECTIVE: To present the designing and testing of an educational methodology for the promotion of a healthy diet that adopted cooking as its structural axis. METHODS: The theoretical references adopted were: health promotion precepts, critical approach of health education, human right to adequate food and food and nutrition security and reflections about food culture in the contemporary context. The steps of the project were: identification of people that represented the target groups (elementary school teachers, primary healthcare network professionals, school cooks and adolescents); designing and testing the education model in city of Rio de Janeiro; analysis of the collected material and production of education materials. RESULTS: The model proposed and tested consisted in an educative workshop structured in: experiencing cooking; a debate among the participants; a meeting called "Seasoning Concepts", in which the issues that appeared in the previous debate were discussed and an evaluation meeting. Eight educative workshops were carried out involving 116 participants, who indicated that if the education model was able to motivate them with respect to the subject for their personal life and professional activity. CONCLUSION: The model tested in this study represents a methodological innovation in the area of education practices for healthy diet promotion and proved to be feasible. The second stage of the study, which is ongoing, consists in the development of an education method for training multipliers for healthy diet promotion, using the model presented here as one of its education strategies

Benefits and risks of fish consumption for the human health

The article aimed at identifying and discussing scientific evidences on the benefits and risks of fish consumption the human health. There was a systematic survey for articles published from 2003 and May 2011, at the MedLine, Scopus, SciELO, Lilacs and Google Scholar databases. The key words used were: fish, food intake, omega-3 fatty acids, fatty fish, benefits, risk, and consumption. The search produced 12,632 articles, 25 eligible cohort studies on possible benefits, 61 on risks and 10 studies that assessed the "risk/benefit" relation. Of the 25 works, 14 suggested a preventive effect of fish consumption related to cardiovascular diseases, depression, cataract and some types of cancer. Evidences of a relation between exposure to mercury and an increase in the risk of neurological disorders, but not of cardiovascular diseases, were also found. Given the importance of fish consumption, its possible risks and the lack of Brazilian studies on the topic, it is important to conduct more longitudinal studies that assess both the benefits and risks of fish consumption for the human health. We also emphasize the need for policies to reduce exposure of fish and seafood to mercury and other contaminants