HEALTHY EATING WHEN EATING OUT – FUNCTIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS AT RESTAURANTS TO PREVENT OBESITY, psychological AND social stress, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. A RESEARCH PROPOSAL BY TRANCRILAB AT SANT’ANNA SCHOOL INSTITUTE OF LIFE SCIENCES
Restaurants and canteens should increase their seating capacity by “Resta-Ceuticals” (Nutraceuticals at Restaurants), as nutraceuticals and functional foods will be included in low-fat and low-cholesterol menus. Barley and old grain may be used to improve health, prevent chronic diseases, and postpone the aging process. The Trancrilab (Laboratory of Critical Care Translational Medicine) of Sant’Anna School Institute of Life Sciences, directed by Professor Vincenzo Lionetti, is currently working on nutraceutical applications and the role of functional foods on human health.
Italians love eating out, as observed in a recent survey released by the Federazione Italiana Pubblici Esercizi, but eating out could be a threat to heart health, whereas nutraceuticals are considered to be healthy sources for prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
Over the years, nutraceuticals have attracted interest due to their potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic effects. Therefore, the “Resta-Ceuticals” will help people to achieve wellness through diet. Restaurants and canteens will offer functional foods, which are expected to be tasty as conventional food; chefs and cooking staff for catering services will play a significant role in providing customers with the required amount of vitamins, fats, proteins, carbohydrates needed for their healthy diet.
“The most recent research shows that barley (which has the highest beta-glucan content) and old grains – noted Professor Vincenzo Lionetti - can reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions. Nutraceuticals have been shown a crucial role as potential agents for preventing diseases related to oxidative stress including Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson's diseases and obesity: the “Resta-Ceuticals” will play this important role when dining out.
“Over the past few years – commented Professor Vincenzo Lionetti – also thanks to Tuscany Region public authority and private companies’ financial support, we have been investigating benefits from ancient grain products and pasta consumption. Nutrition plays an important role in disease prevention and pasta, a central component of the Mediterranean diet, is low-glycaemic food, inexpensive and easy to prepare. Pasta and barley, when consumed regularly, can offer cell protection mechanisms mainly because barley contains a large amount of soluble dietary fibers, especially β-glucans, the first dietary ingredients identified to affect gene expression and promote optimal health at the epigenetic level.
Professor Vincenzo Lionetti gave his presentation on “Resta-Ceuticals” (Nutraceuticals at Restaurants) on the occasion of the “Settimana della cucina italiana nel mondo” event, promoted by the Accademia dei Georgofili and Accademia Italiana della Cucina, on Saturday, 26 November 206, at auditorium “Giuseppe Toniolo” - Pisa.
Please see the event agenda attached for more details.
