Expert seminar – Poland 28th April 2025

Expert seminar – Poland 28th April 2025

https://healthyandyoung.mk/

NUTRITION FOR THE MIND AND THE BODY

The students from ZSO im. S. Żeromskiego w Bielsku-Białej, had the pleasure to participate in a lecture about how to nourish our minds and bodies, which took place on 28th April 2025. This event was a part of a project promoting the healthy aspects of living.

The students gathered early in the morning and made our way to Zespół Szkół Gastronomicznych i Handlowych, where the workshop was held. It was split up into 3 sections, each one ran by a different specialist in that field.

The first part of the workshop was given by a psychodieteticion, mgr Dominika Gorowska-Stasica on our emotions, where they were compared to a color wheel, which meant that all emotions are equal, none are "better" or "worse". We learnt that it's best not to surpress them and just let them be because it could lead to potential panic attacks in the future.

During the break between the lectures, the students had the opportunity to try some healthy snacks kindly prepared for us beforehand. Ones chose a chia pudding with berries, others, hummus on bread with cherry tomatoes.

After a quick break the second lecture began. The students were introduced to the science point of viewing food. For example did you know how beneficial legumes are for our gut? Unfortunately though, the demand for these types of foods is decreasing, most people don't know how to incorporate them to their daily meals, which is the result of this occurrence. Such things like buckwheat, pumpkin seeds and ect. are very easily found in stores, yet many of us tend to skip these products in search for various supplements that the market tries to convince us to buy. The media is telling us that a product will "change our life", but then again, if you take that into consideration, no supplement can outgrow a healthy and well-balanced diet. Different elements like magnesium, selenium, zinc and iron are almost non-negotiable in our daily food intake, since they give the human brain a perfect space to help develop its cognitive functions. Another point worth mentioning is the influence of omega fatty acids, especially omega 3, on our well-being. Not only do they help with our memory but also reduce inflammation in our body, support cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of certain cancers. And that's all thanks to prof. Halina Świerczak, who we'd like to thank as a class for this practical piece of information.

Last, but not least, the lecturer touched on the marketing of different brands and how they use psychology to trick our minds into buying different products. She mostly referred to big supermarkets, where you can smell the product sold in an aisle before you even step foot in it, this concerns mainly for e.g. coffee or chocolate. Apparently the staff leave small air fresheners, packed with essential oils, inside the aisles, from which the smell is released as someone walks in. To add to that, stores also have shorter shelves just by the cash register overflowing with a range of sweets and snacks. This too is another gimmick, that obviously catches small children's eyes when they walk past the colourful shelves, that automatically increases the store's selling rates and contributes to their profits. Who would've thought how the brain is hacked and manipulated even in the above-mentioned situations!

The students are all incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of such an exciting venture! Everyone learnt something new from this workshop and will try to use this information in practice.

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