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One in four Irish obese

A report just ot shows that two out of three adults in Ireland are not of a healthy weight, almost 25% being clinically obese. By Shelley Marsden - 25/11/08

Dietary Habits of the Irish Population, funded by the Department of Health, says Irish people eat too many foods that are full of fat, sugar and salt.

A big problem with the typical Irish diet is eating too much of foods that sit at the top level of the ‘food pyramid’ – oils, cakes, biscuits, butter.

In a healthy diet these items are consumed sparingly, ie.less than three servings a day.

The survey has discovered, however, that Irish people are eating around 7.3 servings each day of these foods, all high in both sugar and fats.

Another measure taken for the survey is known as central obesity, based on a person’s waist size.

The results were that 47% of men, and 70% of women are centrally obese – a condition that can lead to a bigger risk of heart disease or diabetes.

The survey also revealed that people generally do not eat enough fibre, and Irish women do not get enough iron or calcium and way too much salt.

If those surveyed, 71% consumed over the recommended 6 grams of salt daily - and these figures exclude the salt added during cooking or sprinkled at the table – so the real salt intake is actually way higher. A third of salt intake comes from cereals, bread and potatoes.

The Department of Health says it will publish a National Nutrition Policy next year focused on the health of young people, and is working under an EU framework to bring down the salt content in our food over the next four years by 16%.