The promotion of healthy nutritional habits constitutes a priority for Prolepsis Institute. Healthy nutrition is important at all stages of life, for infants and young children, teenagers, adults, women while pregnant and breastfeeding, and for older people.

Nutritional habits are part of our everyday life and reflect the way in which we choose to live and our culture. However, nowadays, due to the contemporary way of life, our nutritional habits tend to become unhealthier, while the process of eating food has lost the form and value it traditionally used to have.

The Prolepsis Institute has developed tremendous work and expertise and is undertaking important initiatives aiming to prevent obesity and to promote healthy nutrition to the general population and in specific groups.

The design and development of the National Nutritional Guides for all Greeks, as well as the educational material and the actions in the DIATROFI programs’ framework, constitute the most important aspects of this project.

Here are some examples of actions:

Children and teenagers

• Talks and experiential educational actions to promote healthy nutrition to students.

Since 2012, more than 200 talks have been implemented, live or video-conferenced to primary and secondary school students in the DIATROFI Programs’ framework aiming to promote healthy nutritional habits.

• Design, development and diffusion of educational material for students.

In the framework of the DIATROFI Program, a plethora of educational material have been developed, properly designed to suit the needs of each age group, both in print and in digital form. For example, heroes for healthy nutrition, educational books, educational games, puzzles, sketchbooks, posters, websites and videos.

• Educational actions for the promotion of healthy nutrition and physical activity of students in the border islands.

With the participation of Prolepsis Institute in the 6th and 7th crossings of Axion Hellas in Psara and Chios (2018) and the Dodecanese (2019).

• Educational actions and consulting for the promotion healthy eating habits for refugee children.

We refer, as an example, to our collaboration with the non-profit organization The HOME Project, in whose framework consulting for nutritional issues is provided and the alimentation of people staying in a guesthouse of the organization is supported.

• Design, development and promotion of the National Nutritional Guide for Infants, Children and Adolescents.

Find the Guide here.

Parents

• Informative actions to promote healthy nutrition.

From 2012 to date, more than 125 talks for parents with a participation number of over 3.000 people have been implemented within the framework of the DIATROFI program.

Educators

• Design of a manual for the implementation of activities in schools and the development of educational materials (printed and audiovisual) for classroom use.
• Organization of a training seminar for educators of Primary Schools.

A lecture was held on the topic of “The role of the educator in the promotion of healthy nutritional habits: From theory to practice” (March 2019).

• Coordination of focus groups with educators.

Within the framework of the DIATROFI Program, an exchange of views and a search for methods for the effective promotion of the healthy meals of the Program to the students took place.

Workers

• Informative events in companies aimed at the promotion of health and the promotion of healthy nutritional habits and physical activity in everyday life and in the workplace.

The events are carried out by experts in health promotion and nutritionists of the Institute, by providing information about the principles of healthy nutrition, advice on smart dietary choices of nutritional value during working hours, presentation of healthy recipes from chefs, distribution of informative material, etc.

Elders

• Offering of daily meals to fire victims, aged 65 and over, in eastern Attica under the 365+ Days of Care program.

The program was launched in March 2019 and is implemented on the affected areas of the Municipalities of Rafina – Pikermi and Marathon – Nea Makri, with the financial support SYN-ENOSIS, the Non-Profit Company for Social Offering of Greek Shipping.

• Design of educational material and informative talks for elders

An example of our work is the program: “Improving the quality of life of elders in the Region of Sterea Ellada in matters related to nutrition and prevention of home injuries”. It concerns the value of proper nutrition in the prevention of diseases related to elders, informing elders but also health professionals. The talks will be held in centers for the elderly of the Region of Central Greece.

Women while pregnant and breastfeeding

• Design, development and promotion of the National Nutritional Guide for Women, when Pregnant and Breastfeeding.

You can find more information here.