All posts by : Rita Novo

On October 13, 2023, the Veggies4myHeart team was present at Escola Básica de Cabeças in the Municipality of Estarreja. The visit was a success, led by two nutritionists and two curricular interns from the Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition at the Escola Superior de Saúde de Leiria (ESSLei) from the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.

During the visit, the 35 preschool and 1st CEB children had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Veggies4myHeart project, which aims to promote knowledge and consumption of vegetables in children. The activities included a presentation about the project and Veggies and a moment to experience the Veggies4myHeart digital game.

In addition, children participated in a 5-vegetable tasting, providing a practical opportunity to explore and appreciate the diversity of flavors and textures that vegetables offer.

Students from Escola de Cabeça demonstrated their creativity by presenting the team with a charming song about vegetables, showing their enthusiasm and understanding of the benefits of including them in a healthy diet.

Finally, the students surprised the Veggies4myHeart team with carefully handmade puppets representing each of the Veggies. This gesture was received with gratitude and enthusiasm.

The team expressed their happiness at the warm welcome from Escola Básica de Cabeças.

On the 28th and 29th of September, the Palace of Dom Manuel I, in Évora, hosted the 2nd Congress of the Network of Higher Education Institutions for the Safeguard of the Mediterranean Diet/2nd International Conference on Mediterranean Diet and Gastronomy. This event brought together professionals from different areas to debate the future of the Mediterranean diet.

On the first day of this conference, Nutritionist Rita Nunes Novo, from the Veggies4myHeart Team, presented the notable results of the Project through the Oral Communication entitled “Impact of the Veggies4myHeart Project on the Consumption of Vegetables in Pre-School Age School Year 2022/23”.

The results revealed a significant increase in the consumption of vegetables among participating children, demonstrating that the Veggies4myHeart Project, through its pedagogical tools, continues to achieve the objective of promoting healthier eating habits and the consumption of vegetables in preschool-age children.

On March 2, 2023, the 2nd edition of the Pediatrics Congress took place at Hospital da Luz.

Nutritionist Cátia Pontes, principal researcher of the Veggies4myHeart Project, represented the entire team in the oral communication “Parents’ Perception of the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children – Veggies4myHeart Project”.

This oral communication addressed the issue of being overweight during childhood. Parental perception regarding the nutritional status of preschool children is crucial in raising awareness of childhood obesity and can be very relevant in its prevention.

In the 2022/23 Edition, the project intervened in 3 kindergartens in the municipality of Leiria. A questionnaire was administered to the children’s legal representatives. This instrument consisted of sociodemographic data and questions about parents’ perception of their children’s nutritional status. The body mass index (BMI) was used, based on the World Health Organization’s growth curves, to categorize the children. The results published in the oral communication taken to the Pediatrics Congress emerged from the responses to the questionnaire.

Given the results obtained, the Veggies4myHeart project exposed the importance of raising awareness among parents about the actual nutritional status of their children, who tend to perceive them as having a normal nutritional status, which could delay the search for specialized help and correct referral.

The oral communication was awarded as one of the best works at the event.