Bulgaria is close to top of the list of countries in Europe in diet-related deaths. This country ranks 12^th out of 51 countries included in a study by the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany for the period 1990-2016.

The top ten countries with the highest mortality rate are all former Soviet republics, top of the list being Uzbekistan, with 396 diet-related deaths per 100,000. Bulgaria is 12^th after Georgia, with 260 deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases, due to poor eating habits. This means Bulgarians have the worst eating habits in EU.

What are these bad indicators due to? Prof. Stefka Petrova MD, nutrition and dietetics consultant at the National Center of Public Health and Analyses:

“That depends on the point of view of the study, but most of the death-related diseases in Bulgaria are very much dependent on nutrition. Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death here (in over 60 percent of all instances), and nutrition is a vital factor in the prevention and, conversely, in increasing the risk of such diseases. Obesity is now considered a disease. In Bulgaria it has continued to increase among the adult population. With children the tendency is of keeping a steady level, though this country is close to top of the list in the incidence of obesity among children in the EU (6^th or 7^th place depending on the study). So that we can well and truly say that nutrition is a key factor for the risk and for the prevention of diseases which are the major cause of death in Bulgaria.”

An unbalanced diet and large quantities of fats on the menu of adults – these are the main bad nutrition traits that increase the risk of disease. Children’s diets on the other hand have a very high carbohydrate content, with a high glycaemic index – i.e. they are rich in free sugars, added sugars, made of refined flour.

“Pastries are part of our national nutrition model,” Prof. Petrova says. “We increased the consumption of wholegrain, though that is by no means enough. We do not eat enough fruit or vegetables in winter and spring when they are harder to come by. In that period we eat mostly the cheaper pickles we have made in summer and autumn. And they are very salt-rich. A high salt consumption is a significant risk factor for high blood pressure, which, on its part is a principal risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.”

Where do parents go wrong in shaping the eating habits of their children?

“Forming a food model begins with feeding as a baby,” Prof. Petrova explains. “If we habituate our children to eating healthy food from an early age, there will be no problems down the line – they will eat healthy food in sufficient quantity. Many kindergarten teachers have been telling me that children won’t eat green food, for instance spinach or onions, or salad. Not to mention Brussels sprouts or broccoli. We have little variety in the vegetables we eat, and that is so important for children. Later, when we are adults, if we have the information needed, we try to alter our behaviour but that is not easy. Not to mention the fact that obesity which is connected with what we eat, but also with low levels of physical activity among Bulgarians, remains a very serious problem in adulthood. So that a moderate, varied diet that includes more plant-based food would help us eat healthy. Here, in Bulgaria we eat a lot of sausages, a lot of meat – they have a high salt and fat content, and contain a lot of preservatives. There are a lot of problems, but I am hoping that the situation will improve because more and more parents are interested in what their children eat.”

English version: Milena Daynova