Abstract

MONTEIRO, Catarina  and  JORGE, Rui. DIETARY HABITS IN DIFFERENT PANDEMIC PERIODS THROUGHOUT HISTORY: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2020, n.23, pp.40-44.  Epub May 14, 2021. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2020.2308.

Quarantine, voluntary or mandatory, causes inevitable changes in lifestyle. This narrative review of literature aims to study the eating habits adopted during pandemics and epidemics with worldwide repercussions. While in the past, infectious diseases were prevalent in individuals malnourished due to food shortages, today they affect malnourished people due to excessive and unbalanced eating habits. The Spanish flu caused great food shortages and food insecurity. Bird flu and influenza A did not affect meat and egg consumption habits, despite the impact on the food sector. Both Influenza A and COVID-19 were exacerbated by the high prevalence of chronic diseases, including obesity. The role of the nutritionist in a pandemic context is crucial for promoting the population to adopt a healthy lifestyle, mainly healthy eating habits, as a preventive measure.

Keywords : Eating habits; Pandemic; Quarantine..

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