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The increase in time spent at home to protect against coronavirus and the habit of sedentary life caused a "weight" crisis for thousands of people. Those who cannot control themselves at home and eat constantly, find the remedy to turn to dietitians who provide online services, while also examining the exercise recommendations shared on the internet. Stating that the energy need of the body is less than normal during this period when it is necessary to stay at home, Prof. Nazan Turhan, Head of Department of Food Engineering, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), said, “Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of people with weight problems. One of the most important reasons for this is getting 2-3 times more energy than the body needs. There are those who open the refrigerator every half an hour and wonder what they can eat. Eating cannot be the way out of boredom. We have to give up this habit.”

The fear of catching coronavirus, which is transmitted to more than 73 million people worldwide, and the increase in flu cases with the arrival of winter days, prompted citizens to seek natural miracles to strengthen the immune system. While the way to prevent diseases is through a healthy diet, medicinal herbs unique to the Aegean Region, which have been indispensable on the tables for years, have also been the first choice of many people. Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Head of Food Engineering Department Prof. Dr. Nazan Turhan explained the benefits of medicinal herbs such as hibiscus, nettle, tangle, cibez, horseradish, olive leaves, ivy, which are good for many diseases from shortness of breath to blood pressure, blood circulation to stomach discomfort, and gave advice to citizens.

The coronavirus, which negatively affected life in many issues from daily life to work and social interaction, also changed the eating habits and the number of meals. Asst. Prof. Betül Öztürk, Director of School of Applied Management Sciences, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), stated that with the transition to working from home during the pandemic period, many people gave up breakfast or started to have breakfast at noon, by decreasing number of meals to two, which is not the healthy thing to do. Drawing attention to the importance of nutrition at the point of virus protection and the fact that the body should not be weak, Prof. Nazan Turhan, Head of IUE Department of Food Engineering, made recommendations to help protect from the disease.    

“SCIENCE DAYS” event was organized by Department of Food Engineering in Izmir University of Economics. This event aimed to teach science in an entertaining way to students from different high schools located in Izmir and took place in the newest laboratories of İzmir University of Economics Food Engineering Department which were opened earlier this year.

Most of the attenders enjoyed the 'Artichoke Paste', developed by the students of Food Engineering Department.

As the students got their report cards and started a long summer holiday, the experts pointed out the importance of not to change the eating habits during the holiday season. 16 million students will be on holiday for as long as 3 months and the experts believe that their healthy eating habits may change during this period. 

The experts strongly suggest opting for natural foods when it comes to consuming sweets, candies at this Sweet Festival (a.k.a Sugar Feast). They say that we need to stay away from desserts made out of refined sugar which increases blood sugar quickly and cause hunger immediately. They also point out that the body turns excess glucose into fat.