The first generation of students of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food, University of Sarajevo, 25 of them, successfully completed the Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition. The goal of this study program, which was introduced in 2020, is university education and baccalaureate training in the field of nutrition, which connects the secondary and higher education systems.
The author and leader of the nutrition study, which is developing and promising prospects for young students, is Prof. Dr. Irzada Taljić, professor of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food, University of Sarajevo, who explained in an interview for Fena that there was a need to establish a Nutrition Study because people’s awareness of proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle is changing, and the need for experts in this education is increasing.
“We are witnessing that there are more and more cyclists, people like to hike, and almost every child practices some kind of sport. The number of food items, functional food, gluten-free products, lactose-free products, products for diabetics and small children has also increased compared to the previous period,” Taljić points out.
However, although there are many sports and fitness clubs, their shortcoming is that they are run by those who are not experts – they immediately offer a nutrition program, sometimes the same for everyone, without serious discussions about the psychophysical state of the person’s organism. There were also nutrition counseling centers, but the counselors were not educated.
“When people ask for advice, it means that awareness of a healthy lifestyle is increasing. Therefore, it was necessary, and the needs of the market are such, that we train people who will be experts in that field. There is also a need for nutritionists in the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, nutrition counseling centers, institutions that offer collective nutrition (preschool and school institutions, barracks, homes for the elderly) – explains Professor Taljić.
Educated, professional people, she believes, should find their place in institutions, such as the Food Safety Agency, the ministries of education, agriculture, and health.
“Those places need a person, a nutritionist, who will know the guidelines on proper nutrition, which nutrients are needed for a child, and which for an elderly person. Ultimately, who will know how to make state and national guidelines and regulations on proper nutrition,” she underlines and adds that Croatia and Slovenia are leading the way in this, which already have national guidelines on nutrition.
According to Taljić, the study of nutrition at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food, UNSA, was developed on the model of the oldest study of nutrition in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and was modified in relation to Bosnia and Herzegovina. standard and needs. Students have the option of choosing elective courses at any university in the world, where they can use ERASMUS mobility programs and which are recognized upon their return.
The fact that the establishment of the Nutrition studies program is a good move by UNSA is also shown by the results of professional practice that students take at numerous institutions and companies, as well as sports clubs. The managers of those companies have recognized the need for nutrition experts and are already offering them a job.
BH also recognizes the awareness of proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. society and citizens, but, as Professor Taljić says, life’s challenges, difficult economic situation, contaminated political space and security, do not allow them to dedicate themselves a little more to themselves, their bodies, their health.
But there is hope, says Professor Taljić, and she gave several recommendations and advice on how to eat properly without being expensive.
“Eating properly does not mean eating expensively. So, for example, you should consume fruits and vegetables that are seasonal, that grow in our geographical area, in our climate. By consuming seasonal fruits and vegetables, we have great benefits, because that’s when the fruits and vegetables are at their peak maturity, and they are cheaper then,” emphasizes Taljić.
Carbohydrate foods (bread, pastries, pasta, rice, cereals) are affordable to the general public, and bread and pastries are made from wholemeal flour, rye, black bread and pastries. At the same time, you should not take in a double amount of carbohydrates, because for example, along with potatoes, rice does not need bread. White bread has neither vitamins nor minerals, and bread made from wholemeal flour, which is made by grinding whole grains, contains both minerals and vitamins.
Meat is a protein food, but it should be taken in the amount in which the body can use it, and this is calculated by the surface of the human body and the activity that the person performs. A balanced meal consists of a small amount of meat, along with some carbohydrate food, salad, fruit.
Traditional food is part of our identity, but today we can modify our traditional cakes, which are mostly agdali, to reduce the amount of sugar and butter.
“You shouldn’t avoid any group of foods, but there must be conscious eating (taking time for a meal, not eating while watching TV), eating in moderation, and our mood and efficiency depend on the food,” she said.
For those who want to learn more about nutritionism, the Association for Nutrition was founded in Sarajevo changed nutritionism in BiH, and its members are nutritionists from BiH and the region. There was a need because people are looking for advice, so the Association gathers experts, doctors, pharmacists, food technologists, kinesiologists with completed specialist studies in nutrition, and bachelor’s degree students. It is a combination of youth (knowledge of novelties related to programs, AI) and old theoretical knowledge with a long series of years spent in practice.
“The basis is that we have an incubator of people, ideas and knowledge that will work to promote a healthy way of life,” concluded Prof. dr. Irzada Taljić, UNSA professor in an interview for Fena.
The study program of nutrition at UNSA provides exactly that to our country, because according to its nature, it primarily includes the scientific field of biotechnical and natural sciences, and lecturers from those UNSA faculties are engaged in courses that include the fields of medical, social and human sciences.
In addition to subject holders, visiting professors from universities from the region and beyond also participate in the teaching process, Fena writes.
