Progetto HEALTH EQUITY

PROGETTI

The Mediterranean Diet

The origins and history of the Mediterranean Diet

There is a growing body of scientific evidence on the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet (MD). The word diet derives from the Greek 'diaeta', which means not only food but refers to 'way of life'.

The term Mediterranean Diet was coined in 1960 by the American physiologist Ancel Keys and his wife Margaret in their book “How to Eat Well and Stay Well the Mediterranean Way”. They identified the dietary habits of countries such as Greece - in particular Crete – and Southern Italy, with extension to other geographical areas of the Mediterranean basin. According to their pioneering studies, the dietary patterns of these countries were associated with longevity and reduced rates of morbidity and mortality from coronary heart diseases, cancer, and other diet-related chronic diseases in the 1960s. However, the Mediterranean Diet didn’t start in the 1960s, but much earlier with the settlement of the civilizations around the Mediterranean basin.

Traditionally, in the MD, food was consumed according to seasonality, dictated by climate and agriculture. In the Mediterranean culture, eating doesn’t exclusively represent the consumption of calories for the physiological sustenance of energy; rather, the social dimension of eating has elevated meals to something more than a means of satisfying biological impulses: “We do not sit down at the table just to eat, but to eat together” (Plutarch). Man’s genetic profile hasn’t changed significantly over the last 10,000 years, while his lifestyle is now revolutionized.

Modern and industrialized populations are characterized by reduced energy expenditure and increased calorie consumption. Intake of fats in the form of trans and saturated fats has increased, while intake of fibre, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables (a source of vitamins and antioxidants), protein has decreased. In the United States, deaths from cancer and coronary heart diseases were been three times higher than in Crete, and this gap has only widened. The Lion Heart Study applied the Cretan diet to the French population and it showed cardioprotective and anti-cancer effects, proving that MD can be adapted for other populations.

Current trends of eating while watching television promote unhealthy and quick meals, and exclude social/family communication. Other factors that may contribute to the lifestyle promoted by the Mediterranean pattern include a calm psychosocial environment, a relaxed climate, as well as regular physical activity, including walking. Insufficient sleep and exercise have been linked to chronic diseases, like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. It’s difficult to establish a uniform MD; each Mediterranean country brings its own culture, history, and traditions to food and nutrition. Despite their diversity, Mediterranean regions share some common dietary habits, that remain a solid basis for the type of food consumed that is responsible for health benefits.

Keys’ research highlighted the three primary components of the MD: olive oil, wine, and bread. The classic MD is characterized by a high monounsaturated fat/saturated fat ratio, low total fat (<30%), low saturated fat (<10%), moderate alcohol intake (mainly wine), and high intake of vegetables, fruit, legumes, and cereals (complex carbohydrates and dietary fibre).

Birth
06/05/2021 The Mediterranean Diet is a dietary pattern inspired by the habits and customs of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, which has developed over the centuries under the influence of various civilizations. The origins of MD encompass the history of Western civilization. Influenced by religion, tradition, economics and politics, it is based on the biblical seven species - wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and date honey - whi...

Continue
What is it?
06/05/2021 The Mediterranean model of a healthy and sustainable diet, as already mentioned, encompasses many different aspects in addition to food: conviviality, sustainability, respect for the land and biodiversity, and tradition. This dietary pattern, based on variety and seasonality, favours the prevalent consumption of plant-based food and it is characterized by a high intake of fruit and vegetables, cereals (especially wholegrain cereals), legumes, ol...

Continue
Mediterranean Diet today
06/05/2021 In 2010, the FAO defined sustainable diets as “diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources”. It has been pointed out...

Continue
Development
06/05/2021 Over the years, interest in the Mediterranean Diet has increased, so much so that it was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 2010. Initially, the transnational candidature of Italy, Spain, Greece and Morocco was accepted, later extended to Cyprus, Croatia and Portugal in 2013. The main aim of this recognition was to safeguard traditional practic...

Continue