What is the Mediterranean Diet?
Human life has always been concerned with nutrition, and, despite being old, the common saying “we are what we eat”, from Brillat-Savarin (1826), is always current.
Food and health are strictly connected to each other and this could not be truer when talking about the Mediterranean diet. But what is the Mediterranean diet really? Many definitions have been given but according to Trichopoulou, former professor of medicine at the University of Athens and one of the prominent figures in this field, it is “the dietary pattern prevailing amongst people of the olive tree-growing areas of the Mediterranean basin before the mid-1960s” (2014).
Figure 1 – The Mediterranean Basin (depositphotos.com, 2020)
The Classification of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet involves about 18 countries, all on the Mediterranean basin (Noah A., 2001), that is why it is such a difficult task to identify what it actually is. The typical dishes of this diet may vary depending on the country, but all the traditional recipes have in common more or less the same eating habits. In this particular dietary pattern, we can find many vegetables, fruits and nuts, legumes, cereals, low meat and dairy products intake, moderate fish intake and a moderate alcohol consumption, especially wine (Trichopoulou, 2014). In figure 1 we can see the Mediterranean diet pyramid, that differs from others of the same kind because it is purely descriptive rather than prescriptive.
Figure 2 - The Mediterranean diet pyramid (Medical News Today, 2020)
It is interesting to notice that this eating pattern depends on many factors and the studies on the topic went beyond the geographical restrictions. A. Noah (2001) conducted a survey in Sydney, Australia, and he interviewed immigrants from Mediterranean countries, asking them about their eating habits, in order to find out more about what the Mediterranean diet is like. In conducting his research, he took into account many factors such as “culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status and the climate of the country”. What he found out is that you can not describe a single Mediterranean diet, since even people from the same region have different views on the matter, but it is possible to identify at least 4 groups of neighbouring countries with closer dietary patterns. In particular he classified all the 18 countries that he studied in a Western group, an Adriatic group, an Eastern group and a North African group.
The Mediterranean Diet Benefits
You may be familiar with Greek salad, Spanish paella and many other recipes but the Mediterranean diet is not only about food and delicious dishes. Many studies suggest that it is also good for the health. In particular, it seems to influence cardiovascular diseases, decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes, cognitive impairment, unipolar depression, metabolic syndrome and certain kinds of cancer (Martínez-González, 2014).
One of the prominent benefits of the Mediterranean diet is a low risk of coronary heart disease, and it is also the first ones that has been documented by A. Keys. Lower incidence of this disease has been observed in Mediterranean countries where the low intake of saturated lipids decreases the blood cholesterol, a crucial factor in heart diseases (Trichopoulou, 2014). This means that virgin olive oil, which is the main source of lipids in this diet, has a real impact on the body, since it has monosaturated fats.
More recent studies noticed a positive connection between the Mediterranean diet, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity, along with many other factors as environmental causes and genetic susceptibility, has been proven to be one of the causes for the development of type 2 diabetes. The Mediterranean diet could help in the prevention of this disease because it is notably linked to a healthy body, thanks to the high fibres’ intake, the low energy density of the food, the consumption of healthy fats and many other beneficial aspects of this kind of meals. A less predictable factor of this diet is a high feeling of satiation, good because it reduces the general food intake, which helps in keeping the weight under control (Schröder H., 2007).
The Mediterranean Diet Today
Despite all the benefits, recent studies on this topic pointed out that adherence to the Mediterranean diet among young people is decreasing. The good news is that family and school can be crucial in promoting and educating the youngest to this lifestyle (Bonaccorsi, 2020).
As the world changes, the dietary patterns change too and traditions risk to disappear slowly due to globalization and industrial food production (Saulle, La Torre, 2010). That is why, in 2010, UNESCO recognized the Mediterranean diet as Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Its aim is to protect and promote these “healthy eating habits” among young people and non-Mediterranean countries as Central and Northern Europe (ibid.).
Mediterranean diet is certainly good for personal health, but there may be further reasons for people to get interested in it. Being mainly plant-centred, this eating pattern promotes biodiversity and has a low environmental impact compared to other diets, as the Western one for example. Another reason to enjoy it concerns the sociocultural value of food: in Mediterranean areas there is a proper food culture that involves family meals, frugality, avoiding waste and quality. Lastly, it has a good impact on the local economies, allowing them to continue producing typical products throughout the ages (Dernini, Berry and others, 2017).
Conclusion
All things considered, the Mediterranean diet is disappearing and changing compared to when it was first studied in the 60s. Even though other eating habits may seem more appealing, people should not abandon this traditional diet in favour of an industrial culture, less diverse and with no benefits for the body. A diet of this value that has also so many enjoyable dishes should not be forgotten, because it is difficult to recreate.
Bibliography
Bonaccorsi G. et al., 2020. Adherence to Mediterranean Diet among Students from Primary and Middle School in the Province of Taranto, 2016–2018. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(15), p.5437.
Brillat-Savarin, J. A. (1826) The physiology of taste, or, Meditations on transcendental gastronomy. MFK Fisher, Trans.
Dernini, S., Berry, E., Serra-Majem, L., La Vecchia, C., Capone, R., Medina, F., . . . Trichopoulou, A. (2017). Med Diet 4.0: The Mediterranean diet with four sustainable benefits. Public Health Nutrition, 20(7), 1322-1330. Available at: Med Diet 4.0: the Mediterranean diet with four sustainable benefits | Public Health Nutrition | Cambridge Core
Noah, A. and Truswell, A.S. (2001), There are many Mediterranean diets. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10(1), 2-9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-6047.2001.00198.x
Saulle R., La Torre G. (2010) The Mediterranean Diet, recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of humanity. Italian Journal of Public Health, 7(4).
Schröder H. (2007) Protective mechanisms of the Mediterranean diet in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The Journal of Nutrition Biochemistry,18(3), 149-160. Available at: Protective mechanisms of the Mediterranean diet in obesity and type 2 diabetes - ScienceDirect
Trichopoulou, A., Martínez-González, M.A., Tong, T.Y. et al. (2014) Definitions and potential health benefits of the Mediterranean diet: views from experts around the world. BMC Med 12, 112. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-12-112
Table of figures
Figure 1 - depositphotos.com (2020) [image] Available at: Vettoriali stock Mediterranean, Illustrazioni Mediterranean royalty-free | Depositphotos® [accessed 30/11/2020]
Figure 2 – Medical News Today.com (2020) [image] Available at: Mediterranean diet: Facts, benefits, and tips (medicalnewstoday.com) [accessed 22/11/2020]