The is, since November 13, 2010 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It was declared by Unesco during the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee held in Nairobi (Kenya).
The candidacy was presented jointly by Spain, Greece, Italy and Morocco, with the aim of preserving a cultural and gastronomic legacy of food that has proven to be one of the most complete, balanced and healthy that exist.
However, everything points to the fact that, as is the case in other neighboring countries, Spain is moving away from Mediterranean cuisine, with all that it entails for health.
And this World Mediterranean Diet Day, which we celebrate today, is a good time to issue an alert so that we do not lose one iota of the ground that we have conquered for our health
The experts of the indicate to this newspaper that this diet “provides us with numerous beneficial nutrients for health such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat as well as minerals and vitamins.” And that is why it is associated with numerous health benefits.
A dietary pattern that is mainly based on:
Plant-based foods like:
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Vegetables
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Fruit
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Cereals
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Whole grains
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Legumes
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Nuts
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Olive oil, among others
Foods of animal origin such as
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Fish
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Eggs
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lean meats
In this World Mediterranean Diet Daywhich is celebrated every November 13, we wonder what the scientifically proven benefits of this food model are and what the change we are experiencing means for the health of the population: that more and more ultra-processed products, loaded with sugar, are opted for , refined flours and additives that artificially stimulate appetite.
The pros of the Mediterranean diet
It is one of the most studied diets due to its association with cardiovascular health and mortality in general. The advantages of a diet based on the Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by being very varied, are almost innumerable. And this is proven by rigorous scientific studies.
One of the most recent investigations, carried out by (Neuromed) and in which more than 5,000 people have been analyzed, shows that this diet should be the option chosen by those over 65, since it contributes to a .
He doctor pablo suarez He explains that although there are many types of diet, the only one that really has evidence of being “healthy, reducing disease and death from cardiovascular pathologies” is the Mediterranean diet.
And cites the study (Prevention with Mediterranean Diet). A multicenter trial, the most important carried out to date, which was carried out in several centers in our country with almost 8,000 participants.
The volunteers were randomly assigned three diets:
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Supplemented with extra virgin olive oil,
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with nuts
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Low fat.
And the results, highlights the specialist, make it “the only one that has proven to be the best for our health”.
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“Researchers have seen that those who follow a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes (the most frequent in Spain), high blood pressure, cognitive impairment and even some type of cancer, such as breast cancer.”
For this reason, abandoning this lifestyle can mean a greater probability of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of death in Spain, ahead of cancer or respiratory diseases.
Mediterranean diet, recipe to combat obesity?
The latest report indicates that Mediterranean countries “have gone from having one of the healthiest diets in the world to one where sweets, fast food and sugary drinks have displaced fruit, vegetables, olive oil and fish”.
And this may be one of the reasons that explain why 53% of Spaniards are overweight (36% overweight and 17% obesity).
But if we talk about children, 12% are overweight and 14% obese.
These data confirm that the rates of preobesity (overweight) and obesity continue to be alarming in our country and now affect more than half of the population.
But, can the Mediterranean diet reduce these worrisome numbers, which are constantly growing?
He doctor suarezalso a member of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), specifies that, despite everything, this diet model is not a panacea, since it must be accompanied by physical exercise (between 150 and 300 minutes a week, as recommended by the WHO), because it is not a “specific regimen to lose weight.”
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“There is no doubt that the Mediterranean diet is healthy, but there are foods such as extra virgin olive oil or nuts that are very caloric. To fight obesity you have to follow this eating pattern, but controlled in calories”.
And it is that, as he points out, “it is a lifestyle, to which we must also add, in addition to physical activity, abstinence from alcoholic beverages and tobacco. If you really do physical exercise and control the calories you eat following this diet, you lose weight.
“Just because food is healthy doesn’t mean it makes you lose weight”
The FEN also agrees on this, stressing that this dietary pattern, unlike other fad diets, has a holistic and comprehensive approach. “It is not a strict regime where it is necessary to measure the amounts of each portion. In addition to diet, there are other important factors that are equally necessary to end the obesity epidemic.
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