Glossary of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a substantial food model, which maintains good health and improves quality of life; it also plays a role in the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases. "The Mediterranean diet mainly consists of plant-based foods: there are different types of pasta, in season vegetables, dressed with olive oil, often some cheese, all completed with fruit and a moderate consumption of wine" (Ancel Keys, 1995).

The guidelines for a healthy and correct Italian diet (revision of 2003), which have the task of directing individuals toward a nutritional goal, suggest that the consumption of fruit and vegetables guarantees an intake of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Simultaneously helping to reduce the energetic density of the diet by the high percentage of water and the satiating action of dietary fiber. There is a wide choice of fruit and vegetables available in every season, and it is favorable that they are always present in abundance at the table, starting from breakfast to snacks outside of regular meals. The eating habits of the Mediterranean people have become progressively enriched with foods high in protein, saturated fat and sugars, exceeding the necessary supply of nutrients.

In order to guide people toward healthier eating habits, the Ministry of Health has appointed a group of experts the task of developing a dietary model as a point of reference coherent with today’s lifestyle and with the Italian food traditions. The weekly Italian lifestyle pyramid was created based on the definition of Quantity Wellness (QW), referring to both food and physical activity. From this model the daily food pyramid was composed, indicating the portions that should be consumed from each food group, so that our food intake is varied and balanced. Therefore, the QW of food and movement, if properly adapted to the needs of the individual, can lead to a balance between food intake and energy output; preventing weight issues such as obesity that predisposes the body to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

Categories (28)

Environment (3)

Nutrition (12)

Culture (13)

Mercato

Historically, markets (emporio, agora, forum, bazaar, souk) are the place in which the life of Mediterranean communities unfolded.

Often situated in the main square, the market was the place where one bought food, but also where people spoke about foods and recipes, discussed politics, religion and current affairs. It was, in short, the cornerstone of social and cultural relations. Even today, markets are a custom, a way of finding harmony with nature, with its life cycle and seasonality, thanks to the local produce that fill the market stalls. Furthermore, the underlying foundation of market life is a daily participation, where a personal relationship of trust is established between buyers and sellers. All within the framework of a strong symbolic role and ancient tradition that has led to the present day examples of architecture and aesthetic compositions, no lesser than works of art.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the principal source of fats in the Mediterranean diet, in addition to adding flavour to dishes; it is also packed with great health benefits.

The variation, “extra virgin” olive oil, presents an optimal relationship between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, consisting mainly of a fat particle that consists of oleic acid, its easily digested, moderates gastric acid, stimulates the secretion of the pancreas and favors the absorption of calcium and bone development. Rich in polyphenols, olive oil is an antioxidant and can prevent cardiovascular diseases, some tumors and arteriosclerosis.

Intangible Cultural Heritage

“Intangible Cultural Heritage” refers to the customs, representations, expressions, awareness, and know-how that communities, groups and in some cases individuals recognize as their cultural heritage.

This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, which gives them a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. The “Intangible Cultural Heritage” appears in traditions and oral expressions, including language; in the performing arts; in social customs, ceremonial events and festivals, in ideas and practices in relation to nature and the universe; in traditional craftsmanship.

The "intangible cultural heritage" is manifested, among other, oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the heritage ...

Fish

Fish has always been an important source of sustenance and nourishment amongst the communities of the Mare Nostrum. Due to its health benefits, fish is preferred over meat in the Mediterranean diet.

Fish, in particular fatty fish, is in fact an excellent source of protein, vitamin D, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, which protect the cardiovascular system, reducing the risk of chronic diseases hypertension, atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

Food Pyramid

The food pyramid is a diagram with which dieticians, nutritionists and doctors have graphically represented the Mediterranean diet.

Foods that should be consumed with every meal are found at the base of the pyramid, as they guarantee a balanced diet. These include cereals, fruit and vegetables, accompanied by an important consumption of water and olive oil as a dressing. Moving up the pyramid we find food groups that should be consumed daily, in moderation, such as yogurt and cheeses, spices, aromatic herbs, garlic and onion, together with a glass of wine. The next step in the food pyramid includes food groups that should be consumed on a weekly basis, white and red meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. Finally, the top of the food pyramid includes desserts that should be kept for special occasions and eaten in small quantities.

Recipes

Recipes can be considered as a cultural element that unites agricultural traditions and culinary art.

After centuries of being exclusively transmitted orally from one generation to the next, these recipes, recorded in written format only in the last number of decades, are beyond a simple combination of ingredients. Thanks to these recipes, raw materials are transformed into complex dishes. The Mediterranean diet makes this transformation possible, with its social and cultural heritage of skills, gestures and traditions.

festivals

Moments of great conviviality, expressions of the close bond between man and nature, events of "rich and constructive sociality" and "experiences of common life" that unite different cultures, facilitate social peace, the rediscovery of common roots, the enhancement of ancient traditions of the peoples of the Mediterranean. The festivals, as well as the Spanish romerías, the Greek panigirias and the Moroccan mussems, represent a fundamental component of the culture of the Mediterranean Diet. During these popular festivals, generally linked to ...

Safeguard

The term “Safeguard” refers to the measures toward guaranteeing the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage, including identification, documentation, research, preservation, protection, promotion, recognition, transmission, particularly through formal and informal education, as well as by reintroducing various aspects of such a cultural heritage.

Sustainability

According to the definition by FAO, food models that have a low environmental impact, contribute to the security of food, and promote a healthy lifestyle for the current and future generations are sustainable.

A sustainable diet respects biodiversity and ecosystems, is culturally acceptable and accessible, economically sustainable, nutritionally adequate and contributes to optimizing natural and human resources. In other words, a sustainable diet must not have long-term negative effects on health, the environment, society and the economy. These are all characteristics that the Mediterranean Diet possesses, having been repeatedly recognized as one of the most sustainable food models.

Transmission

One of the founding elements of the Mediterranean diet is its transmission from generation to generation.

Ever since antiquity the techniques of cultivating produce from the land and the art of preparing recipes, have been handed down orally, together with a heritage of rich social and cultural values. Skills, techniques, gestures, expressions, uses and traditions are transmitted every day from the elderly to the new generations, both during the activities of cultivation, fishing and craftsmanship, as at the moment of sharing the ritual meal, symbolic of the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Triad

Olive trees, wheat and grapevines.

These are the “Mediterranean trio”, the combination of the three most widespread cultivations in southern Europe for centuries (due to the mainly hilly and mountainous land and the dry warm climate, which provides the right elements for cultivating plants that need little water), in which fruits make up the foundations of the foods of historic communities of the Mare Nostrum. Oil, wheat and wine were already known of in the Fertile Crescent, and then progressively spread in the entire Mediterranean basin, becoming the basis of the food habits of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, and continuing to hold a fundamental role in the Mediterranean diet even today.

Cultural Value

On November 16, 2010, the Mediterranean diet was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In addition to possessing beneficial nutritional elements for the human body, and therefore being considered for its dietary aspect, UNESCO also recognized the Mediterranean diet as a cultural element, a set of social, traditional and agricultural practices, as a lifestyle. The Mediterranean diet favors the intergenerational transmission of know-how and skills related to wine and food and more, and promotes intercultural dialogue between populations of the Mare Nostrum, all the while reinforcing their identity.

Wine

Wine is stupendously appropriate for mankind provided that, in health as in illness, it is distributed accordingly and in the right quantity”.

As early as the 4TH century B.C., Hippocrates, the father of medicine, prescribed wine for curing wounds, as a nutritional beverage, to reduce fever, as a laxative and as a diuretic. Wine is considered a beverage par excellence amongst the people of the Mediterranean basin, it has also been recognized by science for its health benefits. Antioxidant substances such as resveratrol and quercetin protect proteins, fats and nucleic acid from free radicals. Furthermore, a glass of red wine can contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, to improve the lipid framework, hemostatic balance, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.

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