Mediterranean Diet
The term “diet” means the organisation of meals and foods taken throughout the day: in a nutshell is eating habits. Following a diet means having as reference a precise model for food that allows to maximise the benefits offered by food in terms of physical form and health.
All the peoples of the world are characterized by a food culture deeply linked to geographical and climate context, on this basis then overlap the socio-economic, religious traditions and so forth.
The Mediterranean Diet is the food model that has marked Italy, nutrition based on natural foods, rich in grains and legumes, vegetables and fresh fruit, with little meat and preferably white or blue-fish, limited presence of fat, thanks of the large use of extra-virgin olive oil. The wine is also absolute protagonist in the Mediterranean Diet.
This particular diet has its origin in the eating habits of the peasants, with a range of different typologies as regards the preparation and cooking of foods that are able to provide the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and vitamins, also characterized for the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber. The wide availability of products also allows the possibility of make an infinite variety of matchs, with a combination of tastes and flavours able to meet every requirement.
The elements of the Mediterranean Diet are widely present on the tables of the Italians, although today there are some substantial differences compared to the time of our grandparents: first, ithe increase of the availability of meat has changed the daily protein intake and introduced a greater amount of saturated fats, secondly (with the complicity of publicity rather harmful) are likely to impose unbalanced food models in which the genuineness gives way to the gluttony and the priority is given to food with a strong presence of chemical additives, finally must be considered that one of the aspects basic in Mediterranean Diet is linked to physical activities: in the world of peasants this was pretty intense, lifestyle today instead tends to be much more sedentary, with consequent negative effects not only on the physical form but also on health.
Other aspects to consider are the progressive increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and increased imports of food whose provenance does not offer sufficient guarantees of safety. These factors are likely to undermine even one of the main features of Italian food: that is being a healthy product. In this however is possible to remedy giving always much attention to labels but especially addressing preferably to the products of organic farming or in possession of certificates of origin. Perhaps the worry is to spend more … but in fact you spend better and earn healthy.
