How is it that the diet that topped the world rankings again this year is not a real diet? We still have a lot to learn about the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet has been one of the favourites among the plethora of diets considered ideal for a number of years.
It also has a nice ring to it in Hungary, because after the failures of previous diet attempts, who wouldn't be revived by the thought of Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese cuisine? Even those who are not attracted to extreme diets are in sympathy with the Mediterranean diet, as it offers one of the most viable alternatives - with the promise of a healthy life and guaranteed good shape and ideal weight. Why is it misleading to refer to it as a diet?
For the sixth year in a row, the Mediterranean diet topped the U.S. News and World Report ‘Health’ category of the 2023 Diet Toplist.
A professional leaderboard
First of all, it should be noted that the U.S. News and World Report is not a random top list compiled by the staff of the magazine on a random basis. They report that they have dug deep into studies that have been published in medical journals, research that has been going on for decades, and government reports on health and the dietary and consumer habits of the population.
Then, a panel of renowned experts from across the US, including doctors, nutritionists and epidemiologists, were asked to respond to their 40-question survey. In this way, they developed a self-contained profile of the different diets, outlining their theory and practice, nutrient intake characteristics and more.
In the next round, 33 other experts, including nutrition, food psychology and chronic disease management experts, were asked to review the diet profiles before the final list was drawn up.
Champion of the Mediterranean diet for 6 years
The answer is simple: all modern research shows that populations in the Mediterranean have been eating “well” instinctively for thousands of years, following the principles of the Mediterranean diet since ancient times.
According to U.S. News and World Report, „years of research and findings suggest that eating primarily plant-based foods, i.e. vegetables and fruits. We also eat whole grains, pulses, oilseeds, seafood and lean poultry meat, marine fish and the extra virgin olive oil from unsaturated fats.”
But let's not lose sight of the fact that the Mediterranean „diet” is not just a diet, but a way of life for millions of people around the world.
Not so Mediterranean?
It's easy to see that the point is not to try to source delicacies grown in Italy or Spain specifically from far-flung parts of the world - after all, there is no Mediterranean diet without Mediterranean ingredients. In fact, this is actually a minor misunderstanding of the Mediterranean diet.
„Today, many people from different cultures around the world have adopted this way of eating,” U.S. News and World Report continued. „They simply use a different kind of vegetables, seafood and spices,” the editorial suggested, pointing to the need to focus on locally grown and locally available foods.
„In the end, it's all about eating lots of fresh, nutrient-rich foods on a regular basis. The Mediterranean diet focuses on quality rather than on a single nutrient or food group,” U.S. News and World Report said. This may bring to mind the Hungarian Responsible Foodies campaign, who launched a campaign on the incredibly popular superfoods around the world a few years ago.
Their message was that instead of transporting food from thousands of kilometres with a huge carbon footprint - like chia seeds, quinoa or goji berries - it is time to rediscover home-grown treasures.
These include flaxseeds, which also have excellent nutritional values, quinoa, gluten-free buckwheat, millet or rosehips, which are also a vitamin C bomb like goji.
So one lesson is that we should learn the philosophy, the basics. This is the basis on which we should build our own local and national cuisines, instead of eating poor quality processed foods and junk foods in a healthy way.
And what must not be forgotten is that the Mediterranean lifestyle is also a way of life. Further south of us, it is customary not to eat without a sense of remorse. Meals are a source of cohesion for families and society as a whole, which is perhaps more important than anything else today. And sitting down to the table is a daily sacrament that Mediterranean peoples strive to offer themselves, even in the most difficult circumstances.
