Mediterraneans Adopting American Diet

At the same time Americans have been embracing the Mediterranean diet the Mediterraneans have been embracing the American diet. Their income is rising and so is their consumption of meat and saturated fats. In the past the Mediterraneans considered meat more of a side dish than an entree.

Since 1962 the calorie intake of Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cypress and Malta has increased by 30%. Due to higher calorie intake and lower calorie output three-forths of the Greek population is overweight or obese. More than half the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese popualtion are overweight.

Quote from Tufts “The dietary decline has led Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco to ask UNESCO to designate the Mediterrian diet as an intangible piece of cultural herritage in need of preservation”.   

Category: Nutrition