The cultural model of the Mediterranean Diet (DM), recognized in festivities and celebrations related to food, was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Therefore, the DM is recognized as a cultural heritage that should be appreciated and protected, given its fragility and continued erosion in current Mediterranean societies.
The preservation of the DM requires multisectoral and transnational active support from citizens and especially from the cultural, health and agricultural sectors to guarantee the conservation of cultural wealth and biodiversity, the protection of fertility and the regenerative capacity of the earth, and the health and well-being of people and communities. In addition to this consensus, we need to be ambitious and recognize the sectors and areas in which we can intervene and make a difference. This is our contribution to a fundamental discussion:
1) Diet that defines a way of life, with origins in the term “daiata” from ancient Greece. In the Mediterranean it has been an important route of communication and commerce in the history of humanity, a lifestyle that has continually evolved, expanded and adapted over the last 8,000 years. Some of the main characteristics of the DM are, therefore, the capacity for adaptation and diversity; the capacity to adapt to the climate, new plants, new knowledge and influences between cultures. Preserving DM means preserving cultural and biological diversity.
2) There are regional variants of DM, due to microclimatic, cultural, religious and sanitary conditions. In all these aspects a delicate and extensive culinary knowledge coexists, recognizing the importance of food, of cooking and of coexistence when we sit around a table to share food. The time at the table is not wasted time. The preservation of DM is the preservation of time for families to produce, buy, cook and eat together.
3) The DM has a significant relationship with astronomical and agricultural cycles. The DM adapts to the climate. It is, above all, seasonal, changing with the stations to provide fresh local products. The preservation of the DM includes the preservation of the capacity to produce food near where we live, and to purchase it fairly from nearby producers. Preserving the DM is protecting local producers and strengthening regional and local economies.
4) The DM is recognized as a health promoter, due to its ingredients (eg olive oil, cereals, vegetables, fruit…) and its preparation, but above all for its frugality. Frugality implies eating according to each person's energy needs, giving more importance to quality than to youth. This can help prevent non-communicable diseases, such as obesity or diabetes. Preserving DM means valuing the quality of food, more than excessive consumption.
5) The DM includes small amounts of meat and fish, but is based on foods of plant origin. The DM in Portugal is characterized by the largest quantities of fish, soups, and meat dishes. The preservation of DM implies recognizing the importance of these flavors and knowledge since school days, where the Mediterranean way of eating and cooking must form part of everyday life and learning.
6) The DM, historically, has always nourished numerous families and communities, both in towns and cities, being recognized and practiced by all social strata. The DM is not a gourmet diet, man, only within the reach of a few privileged people. The preservation of the DM includes ensuring that everyone has access to it, regardless of their economic situation.
7) The DM, which is adaptive, encompasses corn, potatoes and tomatoes in the XVI and XVII periods, as well as cold storage in the XX century, which allows the amount of salt to be reduced. In the twentieth and twenty-first century the greatest implication of men in the purchase and preparation of food has been assumed, which had been a role traditionally linked to women in Mediterranean societies. Preserving the MD is recognizing the work of women as custodians of the healthy family diet, the heritage and transmission of knowledge and recipes since the past, but also the participation of men in domestic tasks, for example in the preparation of food.
8) The DM has a great impact on the health of people, and this aspect is currently very appreciated by society. Furthermore, available scientific information, which relates DM to health benefits, supports the creation of coherent lines that facilitate intervention and evaluation of its impact. The preservation of the DM requires the implication and capacity of the health sector, society and the citizenry.
9) The climate change, with the increase in temperatures, the reduction in rainfall, demographic changes and desertification, will put water access, food production and human relations under great pressure. The DM is recognized as a consumption model that protects the environment. Through food consumption that is more environmentally friendly, we can make a difference on the planet. The preservation of the DM incorporates a way of preserving the planet, in which the environmental sector plays a key role.
10) The MD results from the balanced interaction between humans and nature, it has socially and culturally shaped all Mediterranean societies (eg Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East), as well as having influenced other regions. The preservation of DM is the preservation of popular and food culture in Mediterranean societies, and where the cultural sector plays a central role.
Note: Translated into Spanish by Napoleón Pérez-Farinós, MD PhD MPH, Universidad de Málaga, España and Julia Wärnberg, Nutritionist PhD, Universidad de Málaga, España.
Written by
Pedro Graça, Director of the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Porto
