In the framework of World Food Day, which was celebrated on October 16, the Mediterranean Diet Foundation has reminded that the Mediterranean Diet is not only a food pattern but a lifestyle that combines ingredients from local agriculture, recipes and cooking methods of each place, shared meals, celebrations and traditions, which together with the practice of moderate physical exercise but daily favored by a benign climate form a model that modern science invites us to adopt for the benefit of our health.

 Among these foods, the use of virgin and extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat stands out. And there are many benefits of this product and its components. Thus, as was made clear at the III International Congress on Virgin Olive Oil, Olive Groves and Health, organised last year in Jaén by the scientist José Juan Gaforio and in which prestigious experts took part, virgin olive oils reduce blood pressure, have anti-sclerotic and anti-inflammatory effects, and help to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Their habitual consumption can also reduce the risk of developing some types of cancers and, in the environmental plane, it helps to take care of the planet in its process of obtaining.

 For the foundation, the importance of the Mediterranean Diet in the health of the individual is not limited to the fact that it is a balanced diet, varied and with an adequate contribution of macronutrients. To the benefits of its low content in saturated fatty acids and high content in monounsaturated, as well as in complex carbohydrates and fiber, we must add those derived from its richness in antioxidant substances.

 In addition, the foundation has recalled that the Mediterranean Diet has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the healthiest of diets, as the great backbone of all Spanish quality agrifood that can come to constitute an important differentiating value, as well as encourage consumption of the products that make it up.

 Every year, FAO celebrates World Food Day on 16 October to commemorate the founding of the organization in 1945. As part of this day, events are held in more than 150 countries around the world, making it one of the most celebrated days in the United Nations calendar. These events promote worldwide awareness and action for those suffering from hunger, and other forms of malnutrition, and the need to ensure food security, and healthy food for all.

Source: Mercacei