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