Mediterranean diet, 10 years of Unesco heritage. Valter Longo: “Over the years it has changed, it must be corrected”

Legumes, mainly whole grains, nuts. And then vegetables in quantities, preferably seasonal, fish, extra virgin olive oil. Red meat? On the list of foods to consume in extreme moderation, along with dairy products.
Have passed ten years, exactly today, since the Mediterranean diet was included in the list of Unesco intangible cultural heritage. The reasons, as expressed in a document of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention, lie in those knowledge, traditional practices and skills that have been passed from generation to generation and that, over time, have provided communities that overlook the Our sea A sense of membership and continuity. How to say it: the Mediterranean is much more than a list of foods. , if anything, one Lifestyle within which the act of eating together is the basis of a cultural identity composed of creativity, dialogue, hospitality. But also respect for the territory and biodiversity. And to earn our health.

I study

This is no longer the case: today Valter Longo, biochemist, program director sounds the alarm Longevit and cancer at Ifom in Milan, as well as among the world’s leading experts in the field of studies on aging and related diseases, with publications in some of the most authoritative international scientific journals, including Nature, Science and Cell (read also Franco Berrino and Valter Longo, the 16 definitive rules to lose weight and live longer) -. And the high rate of obesity, which in the long run compromises the proper functioning of the heart, is proof of this. The figures speak for themselves: 42 percent of Italian boys and 38 percent of girls of preschool and school age have extra kilos. 21 percent of one and 14 percent of the other are obese (read also Italian children are the most obese in Europe). These percentages are surprisingly very similar to those in the United States, where 35 percent of children are overweight and 26 percent are obese. The worst thing is that, in Italy, more than 60 percent of parents do not recognize excess weight in their children, thus underestimating the eating errors and sedentary lifestyle that underlie it. All this despite the Mediterranean diet (read also the 10 essential foods that are good for health). In fact, I would like to say precisely because of the Mediterranean diet that has been misunderstood over time.

Although it is quite recent, the denomination of Mediterranean diet has its roots on time. The term, coined in the mid-1970s by two American scientists, Ancel and Margaret Keys, is derived from their study. In 1962 the couple arrived in Italy, a Police, in the province of Salerno, to try to understand why the inhabitants of the place have fewer cardiovascular diseases than the rest of the population. The answer to the question that the Keys find inpower of place that they begin to promote as a lifestyle to adopt to improve.

What change teacher?
I emphasize one evidence: over time the Mediterranean diet has suffered “personalizations and excesses”, and now we are paying the consequences of unbalanced menus, despite the healthiness of the foods taken individually. Junk food is shouted a lot, but Italian kids don’t overindulge on snacks, drinks and snacks as you might think. On average, a child drinks a can of cola a week, if that’s okay. The truth other. Italian children eat too much bread, pasta, pizza, potatoes and protein. The equivalent, every day, of ten tablespoons of sugar. I give you a concrete example: at home or abroad (although it is not exactly the time) we are used to accompanying our dishes with bread, it does not matter if the pasta is served at the table, however, in quantity. And at the end of the meal we go out with fruit because we are convinced that it does everything right. Actually one deleterious combinationIt’s certainly not the kind of Mediterranean diet that lengthens life.

What are the most common variations in the diet of Italians today?
Above all, an excess of protein: I am thinking of the beloved rag pasta perhaps combined with sausages and legumes. A classic. Then the abundance of red meat. In some areas of Italy, 13 out of 20 work meals per month are based on meat in general, 10 on red meat. Cereals? It is still little consumed, like legumes. Whereas vegetables tend to always be the same. He is aware of the immense variety of the Mediterranean diet (read also the 6 Unesco heritage sites linked to food). We’d have to indulge ourselves and instead … so forget it sandwiches and drinks: they are the real problem of only a small percentage of the Italian population. Let’s focus on ours in case habits on the table that, compared to the 1960s and earlier, are radically change, also thanks to the abundance. We reduce the meat and cheese. As well as the portions of pasta, bread, rice and potatoes. Which, when taken in quantity, have effects similar to those of junk food.

Professor, what rules should we go back to then?
At the table for children and adults, but with special attention to the little ones – health and longevity are built and preserved from childhood – it should never be missing balanced mix of proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, fibers and water. Amounts In the absence of overweight and obesity, how much do you feel. I am of the opinion that we can and should eat even more, as long as what I call the longevity diet (read also Valter Longo: the 10 anti-aging dishes). And, for example, the pasta is “Calabrian vaianeia” with 70 grams of pasta and 400 grams of legumes and vegetables. Then eat within 12 hours a day and go on a 5-day vegan fast that mimics the diet 2-3 times a year. The Mediterranean diet offers a great variety of vegetables, different from season to season. Diversifying, if only based on taste, is simple.

How many meals a day?
I suggest 2 plus a snack for overweight and 3 sure between breakfast, lunch and dinner with a mid-morning or afternoon snack for people with normal weight.

An example of a daily menu?
Let’s start with the first one. On the table, every day, a plate of cereals, better if it is whole, to consume at lunch or dinner. As you prefer. Alternatively: pasta, mostly whole grains, rice, polenta, potatoes … No more than 80 g because in combination we will always have a portion of vegetables: raw, cooked, in leaf. The latter are excellent for counteracting the feeling of hunger. For the second protein, or at lunch or dinner, but the total protein should stay around 0.8 grams per kilogram that’s about 55 grams. Or half a kilo of legumes for a person weighing 70 kilos. So go ahead with the vegetables every day. the fish consume only 2 or 3 times a week. Meat white or red, cheeses and cold meats are best eaten rarely: if you really want to, only once a week in small quantities, at least until 65-70 years. After that, it can be increased to 2-3 times a week. All flavored with extra virgin olive oil and accompanied, if desired, by a bite of whole wheat bread. As a snack, fast in the morning or afternoon, from fruit fresh or dry season, also in bars, or whole wheat bread and jam without added sugar, but also from dark chocolate or cocoa and almond cream.

In the end, the revised Mediterranean diet is still a worthwhile asset …
Only if you follow it like our grandparents did. They ate little pasta, and little seasoned, with green beans and less bread. And then minestrone gogo, with the poor products of the land, because there was no money for anything else. And then yes, it’s worth it. Even more if it is linked to a physical activity constant (Also read the 15 foods that you absolutely must avoid before training), as far as possible locked away. At the moment, only 10% of Italian families really follow him. There is a huge room for improvement. Without a change of course, Italy will inevitably be a sick country. Seriously ill. Also for Covid, it was the obese, people with aging pathologies and the elderly who were by far the most sensitive.