Chile is currently experiencing a progressive epidemiological transition towards chronic diseases. In this country, >50% of annual deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Moreover, health surveys have shown high prevalence of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and elevated cardiovascular disease risk. In addition, mental health issues are also frequent among Chilean adults. On the other hand, the agri-food system contributes to 21–37% of greenhouse gases emissions worldwide. Overall, current health and food chain situation calls out for design and implementation of evidence-based feasible and effective nutritional interventions needed to promote physical and mental health along with addressing food sustainability in Chile. Nowadays, the Mediterranean diet is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns based on observational and interventional studies linked to a wide variety of health outcomes. However, a Mediterranean lifestyle goes well beyond food intake: it includes promotion of psychosocial resources, community life as well as cultural traditions. Indeed, Mediterranean lifestyle is a true modus vivendi that integrally promotes physical, mental, and social well-being. In addition, the Mediterranean diet stands out for its environmental sustainability because it is characterized mainly as a plant-based dietary pattern with low carbon and water footprints. Remarkably, Central Chile has a Mediterranean-like setting with plant and animal food production and availability patterns comparable to those present in countries located around the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, this article reviews how promotion of Mediterranean lifestyle adherence in Chile offers great potential for management of the ongoing epidemiological transition to chronic diseases as well to promote psychological well-being within a unique food system and dietary sustainability vision for this Latin American country.

Food systems are one of the main contributors to climate change. Sustainable diets are one strategy to mitigate climate change. Assessments and estimations at a national level are lacking, especially in the Global South, probably due to a lack of national surveys of food consumption and a limited interest in sustainable diets information. The objective of this study is to estimate and describe the carbon and water footprint of the Chilean population’s diet in an overall estimation desegregated by region, age, sex, socioeconomic level and their main characterizations. This study is based on a secondary data analysis from the National Survey of Food Consumption made in 2010. The carbon and water footprint of the food subgroups/person/day were estimated. The results are compared by sex, age group, socioeconomic level, and macro zone. A carbon footprint of 4.67 kg CO2eq and a water footprint of 4177 L, both per person/day, were obtained. Animal-sourced foods, such as dairy and red meat, were responsible for 60.5% of the total carbon footprint and 52.6% of the water footprint. The highest values for both footprints were found in the following groups: men, adolescents, young adults, people with a higher socioeconomic level, and residents in the southern area of the country. The carbon footprint and water footprint values in Chile generated by food consumption would be above the world averages. Transforming the Chilean food system into a more sustainable one with changes in eating patterns is urgently required to attain this transformation.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed a large number of workers out of their offices and to their homes for a significant period of time for teleworking. However, some workers continued to work in their offices and others went home only partially. This arguably exogenous shock to the way in which workers performed their jobs opened the opportunity to evaluate whether work environments are ideal for promoting healthier diets and reducing overweight among office workers. We explore the results of two consecutive surveys (pre- and during-COVID-19) to examine whether workers working from home perceived their situation as more favorable in terms of healthy eating habits and weight gains. Our results show that workers did perceive their homes as places where they can follow healthier eating habits, but this was not accompanied by weight loss. On the contrary, workers fully teleworking were more likely to perceive weight gains and diet-related health problems than their in-office counterparts. Among teleworkers, those only partially teleworking were the most affected. This study opens many questions about food environments at work that remain unanswered. More studies in this area are needed to understand how the food at work affects the worker's health.