The Mediterranean Diet: Socio-cultural Relevance for Contemporary Health Promotion

Abstract

Abstract:In biomedical literature, The Mediterranean Diet describes a healthy eating model, based on epidemiological findings on the predominant eating practices in Crete and Southern Italy in the 1960s. At the time, the level of life expectancy in this region was amongst the highest worldwide and rates of cardiovascular disease were amongst the lowest. Medical research has since given increasing attention to this dietary pattern and its potential health benefits. The various components of The Mediterranean Diet are fast becoming a paradigm for healthier lifestyles as well as potential model for weight loss. In 2010 UNESCO recognised The Mediterranean Diet as an intangible cultural heritage of Italy, Spain, Greece and Morocco and the diet has moved away from a uniquely biomedical model to a cultural representation. This has led to increased recognition of the importance of social and cultural context in the dietary model, particularly the idea of conviviality, the pleasure of shared meals. It has also brought to light the debate over the cultural legitimacy of The Mediterranean Diet and its ability to represent the cultural diversity of the region. This literature review consolidates interdisciplinary perspectives on the cultural context of the Mediterranean Diet. A literature search was conducted using both biomedical and social science databases to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the article. This review explores the relevance of the dietary model as global public health tool as well as examining the role of pleasurable eating in health promotion.

Meat Consumption and Vegaphobia: An Exploration of the Characteristics of Meat Eaters, Vegaphobes, and Their Social Environment

“…Stated differently, heterophily in social networks may be crucial to changing meat consumption habits. As has suggested, focusing on socio-cultural aspects of food and eating may be an avenue worthy of further investigation for dietary interventions [9]. The results of this study further support this idea.…”

“…It is also important to know the demographics of convinced meat eaters to target specific groups in health promotion initiatives [5]. Furthermore, this also enables us to explore some pathways that could be used in future interventions aimed at encouraging meat-reduced diets, as it has been suggested that a focus on the social environment of food consumption may be more successful as compared to a focus on diet and health directly [9].…”

“…Instead, taking a sociological (rather than a moral-psychological) stance, we assumed that people and their eating patterns can vary according to their social positions and sociocultural milieu. This shift in focus is important given the advice that dietary changes are hard, if not impossible, to achieve when focusing on knowledge and attitudes, whereas a focus on the social aspects of food and eating gives better results [9]. It is therefore timely and necessary to get a better understanding not just of the individual mental processes related to meat consumption, but also to the broader sociological context wherein food, and, in this case, meat, is consumed.…”

“…Changing to a meatless or meat-reduced diet may also trigger health concerns in avid meat eaters [5]. It has been suggested that rather than focusing on diet and health, a focus on the social environment of food consumption is a better avenue by which to endorse dietary changes [9]. Therefore, this study also aimed to identify the social-environmental factors that are associated with meat eating.…”

An Exploratory Model of Psychosocial Factors and Healthy Habits in University Students of Physical Education Depending on Gender

“…This could be explained by the greater association found in this sex for the ego-oriented motivational climate, which would imply a greater care of the diet for the improvement of the physical fitness for competition and physical attractiveness [36,61]. In addition, MD was inversely associated with tobacco consumption in men, which could demonstrate that to follow an appropriate diet could help to prevent the consumption of this substance, as shown by Phull et al [62]. In this line, adherence to MD was positively related to self-concept, especially in women.…”