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essay of the mediterranean diet
essay of the mediterranean diet
essay of the mediterranean diet
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Mediterranean diet has been known to be the healthiest diet in world for the past years. Medical doctors and nutritionist recommend Mediterranean diets to their patients. This perception and attitude has led to the devaluation of other regional foods which upon further investigation may be if not more, equally healthy like the Mediterranean diet. An example of such situation is my regional diet- the Ghanaian diet. This article is therefore to prove that my regional diet is equally nutritious, accessible and even more economical than the Mediterranean diet using Greece as my target in the Mediterranean region. I will begin this article with a brief history of the whole idea of Mediterranean diet. Then proceed to do my analysis on both diets on the basis of nutritional value, accessibility and affordability or economics.
The term Mediterranean diet refers to dietary patterns found in olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean region. (Antonia Trichopoulou and Pagona Lagion, 2009). Mediterranean diet is based on food patterns typical of Crete, much of the rest of Greece, and southern Italy in the early 1960s, where adult life expectancy were among the highest in the world and rates of coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and other diet-related chronic diseases were among the lowest in the world. (W. C. Willet, 1995). Over 60 years ago scientist began studying the healthiest modern population. A nutritionist named Ansel Keys noted that men who lived in the mountains of Crete and ate a traditional Cretan diet had low rates of heart disease and cancer and lived to a very old age. So he designed a 15-year, seven-nation study to investigate how different regional diets affected disease rates and mortality. He looked at Greece (Crete), ...
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...ieved from Natural products insider website: http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com. Nov. 9, 2013.
Sekyi, K. A. (2012, January 1). Ghanaian eating habits: time for reform consolidation or globalisation. Retrieved from Ghana web: http://www.ghanaweb.com. Nov. 7, 2013.
Shirley, T. R. (2009). Greece. Retrieved from Kidcyber: http://www.kidcyber.com. Nov.5, 2010.
Tallmadge, K. (2013 , July 6). Is your olive oil as healthy as you think? Retrieved from livesciece web site: htpp://www.livescience.com. Nov. 2,2013.
W. C. Willet, P. S.-L. (1995, June). Mediterranean diet pyramid: a cultural model for healthy eating. Retrieved from The American Journal of clinical nutrion: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/61/6/1402S.short. Nov.4, 2013.
Wilson, L. (2013, April). Mediterranean diet and modifications. Retrieved from htpp://www.drlwilson.com/articles/mediterranean. Oct.29, 2013.
Wallach, Jennifer Jensen; Wallach, Jennifer Jensen (2012-11-21). How America Eats: A Social History of U.S. Food and Culture (American Ways Series) (Kindle Locations 755-756). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Kindle Edition.
For some time, scholars and writers have continuously debated as to what constitutes or defines the idea of healthy eating, mainly because of the increase in the number of people diagnosed with ailments associated with bad eating habits. It has quickly become the forefront of issue, particularly in the United States. In recognition of this on-going debate, this composition seeks to compare and contrast two well-known authors concerning how we think about and consume food. In Michael Pollan’s discussion, “Escape from the Western Diet,” he discusses the negative sides of nutrition science, including conflicting theories surrounding the elements of healthy food consumption and why solutions are essential for the Western diet and lifestyle. “Escape from the Western Diet,’’ is among the articles that talks about the eating habits of individuals in the society. In the article, Pollan points out not only the numerous conflicts concerning what types of diets – including carbohydrate-based, the inclusion of omega-3s, other nutrition-specific needs - that are believed to directly affect general health or specific illnesses, but also how western nutritionism compares to other countries diets affect longevity outcomes. In the end, Pollan suggests that the United States must seek solutions that move towards more natural, unprocessed, plant-based lifestyles that ensure that individuals are making what they consume a primary
As the Western world experiences increasing occurrences of certain diseases, society is focusing not only on finding the source of this phenomena but also on finding a solution to the problem. In his essay “Escape from the Western Diet”, Michael Pollan places the blame on the Western diet, arguing that people need only to change their eating habits in order to prevent many chronic diseases. While the author makes a compelling argument, his usage of logical fallacies, his questionable credibility, and his apparent bias weaken his point; nonetheless, I agree with his overall surmise that the western diet should be improved.
Some of the dietary data from the parts of the Mediterranean has given many different nutritionists and scientists the best possible data about what foods people should be eating and what foods they should try to avoid in general. The healthfulness of this particular eating pattern isn’t just something new like some of the newer diet fads that are around. In fact, this particular method is proven by more than 50 years of research as well as hundreds of years of civilization research focusing in on medical documents. The basics of the Mediterranean Diet plan include the following rules and regulations on your
Western diet causes many diseases; increases people’s medical need for supplements and vitamins. However one writer disagrees with him and suggests “Eat foods that are less processed” (Denis Burkitt) which is easy to say but hard to apply on. Future more Pollen’s purpose of writing this article was to show how bad the effects of eating Western dieting can be, and to introduce a way to escape and in order to create a healthier country. Pollan also mentions the fact that livestock is being raised on a Western diet too, which means they are raised genetically too which means nothing is healthy like it used to be. In order to strengthen his statement he shows the percent of income spent on food in countries where the diseases percent is smaller to prove indeed “Western diet” is unhealthy, this matters a lot because currently most of the people living in this country are suffering from chronic diseases caused by wrong diet. Michael
It seems to provide numerous benefits, the main being cardioprotective health. Another reason why I am inclined to incorporate the Mediterranean Diet into my own is because I have a high cholesterol problem that is hereditary. While I may eat a relatively healthy diet and exercise 3-5 times a week, my cholesterol level is still high. I hope that maybe with this diet, it will help to reduce my lipid panel numbers on my next physical examination. Incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables as well as unrefined grains I believe will provide numerous health benefits. I would like to learn more about the different types of unrefined grains that is used, and how to cook them. Coming from an Asian family background, my main staples for grains were rice and noodles. I think that it will beneficial for me to expand my knowledge regarding adapting the beneficial components of the Mediterranean Diet and learning how to cook certain recipes so that I can obtain better overall health
Eating is extremely important, it is also important to eat healthy. Most Americans eat without any concerns; they are not questioning or researching what they are feeding themselves or their family. A lot of that has to do with their financial stability, not having the time to prepare a meal due to their time-consuming work schedule, also lack of knowledge and education on what they are consuming. In this bibliography, I will go over all three articles and explain what they are about.
Escape from the Western Diet, by Michael Pollen, is about the argument of what is best for people to consume in order to avoid certain ailments caused by what they eat. There are many who believe certain factors such as eating too much fat or refined carbohydrates or missing certain nutrients are to blame for the poor state of health of westerners. The reason for that is that it provides for a quick easy answer to dieting issues. The author believes that all these things may have some contribution to poor health but the overall nemesis is the western diet itself.
Proper nutrition is important in maintaining a long and healthy life. Most Americans are rushed due to their busy work schedules, and do not take the time to plan their diets properly. Like me, most Americans are unaware of the importance of eating a healthy diet and consume too many foods without the proper nutrients. Throughout my life I have been fortunate. I have not had any major health problems, and have been able to consume most foods without having to worry about gaining weight. These last two years, however, I started to gain weight and have become concerned with my diet. Changing my poor eating habits has been difficult for me, however, having this assignment has taught me that it is not as difficult as I previously imagined.
"Global Dietary Changes Threaten Health." World Health Federation. Medtronic Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
Food influences can be “grouped into five categories: cultural ideas, personal factors, resources, social factors and present contexts” (Jeffery Sobal & Carole A. Bisogni, 2009) Cultural influences set the frame work for behaviors shared by a group of people, these behaviors are a frame of reference to judge normal or right actions. Personal factors for eating include education and knowledge, lack of understanding of how to apply nutritional information does little in creating motivation to change eating habits. Resources can be a determinate in obtaining healthy food or organic food choices, low income groups often consume unhealthy food options and lack the means to shop for healthier food options like fresh fruit and vegetables. The social factors that affect eating are based on social class and social setting. The venue where food is consumed will dictate food choices and cost, in social settings food choices may be limited for people with dietary restrictions like vegetarians or food allergies. Social class is another factor affecting what we eat, there are marked differences between food consumption and experiences with social class; with one sector experiencing food insecurity and a limited food experience, while the other sector experiences food security and wider food
For this paper I decided to take a second and evaluate my life and think about what were some of my current lifestyle habits and behaviors and which out of these habits would I like to change. After sitting down and evaluating all of my main habits I categorized them into groups of which ones were helping to lead me to a long healthy lifestyle and which ones were likely to lead me to an unhealthy life and lifestyle. After narrowing these unhealthy habits down to my top three I decided to focus this paper and my attention on my current nutrition and most of all on my negative eating habits. After evaluating my lifestyle and all of my unhealthy habits I felt that my current nutrition level and eating patterns were in need of the most improvement and change.
Japan is presented to the public, specially the American public, as a nation that benefits greatly from all the right dietary habits. In Japan over 95% of the population eats at least three meals a day, in which they consider dinner to be the most important. The Japanese population has dinner at home with their families and loved ones, regardless over 60% of them eat home-replacement mea...
In the book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan explores the relationship between nutrition and the Western diet, claiming that the answer to healthy eating is simply to “eat food”.
Several sources correlate religion or ethnicity, traditions, advertising and mood as key contributors to the psychological aspect of food consumption. (Citation) explains that for many people their food preferences and eating habits were established during their childhood. As children become exposed to their families culture they learn to value certain foods and adopt specific eating habits that adhere to their cultures beliefs. For example, people are taught at a young age that it’s important to consume three meals a day, commonly referred to as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many cultures instill this, however there can be variations in the types of food prepared as well as the time of day each meal is