The Mediterranean Diet: Constituents and Health Promotion

Description

Adults living in certain olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean Basin display high life expectancies and rates of chronic disease that are among the lowest in the world. These benefits are achieved despite socioeconomic indicators that are often much lower than those of more industrial nations in North America and Europe. Attention has focused on diet as the cardinal factor since food... Read more

Adults living in certain olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean Basin display high life expectancies and rates of chronic disease that are among the lowest in the world. These benefits are achieved despite socioeconomic indicators that are often much lower than those of more industrial nations in North America and Europe. Attention has focused on diet as the cardinal factor since food consumption patterns are closely tied to the incidence and severity of chronic debilitating diseases. The Mediterranean Diet: Constituents and Health Promotion explores in detail the relationship among the Mediterranean Diet, nutritional status, and disease and evaluates the nutritional practices that minimize or slow the incidence and progress of major diseases, especially heart disease and cancer.

During the past ten years the Mediterranean Diet has been the subject of constant attention, debate, and controversy. It is the subject of ongoing studies as a cultural model for dietary improvement and health promotion in the United States and Europe.

Divided into three sections, the book provides this information:

Background: Learn about the history of the Mediterranean Diet and food patterns from the ancient Greeks through the present. This section also discusses the diet's classical antecedents and definition, paying particular attention to the characteristics, dietary patterns, and epidemiological aspects.

Dietary Constituents: Discover the specific food components and commodities that constitute the Mediterranean Diet such as fats and oils; fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains; milk and dairy products; meat and meat products; and alcoholic beverages.

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: Examine how the Mediterranean Diet promotes good health with regard to diabetes and obesity, coronary heart disease, cancer, and longevity.

Also included are chapters offering dietary recommendations based on the current understanding of the diet, suggested future research and applications, and a useful summary chapter. The Mediterranean Diet: Constituents and Health Promotion provides a clear overview of this timely and controversial subject.

Read less

Background
Mediterranean Food Patterns: The View from
Antiquity, Ancient Greeks and Romans,
Louis E. Grivetti
Mediterranean Diet: Historical Background and
Dietary Patterns in Pre-World War II
Greece, Antonia-Leda Matalas
The Mediterranean Diet: Definition,
Epidemiological Aspects, and Current
Patterns, Antonia Trichopoulou and Pagona Lagiou
Dietary Constituents
Fats and Oils, Apostolos K. Kyritsakis, Konstantinos A. Kyritsakis, and Maria-Nectaria Mavroudi
Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, and Grains, George D. Nanos and Dimitrios G. Gerasopoulos
Milk and Dairy Products, Antonios J. Mantis
Meat and Meat Products, Spyros A Georgakis
Alcoholic Beverages, Mary Yannakoulia and Tonia Vassilakou
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Mediterranean Diet and Longevity, George Mamalakis
and Anthony Kafatos
Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, and the Mediterranean Diet, Nicholas L. Katsilambros and Antonis Zampelas
The Mediterranean Diet and Coronary Heart Disease, Antonis Zampelas, Michael Hourdakis, and Niko Yiannakouris
Cancer and the Mediterranean Diet, Constantina Papoutsakis-Tsarouhas, and Ira Wolinsky
The Cyprus Experience, Michael Tornaritis, Savvas C. Savva, Maria Shamounki, Yiannis A. Kourides, and Charalambos Hadjigeorgiou
Nutrition Policy Issues and Further Research on the Mediterranean Diet: The Importance of Monounsaturated Fatty Acids, Michael J. Gibney and Helen M. Roche

Editor(s)

Biography

Antonia-Leda Matalas, Antonis Zampelas, Vassilis Stavrinos

Critics' Reviews

"Overall, this book provides a novel treatment of the Mediterranean diet. The general reader will be interested to dip into this book because it covers a wide range of topics … ."
- European Journal of Lipid Science

The Mediterranean Diet Constituents and Health Promotion

Description

Table of Contents

Editor(s)

Biography

Critics' Reviews

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Secure Shopping Payment Options