Implementing the Mediterranean diet : nutrition in practice and public health / Richard Hoffman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Table of Contents
List of Contributors

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

PART 1 The evidence base for the Mediterranean diet

1. The Mediterranean diet in health care and disease prevention

2. Overview of the Med diet

3. Epidemiological evidence base

4. Epidemiological evidence - Health outcomes

5. How the Med diet works

6. Foods of the Med diet: nutrients and health benefits

7. The Med diet compared to other mainstream diets

PART 2 Implementing a Mediterranean diet

8. Personal barriers and enablers to consuming a Med diet

9. Enhancing consumption of foods in the Med diet - general considerations

10. Enhancing consumption of foods in the Med diet

11. The Med diet in the home

12. The Med diet in the food environment

13. The Mediterranean diet in primary health care

14. Case studies

15. The Med diet as part of a sustainable food and farming system

16. Governance and the Med diet

Index

Reviews
Most of us have heard about the Mediterranean diet and its supposed health benefits, and it conjures up images of roast lamb and vegetables, olives, olive oil and red wine. I wonder how many of us have read up in detail about what the scientific proof looks like and exactly what this “diet” involves. This book sets out to provide the reader with all the background information, scientific studies and what they prove, and provides insights and advice on how the Mediterranean diet can be implemented. How consumers can make this transition is also discussed.

The book is divided into two parts to distinguish between “why” the Mediterranean diet should be implemented and “how” to implement the diet and help motivate and guide consumers. The first seven chapters of Part 1 delve into the evidence base for the effectiveness of the diet in disease prevention and why we should minimise the consumption of highly processed foods. The nine chapters of Part 2 discuss the “how” – how to address practical and behavioural barriers to food choice, how to get the balance of the main foods and food groups in the diet right, and how to incorporate the Mediterranean diet into your lifestyle, and ends with a look at the benefits of the diet to society and the possible impact on sustainability of the food system.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in nutrition and looking for an evidence-based overview of this particular diet.

– Professor Gunnar Sigge, Issue 41, Volume 12, Number 3, FST Magazine, South African Food Science and Technology

"This book covers the composition, health benefits and implementation of the Mediterranean diet for students of nutrition and dietetics, and for health professionals working in public health and in the management of chronic diseases. It provides a wide range of tools and practical advice that are needed by health professional to help individuals to surmount the obesogenic environment and to adopt this healthiest of eating patterns. The first part of the book provides concise summaries of the current evidence for implementing a Med diet for the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of chronic diseases. It also explains the most likely mechanisms for the diet's benefits. It compares the Med diet with other dietary choices. This section emphasises the importance of the whole dietary pattern and explains why minimising ultra-processed foods is also so important. For the first time, this book situates the Med diet in the foodscape by discussing barriers to adopting this diet - from the home to the high street - such as negative influences from media and fast food shops. By addressing the main drivers of food choice - taste, cost, variety, convenience, health, and environmental and animal welfare concerns - the book goes on to provide an in-depth discussion of how consumers can eat the correct balance of this diet's main foods (olive oil and wine) and food groups (vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, nuts, fish, dairy and meat). The book also provides lifestyle advice on shopping, the kitchen environment and eating together, showing how this dietary pattern can be incorporated into daily life. The book then considers the evidence base for the provision of the Med diet in primary care (e.g. the NHS Health Checks programme), dietetic practice and in various community settings such as restaurants, supermarkets, work canteens and care-homes. It concludes with the wider benefits that a Med diet can bring to society, by considering this diet's place in a sustainable food and farming environment and in the UK National Food Strategy. Overall, the book provides the essential resources health professionals need in order to help individuals and communities transition from a western diet to a Med diet. Doing so would greatly lower their risk of chronic disease, help manage many existing conditions, and reduce health inequalities whilst at the same time helping move society towards a more environmentally friendly food system"-- Provided by publisher.

About the Author
Dr Richard Hoffman PhD RNutr FRSA is a former senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, UK with over 20 years experience teaching nutrition and biomedical sciences to undergraduates and postgraduates, running short courses on the Mediterranean diet for dietitians, and extensive cancer research experience. He is the author of two previous books on the Mediterranean diet - The Mediterranean Diet: Health and Science and More Healthy Years: Why a Mediterranean diet is best for you and for the planet. He serves on the editorial board of Public Health Nutrition.