Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; A Diet Succumbs

When obesity and its problematic health effects grabbed headlines in developed countries like the US in the 1990s, researchers contrasted eating habits to those in Mediterranean countries like Greece, where life expectancies remained high and incidences of serious disease remained relatively low despite widespread drinking and smoking. Researchers credited the use of olive oil and daily consumption of non-refined grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy and fish for the region’s good health, as opposed to diets high in saturated fats, refined sugar, and red meat, common in other Western nations. However, rising obesity rates in Greece, particularly among youths, point to a changing food culture with the widespread presence of fast-food options. Journalist Elisabeth Rosenthal points to a generational gap in Greece: The former are more likely to stick with traditional dieting patterns, and the young choose convenience foods like hamburgers, pizza and soda. Ultimately, ubiquitous advertising of fast-food chains and the difficulties of parents and governments alike to counter such marketing and impart knowledge of good eating habits threaten the welfare of a state’s citizens, with obesity linked to heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure. Such stories of the demise of nutritious diets will continue to spread unless domestic and international nutrition-education campaigns become more effective. – YaleGlobal