Eureka! Institutional Repository

Bad eating habits and inadequate physical activity in modern times in almost all industrialized countries are responsible for the high rates of both, obesity and other chronic diseases. Data from many studies have demonstrated the protective role of the Mediterranean diet in weight gain, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. This study analyzes the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet on human health and presents the nutrients that form the pyramid of the Mediterranean diet. Recent studies have shown that adults eating habits nowadays are increasingly diverging from the Mediterranean dietary pattern. The aim of this study has been to measure whether the recommendations for the consumption of certain food groups as defined by the Mediterranean Diet Standard are followed. For this purpose, the eating habits of adults have been recorded, which include frequency of food consumption and other dietary habits such as eating breakfast, eating fast food etc. The sample has been consisted of 160 Greek people, 124 women and 36 men aged 18 to 62. To record their eating habits, participants were asked to respond to a food frequency questionnaire (ffq) and some key questions. The results of the survey showed that the participants did not follow the recommendations for the consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes and nuts, dairy, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat and red meat, but they followed the recommendations for poultry and alcohol as defined by the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern