Why the Mediterranean diet is losing popularity in its own land

The Mediterranean diet may be more popular along the Pacific U.S. these days than it is in Italy, Greece, and Spain, according to an NPR story this week. Ancel Keys, an American military physiologist, was the one to bring news of the Mediterranean diet to America from Pioppi, Italy, where, in the 1940s and 50s, he observed a population poorer, yet healthier than those of wealthier, surrounding nations.

One reason for this is adolescents avoiding the Mediterranean diet to imitate the US diet, aka burgers, fries, and soda, said Dr. Angelo Pietrobelli, associate professor of pediatrics and nutrition at the University of Verona. But the diminishing popularity of the traditional diet is fueled by another force stronger than imitation, the economy. Originally, the Mediterranean diet was an affordable peasant's meal plan, not necessarily one they would choose. Meat, fat, and sugar are the flavors people crave most, and they've become cheaper than the basic units of the Mediterranean diet--olive oil, fish, and produce. In Keys's original studies he asked his subjects how they would eat differently given more money. Their answer? More meat.

"for me this has been a global trend and is not localized to the Mediterranean by any stretch of the imagination. Even if Italy was holding out a bit longer than others, I doubt it is now. Even if native Italians don't eat at American restaurants, tourists will.."