On 16 October 2010, Unesco declared the Mediterranean diet an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A significant achievement, one that underscores the value of a dietary lifestyle built around fresh, whole foods rich in natural antioxidants — protective not only for human health but also for the health of the planet. Two studies confirm this. The first, reported by the BBC, is British: doctors from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the National Health Service (NHS) state that the Mediterranean diet prevents the spread of obesity far more effectively than other, more restrictive regimes based on calorie counting. Moreover, protective foods such as nuts, pulses, wholegrains, oily fish and extra virgin olive oil — all staples of Mediterranean cuisine — help keep cholesterol in check and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

"Adopting the Mediterranean diet in patients who have had a heart attack is almost three times more effective at reducing relapses or new risks than cholesterol-lowering therapy with statins. The NHS in this respect is in a pivotal position at a national level: by providing healthier food in hospitals, and by training doctors and nurses to change their approach when recommending a new dietary regime. With this new attitude it is possible to educate people towards correct eating habits," the British doctors stated, as they were called upon to tackle the obesity epidemic spreading across the United Kingdom.

The second study, published in Nature, sets out the findings of ecologist G. David Tilman of the University of Minnesota, the study's author, according to whom it has been possible for the first time to demonstrate the existence of a "real and strong link" between diet, food production and climate change. Rising incomes and urbanisation are driving, at a global level, the replacement of traditional diets with ones higher in sugars, fats and processed meats. Researchers predict that by 2050, if left unchecked, these dietary trends — harmful to human health and devastating for the environment — could increase greenhouse gas emissions linked to food production and deforestation by 80 per cent, as well as driving up the incidence of diabetes and other serious lifestyle-related diseases.

The Mediterranean diet and the vegetarian diet, by contrast — both rich in vegetables and pulses — are preferable from every point of view, being both healthier and less harmful to the environment.