Exploring the Italians' food habits and tendency towards the Mediterranean diet

Abstract

At first sight, the Mediterranean diet appears to be the best and most well-balanced diet to follow as it links environmental and human health. Unfortunately, it seems that Mediterranean countries are replacing the traditional Mediterranean diet with other less healthy eating habits and orienting their food choices towards products typical of the Western diet which is characterised by a high intake of animal products, refined grains, saturated fats without taking into consideration health issues and environmental sustainability. By using repeated cross-sections of the ISTAT “Aspects of daily-life” survey over the period 1997-2012, we assess the Italians’ prevailing food pattern and explore how it has changed over time and across regions in Italy. Moreover, the role of the socio-demographic and lifestyle factors are investigated.