Nutrition and Diet Specialist Hande Soydemir: ‘Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases’

Dietitian Hande Soydemir, emphasizing that the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on vegetables, fruits, grains, and olive oil, is also a sustainable diet for the environment, stated that ‘The Mediterranean diet reduces the risks of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and creates an effect that extends lifespan.’
Pointing out that dietary habits today affect not only individuals’ health but also the health of the world and future generations, Nutrition and Diet Specialist Hande Soydemir from Acıbadem Eskişehir Hospital stated that a sustainable diet aims to improve individual health and reduce people’s environmental impact to protect the world. Dietitian Soydemir emphasized that this approach, along with a balanced and varied eating pattern, takes into account the sources of food, production processes, and consumption habits, and stated that sustainable diets are defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as economically accessible, culturally acceptable, compliant with dietary guidelines, and having low environmental impact.
“Fish should be consumed at least twice a week”
Emphasizing that the traditional Mediterranean diet is strongly linked to local food production, biological diversity, culture, and sustainability, Soydemir stated that the Mediterranean diet model has a low ecological, carbon, and water footprint due to its high proportion of plant-based foods. To increase the positive impact of the Mediterranean diet on the environment, Hande Soydemir expressed that animal-based foods should be consumed more restrictively compared to plant-based foods. She added that ‘Processed meats, sugar, sweets, and pastries should not be consumed or should be consumed very rarely. Local, seasonal, fresh, and minimally processed foods should be preferred, and three essential food groups, namely vegetables, fruits, and grains, should be included in main meals. Olive oil should be preferred in meals, and diversity should be ensured in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. In the Mediterranean diet, fish consumption should be included at least twice a week. However, what the fish eats or how it is bred is an important factor. Since there may be significant differences in the environmental impact of caught and farmed fish, fish should be consumed consciously.’
“Reduces the risk of cancer and diabetes”
Dietitian Hande Soydemir highlighted that the Mediterranean diet is a rich nutritional model in terms of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, emphasizing that it is rich in antioxidant vitamins such as C and E, beta-carotene, antioxidant polyphenolic compounds, fiber, and monounsaturated fatty acids. In addition to being an exemplary sustainable nutrition model with these features, Dietitian Soydemir also added that the Mediterranean diet has the potential to reduce the risk of diet-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and extend lifespan. She pointed out that a sustainable and healthy Mediterranean diet not only improves personal health beyond a diet but also preserves the health of the world.