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Sam-Yellowe TY. Nutritional Barriers to the Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Non-Mediterranean Populations. Foods 2024; 13:1750. [PMID: 38890978 PMCID: PMC11171913 DOI: 10.3390/foods13111750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower the risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Improvements in depression, participation in daily activities in older individuals, weight loss and a reduction in adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The number of studies that have evaluated barriers to adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the US and, in particular, in racial and ethnic minority populations within the US are few. Among Native American and Alaskan Native populations, studies evaluating traditional or alternative Mediterranean diet adherence for chronic non-infectious diseases is unavailable. Mediterranean diet scoring instruments used in studies in European and Mediterranean countries and among white participants in the US fail to capture the dietary patterns of racial and ethnic minority populations. In this narrative review, the food components of the traditional Mediterranean diet are discussed, adherence to the Mediterranean diet is examined in Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean countries and barriers preventing adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the US and among racial and ethnic minority populations is reviewed. Recommendations for improving nutrition education and intervention and for increasing adherence and cultural adaptions to the Mediterranean diet are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobili Y. Sam-Yellowe
- Graduate College, Canisius University, 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14208-1098, USA;
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
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Ninčević Runjić T, Jug-Dujaković M, Runjić M, Łuczaj Ł. Wild Edible Plants Used in Dalmatian Zagora (Croatia). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1079. [PMID: 38674488 PMCID: PMC11053949 DOI: 10.3390/plants13081079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dalmatian Zagora has experienced significant depopulation trends over recent decades. The area is very interesting because of its rich biodiversity of species as well as its history of the use of wild foods. Since there is a danger of permanent loss of knowledge on the use of wild edibles, we focused our research on recording traditions local to this area. METHODS We conducted interviews with 180 residents. RESULTS A record was made of 136 species of wild food plants and 22 species of edible mushrooms gathered in the area. The most frequently collected species are Rubus ulmifolius Schott, Cornus mas L., Portulaca oleracea L., Asparagus acutifolius L., Sonchus spp., Morus spp., Taraxacum spp., Amaranthus retroflexus L., Cichorium intybus L., and Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin. CONCLUSIONS The list of taxa used is typical for other (sub-)Mediterranean parts of Croatia; however, more fungi species are used. The most important finding of the paper is probably the recording of Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, a wild vegetable used in the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonka Ninčević Runjić
- Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia; (M.J.-D.); (M.R.)
| | - Marija Jug-Dujaković
- Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia; (M.J.-D.); (M.R.)
| | - Marko Runjić
- Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia; (M.J.-D.); (M.R.)
| | - Łukasz Łuczaj
- Institute of Biology, University of Rzeszów, Ul. Zelwerowicza 4/451, Building D9, 35-601 Rzeszów, Poland;
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Pieroni A, Morini G, Piochi M, Sulaiman N, Kalle R, Haq SM, Devecchi A, Franceschini C, Zocchi DM, Migliavada R, Prakofjewa J, Sartori M, Krigas N, Ahmad M, Torri L, Sõukand R. Bitter Is Better: Wild Greens Used in the Blue Zone of Ikaria, Greece. Nutrients 2023; 15:3242. [PMID: 37513661 PMCID: PMC10385191 DOI: 10.3390/nu15143242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The current study reports an ethnobotanical field investigation of traditionally gathered and consumed wild greens (Chorta) in one of the five so-called Blue Zones in the world: Ikaria Isle, Greece. Through 31 semi-structured interviews, a total of 56 wild green plants were documented along with their culinary uses, linguistic labels, and locally perceived tastes. Most of the gathered greens were described as bitter and associated with members of Asteraceae and Brassicaceae botanical families (31%), while among the top-quoted wild greens, species belonging to these two plant families accounted for 50% of the wild vegetables, which were consumed mostly cooked. Cross-cultural comparison with foraging in other areas of the central-eastern Mediterranean and the Near East demonstrated a remarkable overlapping of Ikarian greens with Cretan and Sicilian, as well as in the prevalence of bitter-tasting botanical genera. Important differences with other wild greens-related food heritage were found, most notably with the Armenian and Kurdish ones, which do not commonly feature many bitter greens. The proven role of extra-oral bitter taste receptors in the modulation of gastric emptying, glucose absorption and crosstalk with microbiota opens new ways of looking at these differences, in particular with regard to possible health implications. The present study is also an important attempt to preserve and document the bio-cultural gastronomic heritage of Chorta as a quintessential part of the Mediterranean diet. The study recommends that nutritionists, food scientists, and historians, as well as policymakers and practitioners, pay the required attention to traditional rural dietary systems as models of sustainable health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pieroni
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Department of Medical Analysis, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
| | - Gabriella Morini
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Maria Piochi
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Naji Sulaiman
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Department of Ethnology, Charles University, 116 38 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Shiekh Marifatul Haq
- Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0162 Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Andrea Devecchi
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Cinzia Franceschini
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Dauro M Zocchi
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Riccardo Migliavada
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Julia Prakofjewa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy
| | - Matteo Sartori
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy
| | - Nikos Krigas
- Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Mushtaq Ahmad
- Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
| | - Luisa Torri
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, 30172 Venezia, Italy
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Meizi-Consuming Culture That Fostered the Sustainable Use of Plum Resources in Dali of China: An Ethnobotanical Study. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11060832. [PMID: 35741353 PMCID: PMC9220204 DOI: 10.3390/biology11060832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Prunus mume has been cultivated for more than three millennia with important edible, ornamental, and medicinal value. Due to its sour taste, the Prunus mume fruit (called Meizi in Chinese and Ume in Japanese) is not very popular compared to other fruits. It is, however, a very favorite food for the Bai people living in Eryuan County, Dali of Yunnan, China. The local people are masters of making various local products with plum in different ways. In this research, we conducted field investigations in Eryuan County using ethnobotanical methods from August 2019 to July 2021, focusing on the Prunus mume (for its edible fruits). A total of 76 key informants participated in our semi-structured interviews. The survey recorded 37 species (and varieties) belonging to 11 families related to the Bai people’s Meizi-consuming culture. Among them, there are 14 taxa of plum resources, including one original species and 13 varieties. These 37 species are either used as substitutes for plum due to their similar taste or as seasonings to improve the sour taste of plum. The higher Cultural Food Significance Index value implies that Prunus mume, Chaenomeles speciosa, Phyllanthus emblica, Prunus salicina, and Chaenomeles cathayensis have high acceptance and use value in the Bai communities. Among the various local products traditionally made by the Bai people, carved plums, preserved plums, perilla-wrapped plums, and stewed plums are the most famous and popular categories in the traditional markets. Currently, the plum business based on the traditional Meizi-consuming culture of the Bai people is already one of Eryuan’s economic pillars. This study showed that plums play an important role in expressing the local cultural diversity, and they also help the local people by improving their livelihood through their edible value. In turn, for the sustainable use of plum resources, the Bai people positively manage local forests through a series of measures to protect the diversity of plum resources and related plant communities.
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