The Link Between Nutrition Education, Behavior, and Body Composition of Women Following a Mediterranean Diet: A Sustainable Approach

The Mediterranean diet, in its oldest known definition, is considered a health-promoting dietary model due to its unique characteristics, including regular consumption of unsaturated fats, low-glycemic carbohydrates, high amounts of fiber, vitamins, and moderate amounts of animal-sourced protein. The Mediterranean diet pyramid recommends consuming fish and seafood at least twice a week, 2 servings of white meat, 2-4 servings of eggs, less than 2 servings of red meat, 1 serving or less of processed meat, and less than 3 servings of sweets. Daily, it recommends 2 servings of dairy products, 1-2 servings of seeds and nuts, and increased consumption of spices, herbs, garlic, and onions. It also emphasizes that each main meal should include 1-2 servings of fruit, more than 2 servings of vegetables, olive oil, and 1-2 servings of whole grains. Today, the Healthy Mediterranean Dietary Pattern is included in the 2020-2025 version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, not only in the Mediterranean region where its name originates, but also because it is considered a variation of the Healthy American Dietary Pattern. Furthermore, the Mediterranean diet was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

Sustainable diets are diets that preserve and respect biodiversity and ecosystems; are culturally acceptable, accessible, economically feasible and affordable; are nutritionally adequate, safe, and healthy; and make optimal use of natural and human resources. The concept of sustainable food consumption is receiving increasing attention due to global population growth and the threats of climate change. Food production and consumption are among the primary drivers of environmental degradation.

Today, nutritionists emphasize the need to focus on the impact of nutrition on human health, the environment, and food, in contrast to dietary guidelines. Studies examining sustainable dietary behaviors have increased in recent years. Several mechanisms may explain the link between healthier and more sustainable dietary choices and education. Education can be conducive to sustainable diets (e.g., reducing meat consumption) because it encourages the ability to seek and utilize new sources of information, including nutritional information.

In recent years, there has been a focus on the Mediterranean diet's suitability as a sustainable nutrition model due to its high content of plant-based foods and its low ecological, carbon, and water footprint.

This planned study sampled women who follow the Mediterranean diet. The aim was to assess their sustainable nutrition behaviors through sustainable nutrition education sessions. Thus, it is unique in that it is the first study in Turkey to evaluate the suitability of the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable nutrition model and to examine women's anthropometric measurements.