Mediterranean Diet on UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage list

Croatia has joined Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus and Morocco in submitting a recommendation which was accepted yesterday to have the Mediterranean Diet inscribed on UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage list…

Intangible Cultural Heritage includes such things as traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festivals, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.

“The Mediterranean diet is a set of traditional practices, knowledge and skills passed on from generation to generation and providing a sense of belonging and continuity to the concerned communities.” said a statement from UNESCO.

The Mediterranean Diet is primarily based around plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and nuts, healthy fats, such as olive oil, fish and poultry and limiting red meat, reducing additional salt intake and drinking red wine in moderation. Benefits of the diet experts say include, low heart disease risk, increased life span, reduction of internal inflammation,  and helping prevent and cure Type II Diabetes.