Med Diet — Milestones

History of the Mediterranean Diet

Oldways, Harvard School of Public Health, and the World Health Organization introduced the Mediterranean Diet in 1993 at a conference in Cambridge, MA. It is now the universally recognized as the 'gold standard' for eating patterns that promote life-long good health.

This pyramid, structured in light of current nutrition research and representing a healthy, traditional Mediterranean diet, is based on the dietary traditions of Crete, Greece and southern Italy circa 1960 at a time when the rates of chronic disease were among the lowest in the world, and adult life expectancy was among the highest, even though medical services were limited.

The diet is closely tied traditionally to areas of olive oil cultivation in the Mediterranean region. Given these carefully defined parameters of geography and time, the phrase "Traditional Mediterranean Diet" is used here as shorthand for the healthy traditional diets of these regions at that time.

Oldways Mediterranean Diet and Traditions Conferences

Olivita (Puglia, 2006)
World Pasta Day: Pasta at the Heart of the Mediterranean Diet (Rome, 2006)
Piemonte: One Bite at a Time (Piedmont, 2006)
Toscana Culinaria (Tuscany, 2006)
La Cucina Campana (New York, 2006)
Marriage of the Stars: Oldways Colloquium on Traditional Foods (New York City, 2006)
Sicilia Culinaria (Sicily, 2005)
Tuscany - Health, Taste and Tradition; CME Program (Tuscany, 2004)
Sicily - Reviving Heritage, Foods and Wine (Sicily, 2004)
Healthy Pasta Meal Conference (Rome, 2004)
World Pasta Day (New York, 2004)
International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet - 10th Anniversary (Boston, 2003)
The Real French Paradox; CME Program (Bordeaux, 2002)
Legendary Salerno: Foods and Wines, Myths and History (Salerno, 2002)
Cultural Traditions and the Ligurian Mediterranean Diet - CME Program (Liguria Italy, 2001)
Traditions, Tastes, and Tables of Emilia Romagna (Modena. Italy, 2000)
International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet (London, 2000)
Liguria's Land, Sea and Mediterranean Diet (San Remo, Rapallo and Genoa, 1998)
International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet (Cambridge, Mass., 1998)
Crete, Greece, and Healthy Mediterranean Diets (Crete, 1997)
Barcelona Congress on the Mediterranean Diet (Barcelona, 1996)
The Heart of Puglia (Bari and Fasano, Italy, 1999)
The Magic of the North Aegean (Lesbos and Chios, 1999)
Wine's Place at a Healthy Table (San Francisco, 1994 and New York, 1996)
Celebrating Puglia's Healthy, Traditional Mediterranean Cuisines (Lecce, Italy, 1995)
International Congress on Turkish Foods, Wines and Culture (New York, 1995)
Coffee and Health (San Francisco, 1994)
Morocco: Culinary Riches, Elegant Flavors (Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakech, 1994)
International Congress on Italian Gastronomy (Rome and Florence, 1994)
International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet (San Francisco, 1994)
Tree Nuts, Health and the Mediterranean Diet (San Francisco, 1994)
Raisins, Dried Fruit and the Mediterranean Diet (San Francisco, 1994)
Coffee and Health and the Mediterranean Diet San Francisco, 1994)
International Conference on the Mediterranean Diet (Cambridge, Mass., 1993)
Cultural, Historical and Health Perspectives on Turkey's Foods and Wines (Istanbul, 1993)
Tunisia! The Splendors and Traditions of Its Cuisines and Culture (Jerba, Sfax, and Tunis, 1993)
Food, Culture and Discovery: Columbus to the 21st Century (Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, 1992)
Wine and Diverging Models of Healthy Eating: The French Paradox (New York, 1992)
America Cooks - Mediterranean Style! One-hour video (1991)
Cultural Models for Healthy Eating: From Asia to the Mediterranean (Los Angeles, 1991)
The Foods and Wines of Greece (Porto Carras, Greece, 1991)
Florida as Crossroads: Olive Oil and the Cuisines of the New World (Miami and Palm Beach FL, 1991)