Almost half of the Italian population is overweight. Malnutrition and obesity, its worst outcome, represent a serious threat to the health of millions of people. But there’s good news: by changing your approach to food and adopting a better lifestyle, these dreaded diseases can be avoided. According to scientific studies, changing even just two bad eating habits can reduce the risk of mortality by 20%. This is why promoting food education is essential, teaching the principles of science and the Mediterranean tradition. 

The Mediterranean Diet, the only one recognized internationally and supported by solid scientific evidence, offers an ideal combination of flavor and health. It represents a balanced eating model that acknowledges the individual characteristics of each person, rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, and olive oil—elements that help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

In addition to being an effective solution against obesity, the Mediterranean Diet is also effective in combating malnutrition, a problem that threatens the health of millions of people. Adopting this dietary style on a large scale could significantly improve public health, reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, while also promoting overall well-being. At a time when eating habits are rapidly changing, the Mediterranean Diet offers a valuable return to origins, with a sustainable and culturally rooted approach that can be easily adapted to different nutritional needs and personal tastes.

In Italy, we are particularly fortunate. We have a huge variety of dishes available that allow us to keep our weight under control without sacrificing taste. Our Mediterranean Diet is characterized by great variety, the abundance of antioxidants in foods, simplicity, and dishes cooked with care and respect for traditional recipes. This is the real secret to staying healthy: a balanced diet must provide a rich range of nutrients.

The food pyramid, a tool that invites us to consume the right amount of food daily to stay in shape, is based on the Mediterranean Diet, translating its principles into an extremely simple and useful graphic language: starting with a base of 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, reaching the top, which consists of 1 weekly portion of sweets.

Although Italy, along with Japan and Spain, is among the countries with the highest life expectancy, a recent study has highlighted that many Italians are moving away from the guidelines of the Mediterranean Diet and proper nutrition: 81% consume less fruit and vegetables than recommended, 59% eat less fish, 55% consume few legumes, and 39% do not use enough extra virgin olive oil.

However, reversing this trend to live healthily is simpler than one might think: the Mediterranean Diet represents a path to a balanced eating style, combining proper nutrition with the importance of physical activity. 

The book takes a further step by illustrating the use of the NutrInform Battery, an innovative tool that provides nutritional information about the foods and beverages consumed, highlighting the portion recommended by nutritionists and the corresponding intake of calories, salt, sugars, and fats. The “battery” graphic of NutrInform is simple and intuitive: if with one dish we have reached the daily recommended amount of calories or nutrients to stay healthy, the battery will be fully charged; otherwise, it will be possible to consume other foods of choice until the battery related to that nutrient is completely recharged.

Thanks to this tool, anyone can prepare balanced menus without dietary restrictions. This approach can also be applied in restaurants, choosing dishes with the awareness of how to balance various courses, using the recipes proposed in the book.