Mediterranean Diet

 The first thing to note about the Mediterranean Diet is the epidemics of Pellagra and Rickets that were rampant in the cities of Italy, Spain and Portugal throughout the 19fh century, and continued right up to the second world war. 

Symptoms of Pellagra include Diarrhea, Dermatitis, Mouth ulcers, Dementia, Insanity and Death. Researchers eventually discovered a new vitamin, Niacin, (vitamin B3) as a cure. Meanwhile, physicians recommended addition to the diet of either Meat, Eggs or Fish, as well as Dairy products, Fruit and Vegetables.

Rickets caused soft and bent bones. Researchers eventually found the cure: Vitamine D (the fat-voluble vitamin), as well as Calcium.

Meanwhile, in the Far East, there was a wide-spread epidemic of Berberi. 

These epidemics were entirely due to the reliance on refined carbohydrates, (he-hulled maise, white flour or white rice), as the staple urban diet.

A naval medical officer found a solution for Periperi. He banned the use of White Rice in the Japanese navy, insisting instead on Brown Rice and Barley. In Tokyo, one cure was the addition of Buckwheat to the rice diet.

Take note, therefore, that the so-called Mediterranean diet should not include white-flour in the form of bread, pittza or pasta. These provide empty carolies, and are empty of nutrients.

While modern diets prevent pellagra, scurvy, rickets and beriberi by adding vitamins, they have created a new epidemic. Empty calories, despite the addition of vitamines, caue obesity, diabetes, blurred vision, tiredness, arthritis, cancer, tummy upsets, Parkinson's, heart disease, and Alzheimer's and so on.

Adding olive oil, fish and whole grains is of no avail as long as people are still taking sugary drinks and refined carbohydrates. 

You can easily observe Italians feasting on pittzas without adequate meat, fish, egg, whole dairy and vegetables. Nutricious real ice-cream, with traditional whole fruit, is often replaced by low-fat pseudo ice-cream with sugar. 

Perhaps many Italians serve proper Italian whole-grain pittza, but this is rare in Ireland, where white, GM, flour is rampant.