Dr. Nahla Hwalla, Professor at the Nutrition and Food Sciences Department- FAFS, presented (November 25) “Mediterranean Diet in the Middle East" at the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) Webinar on the Future of Sustainable Mediterranean Diet – Challenges, Opportunities, and Actions.
She discussed the results of multiple collaborative research studies conducted with the Food and Agriculture Organization and Institute National de Nutrition et de Technology Alimentaire. The projects shed light on the decreasing adherence to the Mediterranean diet in Lebanon and Tunis, and underlined the unfavorable nutrition shift towards western dietary patterns categorized by their high processed foods, sugars, and fats in the MENA region.
Dr. Hwalla explained how such changes further increase the risk of chronic diseases in a region that already suffers from a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Dr. Hwalla concluded her segment by calling for the development of a road map that begins with routine monitoring of food consumption and continues with addressing all drivers of food systems to increase adherence to the MED Diet and, ultimately, achieve food security.
