Categories: Blog

Is Italian the Healthiest Diet in the World?

Whether you are reading this in January, right at the end of the Holidays, or at any point during the year, when you are ready to start eating healthy, we’ll do our best to answer your questions.

Before answering the question in the title, “Is the Italian diet the healthiest in the world?”, we need to look at one thing: What’s a healthy diet?

Wikipedia defines a healthy diet as follows:

“A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health.”

The World Health Organization states the following:

“A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, heat disease, stroke and cancer.”

Cena and Calder define a healthy diet as follows in their research paper published in 2020 in the National Libray of Medicine.

“A healthy diet is one in which micronutrients are consumed in appropriate proportions to support energetic and physiologic needs without excess intake while also providing sufficient micronutrients and hydration to meet the physiologic needs of the body.”

In my opinion, and you probably agree, a healthy diet is one that helps you live a healthy life with less illness and for a longer time.

It’s thus important to consider longevity when discussing healthy diets. That’s exactly what we’ll do in this article while answering many of the common questions around this topic.

Let’s start, shall we?

  What is the healthiest diet in the world?
  The Mediterranean diet has long been considered one of the healthiest diets in the world. In fact many diets are based on this one, and include many foods that are eaten as part of the Mediterranean diet.
 
 
 Which countries eat a Mediterranean diet?
  The Mediterranean diet is a reflection of the traditional food cultures of various countries in the Mediterranean. The main countries usually associated with the Mediterranean diet are Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, France, Morocco and Turkey. However, there are many more countries that are located in the Mediterranean and blessed with the natural foods that grow both on land and in the sea of this area of the world. These include Malta, Croatia, Albania, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria and Israel among a few others.
 
 
 Why is the Mediterranean Diet considered the healthiest in the world?
  Various scientific studies had the aim to compare different diets around the world, and their findings all concluded that the diets of the Mediterranean countries have the highest benefits and the least risks for overall health, in particular cardiovascular.
 
 
 What are the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet?
  Various scientific studies comparing different diets around the world conclude that the Mediterranean diet contributes to a healthier heart, lower risk of diabetes, as well as lower obesity, hypertension, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer, and thus an overall lower risk of mortality. If you are interested, we suggest reading the recent study on the Mediterranean diet and Health by M. Guasch-Ferré and W. C. Willett, published in The journal of Internal Medicine.
 
 
 What's the Mediterranean diet?
  The Mediterranean diet is the diet considered to be the healthiest in the world, which follows the food cultures of most of the Mediterranean countries in the world, especially these - Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, France, Turkey, and Morocco. If you are wondering what the Mediterranean Diet consists of here is a list of the main foods eaten:  lots of vegetables and fruits
 beans and nuts
 fresh herbs and spices
 healthy grains, like rice, pasta, and bread eaten as part of a balanced diet
 a lot of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and other healthy fats
 a good amount of fish
 a moderate amount of milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt
 a moderate amount of meat, with less red meat
 low to no refined sugars and processed foods, preferring homemade and artisan desserts eaten for special occasions
 a glass of good local wine with meals
 
 
 
 What is the healthiest food in the world?
  Dark leafy greens are considered to be the healthiest. For many years it was spinach to be the best of the leafy greens in terms of health benefits. Now Kale has taken its place. Other super healthy green leafy vegetables to eat include beet greens, watercress, romaine, arugula, Swiss chard, collard greens, Bok choi and microgreens. Wondering why leafy greens are considered the healthiest food in the world? It's simply because they pack a lot of vitamins in just 1 cup. Spinach is full of fiber and rich in vitamins A, C, K, iron, folate, and potassium; one cup gives you 0.9 gr protein. Similarly, kale is very high in fiber, less so in protein, higher in vitamin C, but also high in vitamin K. Maintaining high levels of these vitamins and minerals, preferably through the food you eat, can contribute to a better overall health and a reduced risk of disease.
 
 
 What are the other healthiest foods in the world?
  Along with green leafy vegetables, and of course water, here is a list of the foods considered the healthiest foods in the world you should incorporate more in your diet:  berries
 cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower
 fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines, and anchovies
 legumes
 nuts and seeds
 extra virgin olive oil
 tomatoes
 whole grains
 yogurt
 avocados
 apples
 lemons
 garlic
 fresh herbs
 dark chocolate
 
 The foods in this list are the foods commonly eaten as part of a healthy Mediterranean diet, hence why the latter is considered the healthiest diet in the world.
 
 
 Which country has the healthiest diet in the world?
  If you type this inside Google you are very likely to get one of two answers - either the Mediterranean countries or Japan. In fact, Japan is considered to be one of the countries with the healthiest diet in the world. If you look closely at the Japanese diet it includes a high quantity of vegetables, healthy fats, fish, fruits, beans, and less dairy, red meats, and refined and processed food than many other cuisines. The freshness and quality of the food is also important, similarly to the Mediterranean diet, as well as the healthy cooking methods.
 
 
 What is the healthiest most effective diet?
  Both the Mediterranean and Japanese diets are very healthy diets, that can help you live a healthy and longer life. In terms of effectiveness, if you mean effective at helping you lose weight or maintain a healthy body and mind, both can be effective diets. The key factor is consistency, along with quality of ingredients, using healthy cooking methods, eating a balanced diet with the right amounts of vegetables, protein, carbs, and healthy fats.
 
 
 Why a healthy diet is important?
  We are what we eat, and there's no doubt about that. So the healthier the food you eat, the healthier your body and mind, and consequently the healthier your life. Eating a healthy diet has been proven to help you live a healthy and longer life by reducing the risk of disease. Important factors of living a healthy life include eating a healthy diet, along with moving your body enough, maintaining a healthy mind, reducing stress, and doing things that make you happy.
 
 
 What is the best diet for long life?
  The best diet for long life is one that includes the healthiest foods which we mentioned above, including lots of water, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, fruits, extra virgin olive oil, beans and nut. These foods are the staples of the Mediterranean diet so it follows that the Mediterranean diet is the best diet for long life.
 
 
 Which country has the longest life expectancy?
  According to Wordometers the top 10 countries in the world with the longest life expectancy are the following, in this exact order:  Hong Kong
 Japan
 Macao
 Switzerland
 Singapore
 Italy
 Spain
 Australia
 Channel Islands
 Iceland
 
 We can thus conclude that Italian food is indeed one of the healthiest diets in the world, and the best diet for long life within the Mediterranean.
 
 
 Who is the oldest man in the world?
  If you are looking at the best diet for longevity, you are probably interested in knowing who is the oldest man in the world. Let me tell you. The oldest man in the world, according to Wikipedia, was Jiroemon Kimura a Japanese, a supercentenarian who lives for 116 years. However, you may want to know that the 10 oldest people in the world, were and some of them still are all women. Among them are many French and Japanese women. In the list there was also an Italian woman, named Emma Morano, who lived up to 117 years old.
 
 
 Which country has the most supercentenarians? 
  According to a survey carried out by the Gerontology Research Group, regularly updated, Japan followed by USA has the highest number of living supercentenarians. In the Mediterranean the two countries with the most supercentenarians are France and Italy.

Let’s sum up what we just found out about the healthiest diet in the world for longevity.

The Mediterranean diet, and the Japanese diet, are considered to be the healthiest diets in the world
Asian countries, along with a few countries in the Mediterranean, and central and northern Europe have the longest life expectancy – Hong Kong being the number one in Asia, Switzerland the number one in Central Europe, and Italy the number one in the Mediterranean.
The highest concentration of supercentenarians in the world is found in Japan, US, France, and Italy.

Based on the above, I think we can conclude that the Italian diet is one of the healthiest in the world, because it’s a Mediterranean diet, and we have proof that eating an Italian diet can help you live a longer life.

Continue reading to find out what’s this proof I am referring to.

People in Italy living over 100

Did you know that there is a place in Sardinia where many locals are over 100? But that’s not all.

There is also a small town in Southern Italy where 1 in 10 locals is 100 years old or order.

This has intrigued many scientists, and resulted in them studying which factors might be contributing to this increased longevity.

Although one is certainly good genes, it is evident that there are other factors contributing to these Italian people living a longer life. Let’s look at the most evident ones.

These people have worked hard since a very young age, and continue doing so until their last days. So, we can conclude that a more active and less sedentary life is an important factor for living longer.
These people have eaten a healthy diet most of their lives because they mostly ate the products of their land – mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, some pasta and bread, some cold water fish, and not too much red meat, dairy and sugars. This is exactly what a healthy Mediterranean diet promotes.
Most of these Italian supercentenarians drink a little wine every day, but it’s a local high quality artisan wine.
Their food is cooked and dressed with one main ingredient – a local high-quality extra virgin olive oil like Novello.
Many of these long living Italians eat two foods that appear to be less known and more commonly available superfoods.

Superfoods for longevity eaten by Italian Supercentenarians

Fresh rosemary and other herbs
Anchovies
Leafy greens
Barley
Legumes
Nuts
Tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Wine
Fresh fish

The first two superfoods in the list above might surprise you. Yet, these two are powerhouses for wellbeing. Rosemary promotes memory and blood circulation, while anchovies are exceptionally high in antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory and anti-aging.

Other important dietary habits of Italians over 100 years old are:

eating pasta and bread made with higher quality local grains like durum wheat
swapping refined sugar for local honey
eating small quantities of meat once a week
eating sheep’s milk and cheeses instead of cow’s derived products
eating fruit as dessert, a sweet breakfast or snack

If you want more specific ideas about what Italian food to eat for a healthy breakfast read this article (coming soon), and this one for healthy dinners – 50+ Healthy Italian Dinners You’ll Love.

Tell us, did we answer your question about healthy diets for longevity? If not, leave it in the comments and we’ll try our best to answer it here.