“Cretan Diet seems to be the best nutritional model as far as health and pleasure are concerned” Anastasia Markaki, Phd Lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete pointed in an interview to “In-On” magazine.
Question: What is the role of diet in culture?
Answer: Diet is culture itself and literally two routes that go together. More particularly, during a period of prosperity, when there is, therefore a growth in culture, a variety and abundance of food exists and at this stage food becomes part of the culture. Through food there is socialization – gift exchange while more emphasis is given to the image, the taste and the variety of food. In contrast, during difficult financial conditions where civilization suffers, food is restricted to the basic role of survival.
Question: To what extend can diet assist health?
Answer: If seen either from the scope of daily practice or from scientific research data, it can be said that diet is closely related to health and disease. Indeed, an adequate diet which is rich in nutrients assists the prevention and treatment of various diseases. On the other hand, an exaggerated or deficient diet may cause or aggravate a disease.
Question: Tell us which foods are necessary for humans?
Answer: The foods which contain the essential nutrients for survival and growth are necessary. To be more exact, these essential nutrients are the following: Protein which is found in animal products and animal-related products such as eggs, milk, pulses or cereal. Carbohydrates contained in fruit, rice, pasta, bread or pulses and Fat found in animal products and in oil form mainly as olive oil. The best proportions for daily intake are: Carbohydrates 50% calories-proteins 15%-20% and fat with olive oil as the main ingredient 30%-40%.
Question: To what extend can Cretan Diet assist tourism?
Answer: It has been proven that Cretan Diet is the best nutritional model regarding health as it simultaneously combines taste and pleasure. There is variety, nutritional adequacy, nice image and fine taste and thus with the right promotion, Cretan Diet can become the goal of a journey and so contribute to the growth and establishment of a culinary journey.
Question: Tell us about the course of Cretan Diet since antiquity?
Answer: Since Bronze Age (about 3.000-1.000 B.C –Minoan Era) Cretan Diet contained basic foods: cereal – grapes – olives – possibly pulses – animal products – carob and lathyrus (sweet pea) probably as animal feed – animals maybe as supplementary food during stress periods.
Lathyrus was found during Minoan Era (1480-1425 BC) in Castelli, Chania and it was cultivated throughout Europe and Eastern Mediterranean during Bronze Age and earlier. It grows by itself or with other leguminous plants especially with peas. The consumption of animal products used to be: sheep and goats 53%, pigs 31%, cattle 16%. The sheep, goats and the pigs were probably consumed for their meat whereas the cattle were mainly used for plowing. It is also possible that deer and hare were consumed as well. Regarding fish a variety of white bream, grouper, tuna and seafood was consumed.
Till 1960, Cretan Diet included: olive oil 37%, olives, greens, snails, fish, meat and meat products, fruit, vegetables, pulses and unprocessed grains, medium-sized fish, nuts, dairy products and wine.
Today, Cretan Diet has proven beneficial as far as cardiovascular disease protection, cancer, Alzheimer, autoimmune diseases, loss weight control etc is concerned.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Anastasia Markaki, Phd is a Lecturer of Applications of «Diet and Metabolism» at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Agricultural Technology and Food Technology (STEGTET) at the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete.
She holds a PhD of the University of Crete, in the School of Medicine. Her doctoral thesis is entitled: «Correlation of the nutritional status of dialysis patients of stage 5 with inflammatory markers».
From 2005 till today, she is a lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete.
Her research interests include:
– Nutrition Assessment end-stage kidney disease: Identification of indicators of inflammation (CRP, IL-6, IL-8), nourishment indicators (albumin, transferrin), indicators of bone disorders (parathyroid hormone PTH, calcium, phosphorus) as well as hormones under investigation (adiponectin, leptin), anthropometrics and measuring body composition through dermatoptychometrisis u954 and Bioelectrical Impedance
– Effect of Dietary intake (energy and protein intake and compliance with the Mediterranean/Cretan Diet) within a nutritional status that promotes the reduction of cachexia degree of the end-stage kidney disease patients – Correlation with the Quality of Life, the depression and anxiety these patients suffer from
– Epidemiology of obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and other chronic diseases
– Intervention studies in order to promote Mediterranean /Cretan Diet as well as other healthy nutrition standards for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.
Participation in scientific organizations and societies:
– Member of the Greek (ESPEN) and European (ESPEN) Society of Clinical Nutrition & Metabolism, (since 02/2013)
– Member of ERA – EDTA (European Society of Nephrology) (since 10/2012)
– Member of the Association of Dieticians- Nutritionists of Greece (since April 2011)
– Member of the International Organization of Diabetologist Associations (ICDA) (since 2008)
– Member of the European Dietetic Association (EFAD) (since 2006) 18
– Member of the Greek Medical Obesity Society- ΕΙΕΠ (since 2005)
– Member of the Pan European Association of Obesity Studies – EASO (since 2005)
– Member of the International Association of Obesity Studies– IASO (since 2005)
– Member of the Greek Association of Atherosclerosis (since 2004)
– Member of Society Actions of Food – Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2000- 2002)
– Member of the Association of Dieticians – Greek Food Technologists (since 1995)