Photo by Elena Paravantes Hargitt

A few days ago a white woman decided to open a “Chinese” restaurant that would offer “clean” Asian food, where the lo mein will not make you feel “bloated or icky”. In other words she (a non-Asian person) would improve the cuisine of another culture because you guessed it: she knows better.

Many of my fellow dietitian colleagues were discussing this issue and how this is an example of cultural appropriation. And it got me thinking, we often talk about cultural appropriation of food but what about diet? Can there be such a thing? Absolutely, particularly when we are talking about the Mediterranean Diet.

I can tell you that what is being passed as a Mediterranean Diet today is far from it. Some of this has to do with ignorance, but behind this misrepresentation of the diet is also cultural appropriation.

In most cases “diets” are specific eating plans developed to result in certain outcomes in relation to health and weight loss. The so-called Mediterranean Diet though is different; it naturally appeared in certain areas of the world as a result of specific circumstances and the environment of those areas. No one developed this diet.

As a Greek who has been raised on this diet and observed firsthand the older generations following this lifestyle, but also as a nutritionist, I can tell you that what is being passed as a Mediterranean Diet today is far from it. Some of this has to do with ignorance, but behind this misrepresentation of the diet is also cultural appropriation.

In the nutrition and academic community, the Mediterranean Diet is treated like a research project with little knowledge of the specifics and details of this lifestyle and culture, particularly from non-Mediterranean researchers. Don’t get me wrong, research is necessary, otherwise how would we know that this diet is beneficial without the studies? But when describing a diet, many journalists, bloggers, chefs, nutritionists, doctors look at the research and provide a generic guide of what they think a Mediterranean Diet should look like. And this is where the cultural appropriation comes in, the idea that somehow this diet can be re-defined by those who have no firsthand experience with the diet and believe that they can make it healthier and better. This is ludicrous, as the Mediterranean diet (according to research) is the healthiest diet.

Over the course of my career I have seen the Mediterranean diet morph into a generic Westernized healthyish diet, and that’s not a good thing. With the newfound popularity of the diet, book publishers are reaching out seemingly to anybody who has a nutrition degree or a popular food blog to write a book on the Mediterranean Diet. As a result, the market is full of Mediterranean diet books written by individuals who have no relation or experience with the diet, but strong opinions on how to make it healthier (and did I mention better?). They recommend minuscule amounts of olive oil, meat or fish with every meal and foods that do not even exist in the Mediterranean.

Cultural appropriation is not only insulting and disrespectful, but in this case it can have a negative impact on health.

I cannot count the times I have been questioned, corrected or even rejected because my recipes or descriptions of the Mediterranean diet did not fit with the pre-conceived notion of what they think the diet is or should be. They tell me that’s too much olive oil, they tell me the yogurt should be low-fat, they ask me to add meat. NO, no and no.

This may be difficult to swallow for some of you but here are some things you may not know about the traditional* Mediterranean diet:

We use a lot of extra virgin olive oil, like straight from the bottle a lot. In fact this appears to provide many of the health benefits. We bake, roast and fry with olive oil too. We eat a lot of plants and weeds, oftentimes as a main course with no meat or fish. We eat moderate amounts of full fat cheese and yogurt and we don’t drink much milk.

Let me be clear, I am not talking about cultural appropriation of recipes, although that is important too, but of the actual diet patterns, amounts and foods that are included in this diet and have specific health benefits. Because let’s face it if you decrease the olive oil, add more meat, eat non-fat yogurt — you will not have a Mediterranean Diet and as a result you will not have the health benefits that go with it. So if you see a Mediterranean diet with descriptions that seem too generic, too general, low fat, and frankly a bit Westernized it probably is not a Mediterranean Diet.

Cultural appropriation is not only insulting and disrespectful, but in this case it can have a negative impact on health.

So here is my advice to those of you who have the urge to talk or write about the Mediterranean Diet: stop trying to correct or somehow make the diet healthier (it already is healthy) and “better” otherwise you are no better that that white woman trying to make Chinese food “cleaner”.

*Traditional Mediterranean Diet refers to the traditional diet followed in most of Greece and Southern Italy in the 1960's.