Jacqueline Fanchini (Reporter)THE Mediterranean diet may be taking the world by storm… but Spanish students are having none of it.
According to new research, Spanish university students are rejecting the healthy diet, which is said to prevent heart disease, diabetes, dementia and countless other health problems.
Just 5.3% of 284 students surveyed at the University of Castilla-La Mancha – or just 15 students – scored ‘highly’ during testing.
Researchers used the Mediterranean Diet Score and Healthy Eating Index to assess the quality of the students’ diets, for the study by Appetite journal.
The Mediterranean diet should be rich in vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts, olives and olive oil, as well as fish, eggs and wine.
Most students however, rejected fruits and vegetables in favour of meat and dairy.
The high intake of meat, sugar and saturated fat in most of the students’ diets puts them at risk of developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
