What's happened to the Mediterranean diet?

 I was just reading the eos blog : "News from Spain" and was shocked by the article on fatal obesity in Spain. I was amazed, had no idea it was so high. Sure you see a lot of over weight kids and adults but I never expected it to be as serious as it is. Almost 5000 operations are carried out every year due to morbid obesity and that Spain was the country with the third largest rate of ebesity in the world. Spain!!! Leaders in the Mediterranean diet, healthy food and fresh vegetables! What's gone wrong? I was also surprised to learn that the UK was second, behind the USA. I would never have thought that obesity was such a problem in the UK. 

http://www.eyeonspain.com/blogs/spainnews/7879/5000-operations-to-combat-morbid-obesity-carried-out-in-spain-each-year.aspx

Probably the fact that the average Spaniard doesnt eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, they eat a lot of fried food too, with economic hardship as well people cut corners with food and go for junk food etc, having spent the summer in the Seville area i saw a lot of this, average families eating burgers, chips, fried food by the pool in the day. This idea that everyone here is eating fresh salads with virgin extra olive oil is just a myth, confirmed by the terrible obesity rates here.

Yes, many of our Spanish friends are on intimate terms with the deep fat fryer - it's straight from the freezer to the fryer.  And there are of course a million meal-times a day.  Something to start the day, a mid-morning boccadillo, a hearty lunch, crisps, sweets etc, then merienda at 6 o' clock (another boccadillo and crisps and biscuits), followed by supper, all washed down with lots of Fanta Naranja and coke.  When we're in Spain, we have all of those meals, too, together with cake around 4pm and tapas around friends' houses and up the bar!

I was always amazed that people will let the oranges rot on their trees and go out and buy cartons of juice - even people who aren't well off, just because the kids play up about the 'bits' in freshly-squeezed oranges.  The kids are spoilt and often rule the roost and they have free access to all the food whenever they want it.  Also, during the long, hot summer, they get fatter as it is too hot to go out, so they laze around, munching...

Having said that, in my little corner of Wales, we beat them hands-down.  It's chips and Greggs all the way.

Have a look at how many spanish children of all ages are munching their way through huge bags of those corn chip/french fries type snacks, sometimes the bag is almost as big as the child...you can buy it loose on the markets

I live in southern spain and agree with most of the comments about fried foods and snacks.  However, I would suggest obesity is mostly related to inactivity.  My wife is from here and eats whatever she wants.  She is fit and healthy because she cycles and walks everywhere.  We don't own a car for that very reason.  You can take away fried foods completely and still get fat if you don't exercise.

Contrary to the common belief, Spanish cuisine is far from being healthy as outlined in other posts (and despite what Spaniards think!), especially here in the south where most of the food is fried, fat and/or overcooked eliminating this way any nutrients left.

It's a matter of history, culture and traditions. In a place where the dominating "culture" is that of the gipsies, you can't expect healthy and fine cuisine.

To eat real Mediterranean cuisine, two main choices: Italian and Greek. I would also add the Lebanese that I tried in few occasions, really a good and healthy one!

Greece is number 5 on the list of countries with high obesity rates.  Spain is 12.  You simply have to eat in moderation no matter what you put in your belly.

Epalisi said:

It's a matter of history, culture and traditions. In a place where the dominating "culture" is that of the gipsies, you can't expect healthy and fine cuisine.

Geesh, great attitude you got there... Love the sarcasm "quotes", and +1 bonus for racist jab at Gypsies too.

This obesity situation is like so many issues reported by non-experts as being fact, but with no authoritative, convincing evidence to back up the "report" (which is actually only a "claim," not a true "report" which we would assume to be factual). To see what I mean, just Google the subject "Obesity around the world" or something like that in your own words, if you prefer, and select a few of the articles this brings you. I haven't found any in about four or five of those that I read that even include Spain in the top ten list. I've lived in Spain (Seville) since February 1994 and sure, I see lots of obese people. I also see many people whose size falls in all other zones of the scale from one extreme to the other. The proportion of obese people does indeed seem to be increasing, I agree, but I cannot say that I see the trend as having raised the problem to anything near what this article says - among the very worst in the world. The sky is not falling, Chicken Little - - - yet!