What is a "healthy diet"? The health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well known. However, many different kinds of diets have also been proposed: LCHF, low-fat, even blood type diets! How to disentangle the intricate web of healthy diets? Does diet really make a difference?

1. Gianluca Tognon
Specialist in Food Science and Human Nutrition
www.gianlucatognon.com
www.epilife.se
What is a "healthy diet"?
The health benefits of the
Mediterranean diet are
well known.
However, many different
kinds of diets have also
been proposed:
LCHF, low-fat, even blood
type diets! How to
disentangle the intricate
web of healthy diets?
Does diet really make a
difference?
foto Cornelia Schmidt

2. Today in Sweden….
Bär: Okej i måttliga mängder. Goda med vispad grädde
Source: http://www.kostdoktorn.se/lchf/

3. 50 years ago in Finland ...

4. In 1972, as people realized that it was not
normal to suffer from chest pain before the
age of 50, a national community-based
program was set up to reduce the risk factors
for cardiovascular diseases

5. People were educated to pay attention to
health related issues, particularly
smoking and diet
Programs at workplaces to lose
weight, quit smoking or to increase the
availability of vegetables at work canteens
TV series were broadcast where a group of
people volunteered to make healthy
lifestyle changes with the help of experts

6. Diet
• The industry focused on the development of
low fat/salt dairy and meat products
• Close collaboration with vegetable oil product
manufacturers to produce healthier spreads
• A project that encouraged people to grow
berries

7. What happened?
• Finland has reduced the number of heart
attacks by 75% since the early 1970s
• Many still die for cardiovascular diseases
compared to some other countries, but results
have still been tremendous and this is clearly
due to the reduction in risk factors

11. • Published in 1972
• 4 steps:
approach, weight
loss, pre-maintenance
and definitive
maintenance
• Carbohydrate intake is
reduced to 20 g per
day and subsequently
increased

12. • Published in a book
in 1995
• 40% energy from
carbohydrates, 30%
from protein, 30%
from fat
• It is supposed to
improve the plasma
lipid values

13. • Attack (3-10 days): protein
predominate (eggs, fish, meat
and dairy products low in
fat), fruit and vegetables
banned
• Cruise (one week for each kg
to lose): in addition
vegetables low in sugar.
• Consolidation (10 days for
every kg of weight lost)
reappear carbohydrates, but
the regime is still not optimal
for the body

14. Low carb/High fat (LCHF)
• Up to 70% of energy from
fat
• High intakes of animal and
vegetable fat products
• High intakes of vegetables
• Small intakes of
legumes, fruit, nuts
• No cereal grains, potatoes
and no sweet products

15. The Mediterranean diet

16. General features

17. Children: The Idefics Study
A European study including 16,224 boys and
girls, aged 2 - 9 years from 8 different countries:
Sweden, Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, German
y, Hungary and Spain
Mediterranean
Diet
Healthy weight

18. Adults: The Västerbotten
Intervention Program
•90,000 men and women from the North of Sweden
•The largest Swedish population study on nutrition
Mediterranean
Diet
• Longer life overall
• Less deaths for
cardiovascular diseases
and cancer

19. Elderly: The H70 Study
Around 1,300 men and women from Gothenburg
and interviewed in their 70s in different periods
since the ’70
Mediterranean
Diet
Longer life

20. Can we translate this into a
Swedish Healthy diet?
Cereal grains
Fish and shell fish
Fruit, berries and nuts
Vegetables and legumes

22. Thanks for your attention!
Gianluca Tognon
www.gianlucatognon.com
www.epilife.se