Course Description

This course offers students a deep dive into the Mediterranean Lifestyle (ML), exploring its health benefits, cultural significance, and practical applications. Using the literature provided, students will learn how to adapt key features of the Mediterranean Lifestyle, including its food habits, physical activity, and social practices, into their own lives to promote long-term health and well-being. Through critical comparisons, students will also examine the differences and similarities between the Mediterranean approach and American public health nutrition recommendations, with a focus on food habits, cooking techniques, and overall lifestyle choices.

As part of an on-going assignment for the course, students will be tasked with developing a detailed policy proposal aimed at reducing chronic disease risks, particularly obesity, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes, by advocating for the adoption of the Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle. This proposal will not only assess the scientific evidence supporting the diet but will also explore the cultural and environmental aspects that make the Mediterranean lifestyle a sustainable and effective health model.

Students will conduct in-depth, organized observations of community and global factors that threaten the preservation of the Mediterranean Diet, considering issues such as globalization, industrial agriculture, and urbanization. They will explore ways to raise awareness and promote actions that safeguard this UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity for future generations.

The course will also offer hands-on learning, where students will prepare simple, and often Italian-inspired Mediterranean recipes, emphasizing the diet’s nutritional values and principles of mindful eating. By integrating these practices, students will gain practical skills for cultivating a healthier lifestyle while honoring the rich cultural traditions that make the Mediterranean Lifestyle and associated diet a cornerstone of global wellness.

Learning Objectives 

Below are the course’s learning outcomes, followed by the methods that will be used to assess students’ achievement for each learning outcome. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Integrate the literature provided, your personal experience in Perugia and the core dietary features of the Mediterranean Lifestyle into a personalized wellness plan (diet, physical activity, meal preparation and social engagement).
• Compare and contrast the Mediterranean Lifestyle’s food habits, cooking, and cultural differences with global public health nutrition recommendations—with emphasis on USA guidelines.
• Apply public health principles and knowledge of epidemiological studies focusing on MD’s chronic disease prevention to design ML inspired campaigns for diverse population groups and settings (e.g. urban and non-Mediterranean).
• Perform in-depth, organized observations of important cultural, social and environmental factors threatening the Mediterranean Lifestyle’s health outcomes and promote global awareness to safeguard the benefits of this UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 
• Develop critical thinking skills through case studies, class roundtables/debates, and reflective writing on the global implications of the ML, particularly in light of globalization and contemporary health and environmental challenges.