Learning Health and Sustainabilty at the Umbra Institute
Dr. Daniele Nucci presents the Mediterranean Diet
Students of STFS 330: Sustainability and Food Production in Italy attended a special guest lecture on the Mediterranean Diet with dietician and researcher Dr. Daniele Nucci. Students learned about the recommended food pyramid, and then applied its principles in the kitchen preparing a tasty and nutritionally complete lunch. The menu was brown rice with pumpkin and leek sauce, pasta with pesto of broccoli and nuts, chickpea burgers, vegan mayonnaise, and cabbage and apple stew.
Two students wrote about their experiences during the field trip. Jill Wallace, of Pennsylvania State University, shared:
“I really enjoyed our class visit with the dietitian. In the United States I study basic life sciences and nutrition, so it was really interesting to get another culture’s perspective on things I have previously learned. I was also very impressed with the dietitian’s experiences and the work he is currently involved in. Although some of the information provided related to the Mediterranean were things we were already taught in class, it was exciting to be able to apply that knowledge hands-on in the kitchen. Healthy, fresh ingredients can be tasty too!”
Eliana Zupcich, of Hamilton College, added:
“I am grateful to have attended Dr. Daniele Nucci’s seminar on the Mediterranean Diet and the cooking lesson that followed it. I was particularly attentive to his assertion that the healthiest diet is also the most environmentally sustainable. As it turns out, the practices he promoted were almost entirely vegan. In the United States, many people have unsolicitedly informed me that my diet must be nutritionally incomplete or at the very least inefficient; thus, I appreciated the denunciation of animal products and flesh from a successful nutritionist, cancer prevention specialist, and chef. Moreover, I was delighted to eat the wonderful plant-based meal he helped us prepare!”