The right proteins in the Mediterranean diet to stay fit and healthy

The right proteins, within a truly Mediterranean diet, are the best choice in terms of health and longevity. The theme is so important that the new volume Proteins in the Mediterranean diet – edited by Federico Mereta, published by Gribaudo, promoted by Danone Institute Foundation and created with the advice of a board of experts (professors Lorenzo Morelli, Andrea Ghiselli, Maurizio Muscaritoli and Michele Sculati, Elisabetta Bernardi and the engineer Assunta Filareto) – was presented no less than in the Hall of Parliamentary Groups of the Chamber of Deputies. The aim is precisely to promote varied, delicious and balanced food diet that unites the countries bordering the Mediterraneanunfortunately now followed by only 13% of Italians according to a recent study by CREA – Food and Nutrition Research Center published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

«The Mediterranean diet is not just a diet but a real lifestyle, a passport to well-being, health preservation and prevention of many diseases», he declared Licia Ronzulli, Vice President of the Senate of the Republic. «Yet in Italy itself, the country that can rightly be considered the birthplace of the Mediterranean diet, there are fewer and fewer people not only who resort to this type of diet but who know about its properties and benefits. A large-scale awareness campaign is therefore necessary, involving all sector experts, schools, institutions and to educate adults and the youngest, that is, those who perhaps least of all are inclined to follow a healthy and complete diet. Initiatives such as that of the Istituto Danone Foundation are therefore essential to bring to the tables of as many Italians as possible the products that our extraordinary country gives us to ensure a healthy lifestyle and psycho-physical well-being.”

What are proteins used for?

During the meeting, several experts explored in particular the crucial role of proteins, both animal and non-animal, which build, they repair and maintain the well-being of cells and tissues and who, also and precisely thanks to them, are constantly replaced. There is a certain connection between protein consumption and health – the recommended dose is 0.83 g per kg of weight body per day – particularly in the over 60s, thanks to their protective effects on muscle strength, fragility and immune responses. On average, in fact, muscles account for 40% of our body weight and we have more than 600 of them. Aging is physiologically associated with the reduction of their mass: after the age of 40 the loss rate is estimated at around 8% every ten years, while after the age of 70 the rate rises to 15% for each decade. There are also factors that accelerate the process, resulting in a reduction in strength and physical performance as well as quality of life (sarcopenia). Well, an adequate distribution of the protein quota at meals, with an intake of proteins in at least one of the main ones and physical rehabilitation represent an extremely effective preventive strategy.

Which (and how many) to prefer

The Guidelines for correct nutrition in Italy recommend a balanced consumption of animal and vegetable proteins: their ideal income should come from 45% from animal proteins and 55% from vegetable proteins. In the first case, the greatest contribution should concern dairy products – due to their fundamental contribution of calcium – and fish products, while the Meats should make up 10% of our diet. Proteins of animal origin have a high biological value, are easily digestible and absorbable by the body and provide an important quantity of essential amino acids. While vegetal ones are linked to lower overall mortality, in particular cardiovascular mortality, to better insulin sensitivity and are fundamental for the health of the microbiota, because they modulate it through prebiotic effects and support the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Because they are fundamental for the line

Precious for health, Proteins are also essential for maintaining a healthy weightthanks to them satiating effect. First of all, they increase the residence time of foods in the stomach, and this becomes a potential conditioning for oral processing (from the first bite to swallowing), resulting in a greater stimulus of satiety. Furthermore, a protein-rich meal, combined with the right amount of carbohydrates, stimulates the release of the hormone GLP-1 which slows stomach emptying, increases – again – the feeling of satiety and also reduces appetite afterwards. As if that wasn’t enough, after having lunch a energy expenditure linked to digestive processes, which is greater after consuming proteins. And the hypothesis has also been put forward that satiety can be effectively induced by the branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) present in high quality proteins.