Experiencing the Mediterranean Diet Abroad: An Observational Study into the Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet and Creation of MyTable

The observational study completed in Volterra, Italy, in regards to evaluating the Mediterranean diet implemented in this specific region, aided in the creation of MyTable, a meal diagram that will help American’s eat healthier, balanced meals. This study started out by comparing researched statistics on Italy and the United States, and took into account the results found from personal implementation of both Mediterranean and American diets. The purpose of this study was to help solve questions about the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet left unanswered by other research studies, and help transfer key elements into a feasible plan for Americans to follow, called MyTable. The results collected abroad have supported the fact that a diet following the Mediterranean diet guidelines, explained by the World Health Organization and Food and Drug Administration, can result in increased overall health of a population. Collecting statistics of life expectancy, prevalence of chronic diseases, and popularity of fruit and vegetable intake provide evidence of its advantages. MyTable will represent the beneficial patterns and habits as observed personally and objectively in varying Italian populations and geographical regions traveled to, throughout six weeks abroad. Weakness of this study includes the method of observation. It is important to keep in mind that these results cannot assume causation, but show a correlation that is open to confounding factors. Nevertheless, a link is evident between following this diet and improved health. In conclusion, MyTable pictorially helps Americans experience the Mediterranean diet, as it aims at improving health while decreasing incidence of non-communicable diseases seen in the United States.