research paper on the comparison of mediterranean and ghanaian diet

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Diets are part of the lifestyle of people. One’s diet may come as a result of upbringing, mindset, knowledge, taste, availability and season among others. This paper seeks to analyze the differences and commonalities, and finally determine which diet is better and in which context all from the point of view of the writer. This paper analyses the Italian Mediterranean diet and the Ghanaian West African diet on the bases of nutritional value, accessibility, family and government economics. First, a brief history on both diets; the Italians and Ghanaians have a lot in common. They enjoy mostly home meals, they both have meals usually without appetizers and desserts and they both include lots of vegetables and spices in their cooking. “… Italians definitely prefer to eat a warm meal at home. Italians love their home food….. A week meal is a simple affair, no appetizers, no desserts” (food & wine, 2010). They are both also very peculiar about their tomatoes and peppers. Mediterranean countries are those located around the Mediterranean Sea; Greece, Italy, Spain, France and many others. Their diet was greatly influenced by Italy, Crete and Greece in 1960 and is considered also as a contribution to the world. It is a deliberate attempt to eat healthy and keep the body fresh. The Italian community is made up of twenty regions and each region has different ways of using the region’s ingredients to produce unique meals. Whenever Italy is mentioned, there is always this sense of pasta and pizza but Italian meals are all that and so much more. Although Ghanaian diet does not have a great history, it does have a certain cultural and universal appeal. The Ghanaian diet is held up almost as high as its flag. Ghana is made up of ten regions and this helps in the diverse ways meals are prepared. “Certain foods that make up the Ghanaian diet vary according to which region of the

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