Nutrición y gastronomía en la comunidad de la Región de Murcia

Noncommunicable diseases are responsible for a high number of deaths in industrialized populations. The interventions of health promotion and prevention of these diseases, which affect their modifiable factors such as not smoking, not being overweight, maintaining normal blood pressure values, are more effective when they have a population focus. The Fifty-Fifty Program reflects that the knowledge and promotion of gastronomy and its nutritional value with the Mediterranean connotations, typical of the Region of Murcia, can induce changes that promote cardiovascular health (1). The literature search was conducted to assess the influence of Murcia gastronomy on the regional diet. In the consumption of foods in the Region of Murcia highlights a greater intake of fresh vegetables, soft drinks, prepared dishes, dairy products and bread with respect to the national average. This region with lower energy consumption, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids than the rest of Spain, shows the highest rates of obesity, probably due to other factors such as the extra domestic consumption of food, sedentary lifestyle, etc. In addition, the percentages of macronutrients have values similar to those observed at the national level that are out of the nutritional recommendations. The Region of Murcia, due to its Mediterranean characteristics, allows a high availability of food such as fruits, vegetables and a great gastronomic offer. Therefore, the education and training of the consumer should be improved, so that the choice of food is the most appropriate for their health and weight control.