Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the first ever Mediterranean Diet Roundtable. It was an effort to discuss the importance but also the application of the Mediterranean Diet in different venues in the US.

The roundtable that took place in New York City, was not the typical symposium that focuses only on the scientific side, but rather a mix of professionals you do not ordinarily see together in an event like this. Chefs, foodservice directors and researchers gathered and presented their Mediterranean Diet perspectives as seen through their field of work.

The vision of Daniela Puglielli founder and creator of this event was to encourage a peer to peer discussion on the topic, bringing it to a practical level.

The audience included doctors, nutritionists along with food industry professionals, international manufacturers and international trade organization representatives.

The session started with Oldways President Sara Baer-Sinnott who presented the journey of the Mediterranean diet in the US. Oldways is the creator of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid that was first presented in the 1990’s and provided Americans with a first glimpse of the Mediterranean Diet.