NTR 232 F Sec.

101 Fall 2023

WHERE FOOD MEETS HEALTH: THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

TUE 6:00 – 8:30 PM

Credits: 3
Hours 45
Instructor: Sara Pezzatini
E-mail: sara.pezzatini@lorenzodemedici.it

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An exploration of the Mediterranean diet from the standpoint of lifestyle and food choices. Since Dr. Ancel
Keys first published his Seven Countries study, this influential –and controversial– analysis has attracted a
great deal of attention from both doctors and the general public. We examine the relationship between food
and health through a variety of sources and materials, and look at different regional diets from several
countries in the Mediterranean area. Theoretical knowledge is then transformed into practical know-how in
cooking sessions, where students learn to prepare a selection of “Mediterranean” dishes, helping to
consolidate the course’s core concepts and develop manual skills.

Students must be aware that this course has a practical hands-on component: various ingredients will be
handled, including meat and fish. Using the kitchen and kitchenware demands responsible behavior and the
observation of specific safety and hygiene rules, as explained under LdM course policies.

COURSE PREREQUISITES

None.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

● understand the importance of Mediterranean Diet, its influential role in culture and eating habits ●
learn about the features and role of Mediterranean Diet in preventing the onset of diseases ● learn how to
apply the Mediterranean dietary guidelines and how to structure a customized meal-plan
● improve their cooking skills by preparing iconic and traditional MD dished under the guidance of
professional Italian chefs

COURSE GRADING

The grading components in this course are divided into the following percentages:

20% Class Participation

10% Assignment I: Reaction Paper
15% Assignment II: Project Presentation
25% Midterm Exam (Written)
30% Final Exam (Written)

The LdM grading scale is based on the following standard point system:

1
93-100= A 87-89 = B+
90-92 = A 77-79 = C+
 60-69 = D
83-86 = B
73 -76 = C
0 -59 = F
80-82 = B
70-72 = C

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Students will be assessed through:

CLASS PARTICIPATION
Given the nature of the course, it is important for students to contribute regularly and productively to class
discussions and activities. These are grounded in assigned readings, class lectures, and visits. Readings
should be done prior to the class for which they are assigned; class notes should be well organized; visits
should be concluded by writing a quick note summarizing points of interest and impressions. In-class
contributions are a significant part of the CP grade. Positive contributions are those that advance the
discussion by formulating meaningful questions, presenting new ideas or insights, building on classmates’
comments, or presenting counterpoints in a respectful way. Positive in-class contributions are grounded in the
notion of community. Students should listen respectfully when others talk, both in groups and in class; reply
to e-mail correspondence whenever appropriate; and contribute to group and class dynamics by eliciting
feedback from others and helping to keep the class discussions and/or group activities on task.

Please feel free to ask questions and clarify concepts.

Consider that physical presence alone is NOT class participation

Grades for participation are determined by the instructor and reference the following criteria:

● Attendance and Preparation

● Level of Engagement
● Contributions to Class Community

REACTION PAPER
Students are required to write a Reaction Paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. This
might be the viewing of one or more videos/movie clips on the Mediterranean Diet. Further information will
be given in depth in class.

PROJECT PRESENTATION
Students (3-4 for each group) will be required to prepare a Project that is composed by a power point in-
class presentation on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. The aim of the presentation is to
create a debate on the actual usefulness and feasibility of the Mediterranean Diet.

MIDTERM EXAM
The midterm exam consists of a written test that includes 3-4 essay questions that require students to give
critical and analytical answers. They will verify students’ higher learning skills, such as understanding,
application, analysis, critical thinking.

FINAL EXAMS
There will be a Final Examination with 3-4 short essay questions covering material treated in the course.
The Final Exam will be cumulative but with emphasis on the second part of the course. The exact number,
type, and length of the questions is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion, but the exams will be
essay-based. A week before the exams, the instructor will give oral and written suggestions on how to
properly prepare for and take these tests.

Remember that the dates of tests and exams CANNOT be changed for any reason, so please organize
your personal schedule accordingly.

Students with learning disabilities who may need special provisions during exams are required to contact
their LdM Advisor or LdM Dean of Students (see the Academic Regulations).

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LDM TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

All courses at LdM creatively and effectively incorporate active learning strategies into teaching. In a course
focused on active learning, teachers are invested in students’ success, and students are truly engaged in the
learning process—they grapple with the course material by working collaboratively on problems, and are
constantly processing what they are learning.
In LdM courses, the learning process is promoted through critical thinking, effective communication, and
hands-on experience. Students are asked to think critically, in order to boost their understanding and
contribute to making their class into a “community of inquiry”. They are encouraged to give voice to their
ideas, fostering a skill they can apply in any setting, academic or not. Finally, LdM students learn by doing.
As a result, they develop their problem-solving skills, increase their retention rate, and enhance their
engagement.

COURSE READINGS/RESOURCES

MANDATORY READINGS

● Delgado, Amélia M, de A. M. D. Vaz, and Salvatore Parisi. Chemistry of the Mediterranean Diet,
2017. Print

FURTHER RECOMMENDED SOURCES

● Romagnolo, Donato F, and Ornella I. Selmin. Mediterranean Diet: Dietary Guidelines and Impact
on Health and Disease. Cham: Humana Press, 2016. Print.
● Jenkins, Nancy H. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health.
New York: Bantam Books, 1994. Print.
● Bosley, S. “What Actually Is the Mediterranean Diet and Does it Work?”. The Guardian (2016), Web
2017
● Mancuso, T. Sicilian Food. www.umass.edu (2011) Web 2017
● Trotter, Charlie, Marcus Wareing, Shaun Hill, and Lyn Hall. Knife Skills in the Kitchen. New York,
NY: Dorling Kindersley, 2008. Print.
● Kremezi, Aglaia, and Jim Botsacos. The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the
Crossroads of the Mediterranean, Including Some Recipes from New York's Acclaimed Molyvos
Restaurant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.
● Dosti, Rose. Mideast & Mediterranean Cuisines. Tucson, Arizona: Fisher Books, 1993. Print. ●
Morris, Sallie. The Complete Guide to Spices: The Definitive Visual Encyclopedia of Culinary Spices
from Around the World, and How to Use Them. London: Southwater, 2003. Print.

Please note: Many sources can be found in the LdM library, via dell’Alloro, 13 (hours: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
M-F, check the library catalog for book, DVD, or CD titles).

COURSE SCHEDULE

Please keep in mind that the contents of individual classes may be slightly modified according to the
progress of the class.
LESSON TOPIC ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENTS

Presentation of the course;

1
class syllabus, classes and
topics.
Sep 5th

Introduction on Mediterranean
Food Studies: Health effects of
Mediterranean diets
 3
Olives and olive oil: The pillar
2
of Mediterranean DietChapter 4 Olive Oil and Table
Olives (4.1 – 4.2)
Sep 12th

Professor Ancel Keys, and the

3
Kitchen lab #1
Chapter1 The Mediterranean
(seven) 7 countries study. The
Diet: What Is It?
Birth of Mediterranean Healthy
Sep 19th
Non-slippery
Food Style
shoes and long
Pages 3-8
pants are required

4
Carbohydrates in the
Chapter 5.5 Rice, Pasta and
Mediterranean Diet
Potatoes
Sep 26th

5
Understanding the 7 Countries
Kitchen lab #2
Chapter 2 Food and Nutrient
Study and the concept of
Features of the Mediterranean
Oct 3rd
Reaction paper
Adherence to the
Diet
Mediterranean Diet
Non-slippery
Chapter 3 Adherence to the
shoes and long
Mediterranean Diet (3.1 – 3.2)
pants are required

6
Costs and real-life obstacles
Material provided by the
preventing adherence to MD
instructor based on the latest
Oct 10th
research and costs-report.
Questions related to readings,
lectures, and practical class
work.
Midterm exam review
 7
MIDTERM
EXAM
Oct 17th

MIDTERM BREAK

8
The wine in the Mediterranean
Chapter 8 infusion and wines
Diet and the moderate
Oct 31st
consumption of alcohol in the
Med Diet.
Class Debate

4
Elaborate a
9
Adopting a med diet lifestyle:
Excel Food Database
customized MD
Goals, meal plans and recipe
meal plan
Nov 7th
Video Instructions

10
Plant Based Diet vs
Project assignment
Mediterranean Diet: a
Nov 14th
comparison
Guest Lecture: diet and
sustainability

11
Studies of the Mediterranean
Kitchen Lab #3
American Heart Association:
diet relative to specific health
DASH Study
Nov 21st
Non-slippery
issues (Metabolic Syndrome:
BMJ: Adherence to
shoes and long
Hypertension, Dyslipidemia,
Mediterranean diet and health
pants are required
Diabetes and CVD).
 status: meta-analysis

Description of Greens and

vegetable food in the
Mediterranean diet

In class
12
presentations of
the Project
Nov 28th

Kitchen Lab #4
13
The Mediterranean diet and
Chapter 7.3 Meat
Review for the
health issues 2: Cancer
Final Exam.
Dec 5th
PHN: Red and processed meat
prevention.
consumption and mortality.
Non-slippery
PHN: Mediterranean diet and
shoes and long
health status: an updated
pants are required
meta-analysis

FINAL EXAM
14
Questions related to readings,
lectures, and practical class
Dec 12th
work.

NB: Should the instructor be unavailable, a substitute teacher will give the scheduled or an alternative
lecture at the regular class time.
Make-up classes are always mandatory since they are part of the course program.
The dishes listed can change according to the availability of the ingredients of the market.

SITE VISITS/FIELD TRIPS

No Trips/Site visits foreseen in this class

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

The class is held in a professional cooking lab, fully equipped with all necessary cooking tools and required
ingredients (for which a lab fee is due).

In every class students are required to wear:

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1. apron, provided by LdM
2. non-slippery shoes and long pants (personal)
3. gloves, when needed (provided in class)

Class notes and textbook must be brought to class at all times

Please note: The LdM apron, included in the lab fee, will become the property of the students and can be
taken home after the course..

ADDITIONAL COURSE COSTS

For this course, students will spend:

● 22 EUR (approx.) for the textbook kindle (paid individually by each student) ● 50 EUR Additional
Course Fee, which includes all required ingredients, handouts, an apron (which students can keep)

NOTE: The Lab fee must be paid after finalizing your add-drop and not later than the THIRD FRIDAY
of the semester (Sept 22), as stated in the academic regulations. Payment options:

a) at the frontdesk in Via del Giglio 4. Please, show the syllabus, pay by credit card and keep the
receipt, as proof for your professor or whoever provided you with the materials.

b) online at this address by switching “$” to “€”, inserting the correct amount as indicated above
and specifying in the underneath box for what you are paying (write the course code and section
as per syllabus; you may add the name of your professor for further clarity. If you pay
cumulatively for two or more courses, specify each amount and code). Make sure your name is
inserted in the first screen, so to be associated with the due fee, even though somebody else will be
paying

LDM COURSE POLICIES

ATTENDANCE
Attendance is mandatory for a successful learning experience at LdM.

See “Academic Regulations” for the exact number of absences allowed.

Please note:
● If THREE classes are missed, the Final Grade will be lowered by 1 full grade. ● If FOUR or more
classes are missed, the Final Grade will be an “F” and 0 Credits will be awarded. ● Missed in-class
activities (including, but not limited to, quizzes, exams, etc.) cannot be made up and will be graded F.

PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality is mandatory at LdM.
● Any tardiness, including leaving during class without notice, not showing up on time after the break,
or leaving early, will impact the participation grade and the Final Grade.
● Three late arrivals or the equivalent (10 to 20 minutes) will result in 1 full absence in the attendance
count.
● Missing more than 20 minutes will be considered the equivalent of 1 full absence.

Please note: It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on any missed work and to keep track of his or her
absence/tardiness.

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ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSIONS
Late submissions of assignments, including papers, are not accepted. If an assignment is submitted after the
deadline, the grade for the assignment will be an F = 0 points, which may adversely impact the Final Grade
of the course.

SCHEDULING CONFLICT
If a class occasionally creates a conflict with another class (due to a simultaneously scheduled make-up class,
site visit, field trip, etc.), the student is required to inform IN ADVANCE both instructors AND contact the
Student’s Advisor in order to make a responsible decision about which class to attend.
ETIQUETTE
● No food or drinking is allowed in museums; in religious places, shoulders and knees must be covered.
● Classrooms are to be left neat and clean. Students must take proper care of available equipment and
materials and promptly report any damage or loss.
● Drinking/eating during class/site visits is not allowed. Electronic devices (cell phones, Smartphones,
iPods, iPads, laptops, etc.) must be switched off during class, unless otherwise instructed.

Please note: Instructors who find that a student’s behavior is inappropriate will seek to talk to him/her
immediately; if the behavior continues, the instructor is required to contact the appropriate LdM authority.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

✔ All student work will be checked for plagiarism.

According to the LdM Rules of Conduct, “Violations include cheating on tests, plagiarism (taking words or
texts, works of art, designs, etc., and presenting them as your own), inadequate citation, recycled work,
unauthorized assistance, or similar actions not explicitly mentioned.” Assignments and projects are specific
to individual courses; presenting the same work in two different courses (including previous courses) is
considered recycling and is unacceptable.

Why is plagiarism bad?

✔ It’s unethical.

✔ The student will fail the paper and possibly the course.

✔ Professors are required to report it.

✔ The student will be put on academic probation.

✔ The student might even be dismissed from college.

Bottom Line: Students MUST cite the sources they use!

NB: Should issues of academic dishonesty arise the faculty member will adhere to the relevant LdM policy
and report any suspected cases to the LdM Dean of Students for disciplinary review.

For a definition of and advice on how to avoid plagiarism, see

Plagiarism.org/. USEFUL STUDENT RESOURCES

INTERNAL RESOURCES

LdM Library | Library Catalog

Via dell’Alloro, 13

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Librarians: Rolf Bagemihl e Arnaldo Albergo

Hours: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm M-F

● No open shelf. Spacious reading room. Copies: 5 cents/page

ProQuest Central (Also accessible through LdM Web site under “LdM
Library”) ● Online database of scholarly journal, magazine, and newspaper
articles
Ebook Central (Also accessible through LdM Web site under “LdM Library”)
● Online database of e-books

Computer Facility
Via del Giglio, 4

LdM Printing and Scanning Center Tetriz

Via dell’Alloro, 14r
● Students can bring material to print on a USB memory device or on a CD or DVD, or they
can e-mail their request to: tetriz@lorenzodemedici.it. Black-white: 5 cents/page; color: 15
cents/page. Scanning is free of charge.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Free Online Resources (gathered on the LdM Library homepage)

● Reliable and mostly scholarly resources in anthropology, archaeology, art & architecture, classics,
conservation, education, environmental science, epigraphy, fashion design, film, food & nutrition,
forensic psychology, history, holocaust studies, Italian language & literature, Jewish studies,
Medieval & Renaissance studies, music, numismatics, papyrus, philosophy, politics &
government, religious studies, women’s & gender studies.

Libraries in Italy (gathered on the LdM Library homepage)

● Important research libraries

University of Florence Library | Library Catalog

Via Micheli, 2 (Architecture). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Piazza Brunelleschi, 4 (Language and Literature). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via della Pergola, 56 (Art History). Hours: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via S. Salvi, 12 (Psychology). Hours: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm M, W, F; 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Tu,
Th Piazza Brunelleschi, 4 (Philosophy). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
Via del Proconsolo, 12 (Anthropology). Hours: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm M, F; 8:30 am – 6:00 pm Tu, W,
Th Viale Morgagni, 67/a (Mathematics). Hours: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm M-Th; 8:30 am – 2:00 pm F Via
G. Bernardini, 6 (Sesto Fiorentino) (Sciences – Physics, Chemistry). Hours: 8:30 am – 6:00 pm M-Th;
8:30 am – 2:00 pm F
Via delle Pandette, 2 (Social Sciences – Business, Economics, Politics). Hours: 8:30 am – 7:00 pm M-F
● Apply for daily library access: Access request

Biblioteca delle Oblate | Library Catalog

Via dell’Oriuolo, 24 – Hours: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm M; 9:00 am – 7:00 pm Tu-F; 10:00 am – 7:00 pm Sat
-- Access: ID
● This is a public library with generous opening and computer hours.

Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze | Library Catalog

Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, 1 – Hours: 8:15 am – 7:00 pm M-F; 8:15 am – 1:30 pm Sat – Access: ID ●
Houses modern books in all fields as well as many medieval manuscripts and other rare and
unique materials.

Biblioteca del Museo Galileo (Museo di Storia della Scienza) | Library Catalog Piazza dei
Giudici, 1 – Hours: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm M-F; 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Sat – Access: Letter of
presentation and passport
● Houses a large number of books and periodicals in the history of science.
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