Abstract
The purpose of this research was to explore and develop an understanding of Cretan women’s subjective experiences regarding food and eating behaviors. On average, 43 community group participants provided reflective written feedback after eleven consecutive meetings. The participants ranged in age from 20 to 85 years. The group engaged in experiential activities and critical reflection with the aim of construction and generation of meanings regarding women’s subjective experiences of food, eating, nutrition and body image. The women expressed worry and confusion concerning what the ‘right’ foods are, and balancing ‘tradition’ with new and conflicting ‘lifestyles’. Younger women were more concerned with diet and body image, middle age participants with preparing ‘appropriate’ foods for their families, and older participants with the changing practices in traditional cuisine. This study offers a conceptual understanding of how a sample of women living within a culture considered privileged to possess ‘a medically sanctioned’ diet, subjectively experience food and eating.
Highlights
Since the late 1960s, a great deal of nutritional research has been conducted on the Island of Crete
The participants who belonged to the age group from 20 to 35 focused more on worry and concern regarding body image, diet, and maintaining anappealing‘ body size
The participants belonging to the age group from 35 to 50 focused primarily on fears or confusion about proper nutrition, media messages, and preparing nutritious food for their families
Summary
Since the late 1960s, a great deal of nutritional research has been conducted on the Island of Crete. The Cretan diet has been the subject of study (longitudinal and cross-cultural) for decades and the changes in eating habits have been documented systematically (Aravanis, Corcodilas, Dontas, Lekos, & Keys, 1970; Keys, 1997; Keys, et al, 1966). It is from those longitudinal studies that the ―Mediterranean diet‖ phenomenon has come about, as has the study and interest in the consumption of olives and olive oil ( ̳the elixir of life‘). The research of the Keys‘ and Kafatos‘ teams has a nutrition-medical focus. There are no studies for the Greek population which focus on the psychological components of eating, how people process anddigest‘ theproper nutrition‘ information that is often provided by both media and the scientific discourses
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