Is it possible to follow a diet according to the Mediterranean diet patterns despite the increase in shopping costs?

In the last two years the economic cost of weekly shopping has become more expensive due to economic inflation.The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is recognized as healthy, but associated with high costs.The objective of the study is to assess whether the weekly menu of the population attached to our health center is associated with the pattern of DM and its cost.Material and methods: Prospective study of 10 family units (UF) selected at random in two medical consultations.They were asked to record the weekly purchase, cost and weekly menu, and the Predimed Questionnaire on adherence to the DM.Results: A total of 10 interviews were carried out, one of them belonged to a member of the research team who follows the DM pattern.Average age of people 63.8 years.The UF formed by 1 member (40%), 2 (20%), 3 (30%) and 4 (10%) and 30% of the UFs had good adherence to DM (score = or > 9 in the Predimed questionnaire).When analyzing the weekly menu, only 20% coincided.Average weekly cost/person/day is 7.8275 euros, with a range of 12.27 -5.11 euros.The cost of the cheapest menu (5.11 euros) corresponded to the unit with the lowest adherence to DM (score of 4), while that of the UF with the highest adherence (score of 11) was 5.6 euros/person/ day.The analysis of the menus demonstrated their monotony both in the use of products and in recipes and culinary techniques.Conclusions: Despite the economic crisis, it is possible to follow a varied menu according to the DM pattern without exceeding costs.We believe that it is necessary to carry out activities focused on learning the principles of DM that include gastronomy, culinary techniques, menu planning and knowledge of food sustainability to improve the diet of the population.