LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Famed for keeping people slim , healthy and living longer , the Mediterranean diet has followers all over the world . Cultural treat ? Moves are underway to get the Mediterranean diet on UNESCO 's world heritage list . However , the diet is being increasingly shunned by people who live in the Med as the convenience of fast food gains popularity . The renowned low-fat , high-fiber diet has `` decayed into a moribund state '' in its traditional regions , according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) . So sharp is the decline that governments from the region are scrambling to protect their traditional fare from becoming an `` endangered '' species . Populations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea , such as Greece , Spain and Italy , tend to eat these foods , and governments there have joined forces to apply for their diet to be placed on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization 's ( UNESCO ) Heritage list . Those lobbying for UNESCO protection have argued that its inclusion would `` fend off the watered-down clones assailing its integrity worldwide in this age of killer fast food . '' The UNESCO list is famous for including historic and cultural sites but in recent years the UN body has opened its register to include `` intangible heritage , '' such as endangered languages or vanishing traditions . `` The Mediterranean diet is a heritage that should be protected and shared , '' Paolo de Castro , a former Italian Agriculture minister , said earlier this year . `` Science has long recognized the unusual health properties of the diet , which has strengthened and accompanied the common cultural identity of Mediterranean countries , '' he said , according to Italian news agency ANSA . `` The diet is an integral part of the historical and cultural identity of the Mediterranean , and an opportunity for growth for the countries in the area . '' Originally considered the diet of the poor , who did n't have much money to buy meat , the `` Mediterranean diet '' is rich in fruits , vegetables , nuts , cereals , whole grains , fish and olive oil . Numerous studies have associated it with long life-spans and low rates of cancer , heart disease and other ailments . See a comparison of the old and new diets in Mediterranean countries » . However , some fear that it has become supplanted by supermarket ready-made foods and fast food as people have become more cash-rich and time-poor . `` The European diet has become too fat , too salty and too sweet , '' senior FAO economist Josef Schmidhuber concluded in the group 's report on the European Union diet . The FAO 's 2008 report ranks Spain as the country with the biggest leap in fat consumption in Europe -- from 25 percent of the diet 40 years ago to 40 percent now . EU and Mediterranean countries with the worst dietary changes are Greece , Italy , Spain , Portugal , Cyprus and Malta , where calorie intake has increased by 30 percent in the last few decades . Three-quarters of the population of Greece is overweight or obese , while in Spain and Italy the number is more than 50 percent . In the U.S. , 66 percent of the population fits into this category . Alarmed by the growing health problems associated with obesity , Spain 's Health Ministry has launched a series of initiatives to combat obesity . In 2007 , it ordered fast-food chain Burger King to remove ads for its Big King XXL , which contains 1,000 calories , and which were aimed at teenagers and young people . A 2001 report by Foodservice Intelligence , a London-based market research firm , found that traditional-style restaurants in Italy and Spain were outnumbered two-to-one by their fast-food counterparts . UNESCO will decide whether to include the Mediterranean diet in its Heritage list late next year . Until then , Spain and other countries in the region undoubtedly will hope they can retain their reputation as a rewarding destination for the gourmet traveler .
Mediterranean diet has declined into a `` moribund state '' according to the U.N . Fat consumption has increased markedly in Mediterranean countries . Italy , Spain , Greece and Morocco want Med diet to gain UNESCO status .