Dr. Rafael Urrialde
Rafael Urrialde, lecturer in the Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology at the Complutense University of Madrid and in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences at CEU-San Pablo University, president of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Society of Sports Medicine, secretary of the Spanish Nutrition Foundation, Honorary Member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Numerary Member and Vice-President of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), is featured in two interviews published on 10 May in the specialised portal 65ymás, whose Health Committee he chairs, and on 20 June in the newspaper “La Razón”.
In 65ymás, where he is also a member of the Medical Committee of its informative section Cuídate+, the academic emphasises the importance of food in longevity and advocates the 8S food model —safe, healthy, sustainable, satisfactory, sufficient, social, supportive and sovereign— which he himself has defined in various scientific works. Urrialde also recommends following the Mediterranean diet—fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, oily fish, and olive oil—bearing in mind that the way recipes are prepared is critical. As an example, he points out that one of the most recommended foods, legumes, will have one final nutritional value or another depending on how they are prepared: cooking them with vegetables is not the same as cooking them with food products containing saturated fats of animal origin, because the nutritional contribution will vary very substantially.
In “La Razón”, the expert goes even further, pointing out that food can no longer be understood solely from the perspective of nutrition but from a global vision of public health and sustainability. On the occasion of the 35th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Nutrition, Urrialde calls for the need to rethink food from a much broader perspective, connecting public health, sustainability, the economy, the environment and food safety, once again invoking the 8S model and defending the inclusion of food in the One Health model promoted by the World Health Organisation.
“Food is part of everyday life, and that means everyone has an opinion, but professionalisation is essential, just as it is in other fields such as medicine or engineering. It is true that many traditional practices had a scientific basis even if this was not known at the time, such as combining legumes with rice to improve protein quality or adding lemon to lentils to promote iron absorption. But today food and food safety are increasingly complex and specialised. That is why, just as someone with a heart problem goes to a cardiologist, anyone who needs to change their eating habits should go to a dietitian-nutritionist”, he argues.
A recognised expert in food regulation, Urrialde is the author or co-author of scientific publications on nutrition education. He was Head of Health and Food Safety at Puleva Food, Director of the Health and Food Area at the Spanish Consumers’ Union, technical coordinator of the magazine “Ciudadano”, Director of Health and Nutrition at Coca-Cola Iberia, analysis technician at the Institute of Refrigeration of the Spanish National Research Council, and collaborator of the Chair of Plant Physiology at the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Complutense University of Madrid.
