Visit the Mediterranean Diet
We are often tempted to follow the most talked about dietary trends for optimal health, but is the most popular fad necessarily the most beneficial? Keto and high protein, low carb diets may appear reign supreme. This may not be in your targeted ads when scrolling, but The Mediterranean diet is one of the most tried and true, evidence based dietary approaches for overall health in existence, and deserves to make its way back into our social media feeds and social circles. It may not deliver fast results, but fast is not often sustainable, safe, or easy to accomplish. The power of the Mediterranean diet is that it can be done long term, is flexible, and has been rated by an expert team of panelists as the #1 easiest to follow out of 35 diets.(1) Like with every dietary pattern, this one can require personalization to be effective, but its focus on lifestyle in addition to whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and a balance of healthy fat is the key to seeing results.
WHY VISIT THE MEDITERRANEAN... DIET, THAT IS
The Mediterranean food pyramid is flexible. While the portion sizes may be different based on who who speak to you, will always see it recommended to eat fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olives, nuts, herbs and spices, and for those who drink alcohol, a few glasses of red wine per week (well, that part may not be best for you, but that’s another topic).(7) Dairy, eggs, and poultry are eaten in moderation, and red meat and sweets are limited to special occasions.(7) Basically, you can eat that bacon or sundae, but reserve them for when it’s really worth it and enjoy them completely (negative self talk, move aside!).
The diet is not limited to Greece and Italy, but includes wonderful spices and recipes from all countries that border the Mediterranean sea, such as Turkey, Spain, Morocco, and Egypt. The diet offers the chance to explore culinary wonders from these sun soaked countries, but can be modified to suit cultures and traditions from around the world.
The diet as it is known today is popular in scientific research due to the landmark, 50 year long Seven Countries Study which found that it reduced coronary heart disease.(2) It has since been found to improve high blood sugar, metabolic syndrome, abdominal fat and obesity, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease risk, and may reduce the risk of colon cancer and increase fertility.(2,3,4) It may improve asthma control, protect against respiratory and kidney diseases, and even improve cognitive function by increasing memory and learning capacity.(5,6) While the diet may benefit those who are at risk of certain diseases, it may also be a good preventive measure for the general population.
The extensive benefits of the Mediterranean diet may be due to its anti-inflammatory effects and reduction of oxidative stress (stress on our cells) and the resulting cellular damage.(5) Fish, nuts, and olive oil, when consumed in balance, provide healthy and anti-inflammatory fats.(5) Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices provide antioxidants like flavonoids to protect our cells against damage, and the fiber in legumes and whole grains supports a healthy gut microbiome.(5)
The Mediterranean diet does not just include food, but is also a way of life. It encourages eating slowly and enjoying meals with loved ones. It incorporates adequate exercise and rest, and drinking enough water,(8) but what this means can vary person to person. With the help of your nutritionist, the diet can be modified to accommodate preferences, lifestyle, food allergies, and religious restrictions, and is often combined with other dietary patterns to best suit the individual. It does not need to be complicated or expensive, and there are many tips to help this feel pretty easy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM YOUR NUTRITIONIST
Even though a dietary trend may be popular and saturating your social media feeds, that doesn’t mean it is supported with solid scientific evidence, is efficacious in the long term, or is the right fit for you. The Mediterranean diet, however, is flexible and has a proven track record for improving health. It may suit you once it is personalized for your needs.
The Mediterranean diet focuses on whole, unprocessed foods including grains and legumes (yes, these are healthy!), fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil, herbs, and spices. Taking time to eat, doing so with loved ones (even on Zoom), going for a walk each day, and drinking water can be viewed as the side dishes to your main course.
While preparing fresh meals with quality ingredients can be time consuming and costly, there are some easy tricks to follow. Making a big pot of oatmeal to add nuts and fruit to for breakfast each morning, cooking a pot of lentils to add to vegetable soups and salads, mixing a bottle of homemade dressing for the week with olive oil, vinegar, and herbs, buying canned salmon or frozen fish as an alternative to fresh, and purchasing frozen (or yes, even canned) vegetables for those days you “just can’t” are all ways to stick with the plan.
References:
1.Mediterranean Diet. Health.usnews.com. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mediterranean-diet. Accessed November 28, 2020.
2.The Seven Countries Study. Sevencountriesstudy.com. https://www.sevencountriesstudy.com/study-findings/. Accessed November 27, 2020.
3. Hernáez Á, Castañer O, Goday A, et al. The Mediterranean Diet decreases LDL atherogenicity in high cardiovascular risk individuals: a randomized controlled trial. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(9):10.1002/mnfr.201601015. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201601015
4. Hernáez Á, Estruch R. The Mediterranean Diet and Cancer: What Do Human and Molecular Studies Have to Say about It?. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2155. Published 2019 Sep 9. doi:10.3390/nu110921556
5. Gotsis E, Anagnostis P, Mariolis A, Vlachou A, Katsiki N, Karagiannis A. Health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: an update of research over the last 5 years. Angiology. 2015;66(4):304-318. doi:10.1177/00033197145321696.
6. Karstens AJ, Tussing-Humphreys L, Zhan L, et al. Associations of the Mediterranean diet with cognitive and neuroimaging phenotypes of dementia in healthy older adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019;109(2):361-368. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqy2757.
7. Davis C, Bryan J, Hodgson J, Murphy K. Definition of the Mediterranean Diet; a Literature Review. Nutrients. 2015;7(11):9139-9153. Published 2015 Nov 5. doi:10.3390/nu7115459
8. Lăcătușu CM, Grigorescu ED, Floria M, Onofriescu A, Mihai BM. The Mediterranean Diet: From an Environment-Driven Food Culture to an Emerging Medical Prescription. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(6):942. Published 2019 Mar 15. doi:10.3390/ijerph16060942
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