The Mediterranean Diet
A Traditional Eating Style that Supports Human Health
What can be learned about dietary patterns followed by people who live in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea?
People living in Mediterranean countries consume high amounts of fat but incidences of heart disease and cancer are lower.
Scientists have been studying Mediterranean dietary patterns to determine why the Mediterranean style diet is beneficial to human health.
- The Seven Countries Study established that the traditional Mediterranean diet was a factor in improved health outcomes and longevity.
- Subsequent studies confirmed that the Mediterranean diet impacts significantly on human wellness. The Mediterranean Diet is now considered the Gold Standard for healthful dietary intake.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The traditional Mediterranean menu includes grains and pasta, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish and red wine. These foods provide an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients--dietary factors, it is believed, that work in concert to support health.
The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
A glance at foods that are consumed the most and those that are eaten in moderation
Daily
- Whole grains and pasta are at the widest part of the mediterranean dietary pyramid (containing fiber and important nutrients).
- Fruits, beans, and vegetables render important phytochemicals and minerals that protect against disease; nuts and seeds contain compounds that have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels.
- Next on the pyramid is olive oil. Olive oil is a good source of antioxidants (helping to guard against clogged arteries) and monounsaturated fat (that lowers blood cholesterol levels).
- Cheese and yogurt
Weekly
- Fish (the American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish two times per week)
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Sweets
- Red wine--red wine contains flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties. The Mayo Clinic reports that red wine raises HDL (good) cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, inhibits clot formation, and renders a protective effect on arterial damage caused by LDL cholesterol.
Monthly
- Red meat is eaten in moderate amounts
Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
- Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern reduces mortality even among young persons (British Journal of Nutrition, 96 (2): 382-94 (2006)).
- Traditional Mediterranean diets reduce inflammation and cardiovascular risk (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2008).
- The Mediterranean Diet is associated with lower rates of cancer (Polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and cholesterol metabolism in the Mediterranean diet, Acta Medica, 2006).
- The Mediterranean diet, comprised of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and non-animal fat appears to protect against age-related cognitive decline (Mediterranean diet and cognitive decline, Public Health Nutrition, 7 (7): 959-963 (2004)).
The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are manifold; it has "been shown to provide remarkable protection against chronic diseases" (Lancet 350: 1815-1817 (1997)).
Eating well doesn’t necessarily mean cutting out your favorite foods. It entails making adjustments to the amounts you eat from each food group.
The Mediterranean Diet is a dietary model that Western nations can learn from.
