The internet is full of information about the best diets to follow – and navigating this maelstrom of tips and tricks can be daunting. One that often comes up in this space is the Mediterranean diet.
Inspired by the foods of sunny and olive-rich countries such as Spain, Greece and Italy, this traditional diet has a reputation for both tasty and healthy.
What’s in the Mediterranean Diet?
However exact approach and recipes may varyit generally consists of from lots of fruits, vegetables and legumes, whole grains, herbs and spices, olive oil, poultry and fish. Red wine is also often drunk with food – in moderation.
According to UNESCOdiet involves much more than food intake: “[It] includes a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions related to harvesting, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, preserving, processing, cooking and especially sharing and eating food.
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Is the Mediterranean diet healthy?
These cultural aspects of the diet—centered around traditional food consumption and socialization—likely play a role in its health benefits in its countries of origin. Exercise is also a factor.
Simon Poole, Mediterranean Diet Expert and Author of The true Mediterranean diet, says that it is also possible to separate these aspects. One does not necessarily have to change their entire lifestyle to reap the benefits of the diet. The evidence shows that following these eating habits can have a real impact in a variety of ways, he says.
“You can look at the individual ingredients and look at all those vegetables, fruits, legumes, herbs, spices, nuts, olive oil, fish and determine the health benefits,” says Poole.
Taken together, they provide “excellent quality carbohydrates, fats and proteins and high levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more,” he adds. Also consider the common food ingredients to avoid on this diet: red meat, highly processed foods, and added sugars. In short, yes, the Mediterranean diet is healthy!
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How to start a Mediterranean diet
Like Harvard School of Public Health notes that this diet can help reduce the risks of several chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Other studies claim that it can be beneficial for weight loss, general well-being and mental health.
Like such health professionals often prescribe a diet to the patients.
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Switching to a diet like this can seem “revolutionary” to some at first, Poole says. But following it doesn’t have to be complicated and can always be done in steps.
“The first challenge is to really increase colorful vegetables in people’s diets,” he says.
Then try cutting processed foods off the menu and increasing the use of herbs, spices and virgin olive oil in your meals. A reduction in consumption of red meat and dairy products may follow. Fortunately, you can now find many easy to follow recipes online and in cookbooks.
Cost can be another potential barrier that turns people away. But Poole says it doesn’t have to come with a high price: “I think the main message is that they’re not all expensive foods like pistachios and pomegranates. It’s really all about vegetables and cooking from scratch.”
Now that you know how healthy the Mediterranean diet is and how to start one, you may already be thinking of ways to maintain a healthier lifestyle!
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