The Mediterranean diet can help you lose weight, but a lifetime of eating more plant food and less red meat and processed food can provide additional benefits. Study after study shows that adopting the eating habits of people who live in Italy, Greece and Spain can help lower your cholesterol and reduce your blood pressure, according to Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian who writes for Canada's "The Globe and Mail." Recent research suggests that the Mediterranean diet may also protect against Alzheimer's disease.
Original Mediterranean Diet
The basic principles of the original Mediterranean diet included high levels of consumption of olive oil, vegetables, fruits, legumes and fish. You didn't eat many eggs -- no more than four per week -- and limited your consumption of red meat and other foods high in saturated fats. You could eat lean protein such as skinless chicken in moderation, but the diet encouraged eating more protein from plant sources such as beans. If you wanted to snack on the original Mediterranean diet, you could reach for a handful of nuts rather than a bag of potato chips. You could also drink red wine, about two glasses per day.
New Mediterranean Diet
The New Mediterranean diet is not too different from the original one. The Mediterranean diet pyramid continues to stress the importance of enjoying foods in their most natural form and encourages you to remain physically active throughout your life. Olive oil continues as the mainstay of fats in baking, as a salad dressing and in grilling or sautéing foods. Poultry and lamb remain preferred to red meat. The new pyramid includes more food groups -- vegetables, nuts, legumes, seeds and olive oil -- in a single category that forms the large base of the pyramid, which is composed of all plant-based foods. The new Mediterranean diet includes herbs and spices and places a greater emphasis on eating fish and shellfish.
Alzheimer's Study
The new Mediterranean diet may protect you against Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at New York's Columbia University Medical Center studied the relationship between food, exercise and Alzheimer's disease in 1,188 older adults. They found that participants who adhered most closely to a Mediterranean diet reduced their risk of Alzheimer's by 32 to 40 percent, according to a report published in the August 2009 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Nikos Scarmeas, lead author of the study, said that exercise also helped protect participants against Alzheimer's. Participants who included 1.3 hours of vigorous activity, 2.4 hours of moderate activity or 4 hours of light exercise were 37 to 50 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's. People who both exercised and followed a Mediterranean diet reduced their risk by 67 percent.
Food Choices
If you want to follow the new Mediterranean diet, Beck offers these tips: Include whole grains such as brown rice and barley as well as fruits and vegetables in most meals. Good vegetable choices include tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, garlic and green beans. Fresh fruit, a good dessert choice, provides more fiber than fruit juice. If you choose extra-virgin oil over other varieties, you may gain the benefit of increased phytochemicals, which may reduce inflammation. Salmon, tuna, sardines and herring contain a lot of protein and omega-3 fatty acids and little saturated fat. Use nuts and seeds to add flavor, fiber, vitamins and minerals to foods. Limit sweets to small portions of sorbet or gelato a few times a week.
References
- Mediterranean Diet: Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
- MayoClinic.com: The New Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
- "The Globe and Mail"; Feed Your Brain the Bounty of the Mediterranean; Leslie Beck; August 12, 2009
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Exercise and Mediterranean-type Diet Combined Associated with Lower Risk for Alzheimer's; Nikos Scarmeas et al.; August 2009
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