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Dr Orrange received her BA in Biology at the University of California San Diego and a Masters Degree in Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health She received her MD from the USC Keck School of…
FAST FACTS
What is the Mediterranean Diet and will it really save my Heart and Mind while I Lose Weight?
It seems every month there is a new study with the "Mediterranean" Diet making headlines. There is good evidence that this diet helps prevent heart disease, cognitive decline from Alzheimer's Dementia and results in weight loss. So what is this Mediterranean Diet that so successfully wards off all evil?
Why did we start to study this diet? The incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries is lower than in the United States. Death rates are lower, too.
What is the evidence? There are many published studies indicating this diet is protective for heart disease. The Lyon Diet Heart Study is an influential study about the Mediterranean diet that got our attention and the attention of the American Heart Association. This was a randomized trial whose goal was to test the effectiveness of a Mediterranean diet on the rate of coronary events in people who've had a first heart attack. The results suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet may help reduce recurrent events in patients with heart disease. This study was stopped early because patients following the Mediterranean diet had a 50-70 percent lower risk of recurrent heart disease. Several other studies have similar results.
Will it save my mind? The Mediterranean diet may affect not only risk for Alzheimer Disease but may also result in lower mortality in those with dementia. A recent study published in the Archives of Neurology found that adhering to the Mediterranean diet was associated with potentially beneficial effects for mild cognitive impairment as well as preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Those with mild cognitive impairment who adhered to the Mediterranean diet had 48 percent less risk of transitioning to Alzheimer's than those who did not.
Is there ONE "Mediterranean" diet: Not really since at least 16 countries border the Mediterranean Sea. It may be more appropriate to call it Mediterranean Cuisine. There are, however, common characteristics in the Mediterranean dietary pattern and here they are:
- High consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
- Olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
- Preferably eating fish, poultry are lean meat as opposed to red meat.
- Eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
- Mediterranean cuisine contains a relatively high percentage of calories from fat (yummy).
- Eating plenty of local, seasonal, and fresh fruits and vegetables daily
- Consuming fish regularly
- Consuming rice, pasta, bulgur and other grains regularly and in combination with proteins.
- Eating legumes a few times a week (chick peas, lentils, navy beans, kidney beans)
- Eating some bread with meals
- Consuming olive oil in raw form: drizzled on bread, white cheese, in salads, and sauces among others
- Integrating nuts in the cooking recipes.
- Drinking water with meals as opposed to sodas
- Wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts
Does the Mediterranean diet contain less fat than ours? The average Mediterranean diet contains much less saturated fat than the average American diet. How is this? More than half the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil). Monounsaturated fat doesn't raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.
Show me the pantry: For Mediterranean cuisine you needs LOTs of olives (at all meals), olive oils, chick peas, dried beans-black, cannellini, navy, pinto and white beans, lentils, red saffron, wine and tomatoes, oranges, figs, rice, kasha, millet, rolled oats, instant polenta, quinoa, rice-white, basmati, and brown (quick-cooking and wild). More obvious things include fresh vegetables (spinach, Swiss chard), chicken and lamb.
What you DON'T do with a Mediterranean diet:
- Use butter or margarine for frying
- Eat large amounts of red meat regularly
- Eat meat by itself
- Eat processed foods, fast food or any kind of junk food
- Snacking at all times
- Drinking sodas, colas or other processed soft drinks
There are many online resources for Mediterranean recipes but I'd love to hear your suggestions.
Dr O.
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Displaying comments 11-1 of 11
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The Healthy Kitchen (Dr Weil) http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/comm...
Falafel, tabouleh, baba ghanouj, pesto, salada, and gyros for everyone!
Thanks for the tips VeryBlue, too.
i moved to France when i was 18 and swapped my sweets habit to eating lots of fruit and yogurt..soda water n once in a while sorbet
my skin felt a lot better, i had more energy didn't feel sluggish ever [could also have been the sun! ]
i went back to the UK to my dentist i had noticed rings around my teeth the dentist said they had repaired themselves he could see that id changed my diet !
some suggestions from me ;; lentil soup ,courgette soup ,tomato and basil soup,soup is so easy to make, just need a blender or staff mixer. Greek salad, tzadziki , salad with homemade french dressing,
avocado,, lots of fruit, fruit salad, olives, tapas, nuts ,dried fruit, ...etc....heres actual recipes... enjoy !
http://www.mediterranean-food-reci...
Just wondering about all this as I have looked at this diet many times.
Every single morning my mother-in-law would pop out to buy the many assorted veggies she would be cooking and eating *that* day - she would pick out the fish at the fish monger they would be eating on *that* day and as you said, olive oil and bread is the staple accompaniment to any meal.
Whenever I went to Greece I would lose at least ten pounds, was *never* hungry on the mediterranean diet, my irritable bowel symptoms would become considerably better and I would return home feeling so much healthier.
Hats off to you and the medical world for bringing about Mediterranean diet awareness versus the junk food roller coaster (death) ride so many countries are caught up in.
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