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- American Heart Association: Mediterranean Diet
- MayoClinic.com; Mediterranean Diet: Choose This Heart-Healthy Diet Option; June 19, 2010
- MedlinePlus; Mediterranean Diet; David C. Dugdale, III, M.D.; October 6, 2010
The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional health care provider. Please check with the appropriate physician regarding health questions and concerns. Although we strive to deliver accurate and up-to-date information, no guarantee to that effect is made.
What Does a Mediterranean Diet Consist Of?
What is typically recommended as the "Mediterranean Diet" is actually a composite diet, taking the best features from a number of traditional diets in the Mediterranean region. Actual diets vary among these countries, as well as within each country. People following these diets tend to have lower rates of a number of diseases.
What to Eat
The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Food is flavored mainly with herbs and spices. Olive oil is one of the main sources of fat in this type of diet, and eggs, fish and poultry are eaten in small amounts. The Spanish dish paella is a good example, consisting of rice, seafood and vegetables, and made with olive oil and broth. It may also contain small amounts of chicken or sausage.
- The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains.
- The Spanish dish paella is a good example, consisting of rice, seafood and vegetables, and made with olive oil and broth.
What to Limit
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In a Mediterranean diet, you should consume red meat, eggs and sweets rarely. Replace butter with olive oil to limit your saturated fat consumption. Avoid preparing food with fatty sauces, and when you consume dairy, avoid full-fat products and choose low-fat instead. Limit your wine consumption to no more than 5 ounces per day for women and 10 ounces per day for men.
- In a Mediterranean diet, you should consume red meat, eggs and sweets rarely.
- Avoid preparing food with fatty sauces, and when you consume dairy, avoid full-fat products and choose low-fat instead.
Possible Benefits
Following the Mediterranean diet may lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and Parkinson's disease 1. This diet may also help you keep your blood sugar levels more stable. These benefits come from the healthy unsaturated fats from nuts and olive oil, the high fiber content of the diet and the beneficial nutrients in the fruits and vegetables that make up a large part of this diet. Adding exercise can increase the benefits of following the Mediterranean diet, so aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.
- Following the Mediterranean diet may lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, high triglycerides and Parkinson's disease 1.
- Adding exercise can increase the benefits of following the Mediterranean diet, so aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.
Considerations
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The Mediterranean diet can be high in fat 123. Although the fat is mainly unsaturated fat, fat contains a lot of calories, and you need to make sure you don't consume too many calories overall. Calcium and iron may also be low in this diet if you don't include animal products and dairy, which are rich in these nutrients. Choosing green, leafy vegetables will help you obtain these essential minerals. Drinking calcium-fortified orange juice along with your greens will give you more calcium and help you absorb the iron from the greens. Poultry, fish and beans also contain iron.
- The Mediterranean diet can be high in fat 1.
- Calcium and iron may also be low in this diet if you don't include animal products and dairy, which are rich in these nutrients.
Related Articles
References
- American Heart Association: Mediterranean Diet
- MayoClinic.com; Mediterranean Diet: Choose This Heart-Healthy Diet Option; June 19, 2010
- MedlinePlus; Mediterranean Diet; David C. Dugdale, III, M.D.; October 6, 2010
- Tong, T.Y.N., Wareham, N.J., Khaw, K. et al. Prospective association of the Mediterranean diet with cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and its population impact in a non-Mediterranean population: the EPIC-Norfolk study. BMC Med 14, 135 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-016-0677-4
- Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet (Original Article, N Engl J Med 2013;368:1279-1290). In Table 1 (page 1281), in the Goal column, the recommended number of servings of vegetables for the low-fat diet should have been “≥2 servings/day,” rather than “≥2 servings/wk.” The article is correct at NEJM.org.
- Rosato V, Temple NJ, La Vecchia C, Castellan G, Tavani A, Guercio V. Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Eur J Nutr. 2019;58(1):173–191. doi:10.1007/s00394-017-1582-0.
- Lourida, Ilianna; Soni, Maya; Thompson-Coon, Joanna; Purandare, Nitin; Lang, Iain A.; Ukoumunne, Obioha C.; Llewellyn, David J. Mediterranean Diet, Cognitive Function, and Dementia: A Systematic Review, Epidemiology: July 2013 - Volume 24 - Issue 4 - p 479-489 doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3182944410
- Morris MC, Tangney CC, Wang Y, et al. MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging. Alzheimers Dement. 2015;11(9):1015-22.
- Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(3):229-41.
- Agnoli C, Sieri S, Ricceri F, et al. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and long-term changes in weight and waist circumference in the EPIC-Italy cohort. Nutr Diabetes. 2018;8(1):22.
- Paterson, E. K., Myint K.P., Jennings, A., et al. Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of Incident Stroke in a Population With Varying Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profiles. Stroke. 2018;0:2415–2420.
- Ralph A. H. Stewart, Lars Wallentin, Jocelyne Benatar, Nicolas Danchin, Emil Hagström, Claes Held, Steen Husted, Eva Lonn, Amanda Stebbins, Karen Chiswell, Ola Vedin, David Watson, Harvey D. White, the STABILITY Investigators, Dietary patterns and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in a global study of high-risk patients with stable coronary heart disease, European Heart Journal, Volume 37, Issue 25, 1 July 2016, Pages 1993–2001, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehw125
- Georgoulis M, Kontogianni MD, Yiannakouris N. Mediterranean diet and diabetes: prevention and treatment. Nutrients. 2014;6(4):1406-23.
- O'Connor LE, Hu EA, Steffen LM, Selvin E, Rebholz CM. Adherence to a Mediterranean-style eating pattern and risk of diabetes in a U.S. prospective cohort study. Nutr Diabetes. 2020;10(1):8. Published 2020 Mar 20. doi:10.1038/s41387-020-0113-x
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Fact Sheet for Healthcare Professionals. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/#rheumatoid.
- Morales-ivorra I, Romera-baures M, Roman-viñas B, Serra-majem L. Osteoarthritis and the Mediterranean Diet: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2018;10(8)
- Romagnolo DF, Selmin OI. Mediterranean Diet and Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Nutr Today. 2017;52(5):208-222.
- Schwingshackl L, Schwedhelm C, Galbete C, Hoffmann G. Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Cancer: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2017;9(10)
- Toledo E, Salas-Salvadó J, Donat-Vargas C, et al. Mediterranean Diet and Invasive Breast Cancer Risk Among Women at High Cardiovascular Risk in the PREDIMED Trial: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(11):1752–1760. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.4838
- Yang J, Farioli A, Korre M, Kales SN (2014) Modified Mediterranean Diet Score and Cardiovascular Risk in a North American Working Population. PLoS ONE 9(2): e87539. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087539
- De Pergola, G.; D’Alessandro, A. Influence of Mediterranean Diet on Blood Pressure. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1700.
- Jennings A, Berendsen AM, Groot LCD, et al. Mediterranean-Style Diet Improves Systolic Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults. Hypertension. 2019;73(3):578-586. doi:10.1161/hypertensionaha.118.12259.
- Joo, J., Williamson, S.A., Vazquez, A.I. et al. The influence of 15-week exercise training on dietary patterns among young adults. Int J Obes 43, 1681–1690 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0299-3
- Michelle E. Baker, Kristen N. DeCesare, Abby Johnson, Kathleen S. Kress, Cynthia L. Inman & Edward P. Weiss (2019) Short-Term Mediterranean Diet Improves Endurance Exercise Performance: A Randomized-Sequence Crossover Trial, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 38:7, 597-605, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2019.1568322
- Mediterranean Diet. US News & World Report.
- Mediterranean Diet for Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Foundation.
Writer Bio
Based in Massachusetts, Jessica Bruso has been writing since 2008. She holds a master of science degree in food policy and applied nutrition and a bachelor of arts degree in international relations, both from Tufts University.