What is the Mediterranean Diet?

By Barbara C. Bourassa

The Mediterranean Diet—and the research to validate its healthfulness—has been around for more than 50 years. And if you're a woman entering midlife or menopause who's interested in eating healthfully to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's, or even cancer, this eating style deserves a second look.

Just what is the Mediterranean diet? Although the exact definition may vary slightly from one group to another, most proponents of the diet define it as follows: limited consumption of red meat, sweets, eggs, and poultry, and heavier consumption of fish, cheese and yogurt, olive oil (instead of butter), vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, fruit, and healthy whole grains and carbohydrates such as durham wheat pasta and bulgar wheat. The diet reflects the lifestyle and eating habits of people living in the Mediterranean region, and in particular the island of Crete, where inhabitants traditionally ate large amounts of grains, freshly grown produce, fresh fruit, fish, olive oil, and red wine.

"For menopausal women, with the big change in metabolism, the whole business of nutrients really matters," says K. Dun Gifford, president and founder of Oldways Preservation Trust, a food-related think tank based in Boston. "The Mediterranean diet has the right kind of fats (Omega-3s), a lot of fish for brain food, a mountain of fruits and vegetables for antioxidants, and coffee, which can help boost the metabolism."

And the research to back up the healthfulness of the diet continues to grow. In June of 2006, for instance, a team of Columbia University researchers reported that following the Mediterranean diet may reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer's disease. Researchers attribute these findings to the diet's heavy emphasis on fish and nuts, both of which contain significant levels of Omega-3s, which have been shown to improve and maintain brain function.

Studies linking the Mediterranean diet to lower rates of heart disease have been adding up since the 1950s, when researchers first examined the diet in detail. More recently, researchers at Stanford University reported in March 2006 that "a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower levels of CRP." High levels of CRP, or C-reactive protein, in the blood have been linked to elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.

Other research has linked the Mediterranean diet to lower risk of cancer, gallstones, obesity and arthritis, among other things.

Following the eating style of the Mediterranean diet needn't be difficult, says Gifford. To start, he recommends switching from butter to olive oil when cooking and swapping your white wine for red wine (which has more antioxidants). For snack foods, he suggests almonds instead of chips or guacamole instead of cream cheese. "Try to eat fish at least once a week, and learn about the traditional pasta meal, which combines durham wheat pasta, tomato sauce, vegetables such as spinach or broccoli, and low-fat cheese," he adds.

Other ideas for eating more Mediterranean? Eat fresh or dried fruit for dessert, consume more leafy greens, such as spinach or Kale, or center a meal around lentils or other legumes. Try drizzling vegetables with small quantities of olive oil instead of butter, or substitute beans for beef in dishes such as soup, stew, or chili.

For a pyramid-shaped graphic that outlines the basics of the Mediterranean diet, click here:

http://oldwayspt.org/med_pyramid.html