Add Mediterranean Flair to an American Diet

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This past week I was in Boston, attending the 15th Anniversary Mediterranean Diet Conference, sponsored by Oldways.  A slew of world experts in nutrition were there, including doctors from the Harvard School of Public Health and the universities of Barcelona and Athens.

I listened to three days’ worth of scientific presentations making the case about why we should be eating a diet rich in plant-based foods and limited in meats, dairy products, and sugary, overprocessed items. With a study this month showing that antioxidant supplements don’t protect against cardiovascular disease or cancer, it’s refreshing to see so much research showing how a healthy (and delicious) dietary pattern can slash your risk for heart disease and other chronic conditions by up to 50%.

Most of the research presented reinforced that the best diet for our health is one that includes a plant-centric diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains; is low in dairy products and meats; and contains modest amounts of healthy fats, such as olive oil. People who mostly adhere to a Mediterranean diet can reduce their risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes by double-digit margins. In addition, the diet also helps with achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, because you won’t feel like you’re eating cardboard or engineered food.

What’s your Med mark?
Use this simple 10-point scoring technique to rate how your diet adheres to the healthful principles of the Mediterranean diet.

Is your diet…

• High in vegetables? (At least 3 to 5 servings per day)
• High in beans? (1 serving most days per week)
• High in fruits? (2 or more servings per day)
• High in grains, especially whole grains?  (At least 3 whole grains daily)
• High in fish? (At least 2 servings per week)
• High in nuts and seeds? (1 oz. daily)
• Low in meat? (1 or 2 times per week)
• Low in dairy? (A few times per week)
• Mostly unsaturated fats?
• Moderate  in alcohol? (1 drink per day for women; 2 for men)

Give yourself one point for each principle you follow.  A perfect score is 10 out of 10; if you scored between 6 and 8, you have moderate Med adherence. Less than 6? Your diet is low-adherence to a Med diet pattern.  Research shows that those who have the highest adherence have the most health-risk reduction, but even modest increases in your Med ways can provide healthy paybacks.

Next page: How to “Mediterranean-ize” your diet