In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Is the Green Mediterranean Diet?What Are the Benefits of the Green Mediterranean Diet?
In This ArticleView All
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In This Article
What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet?
What Are the Benefits of the Green Mediterranean Diet?
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Photo: Getty Images / Kristina Dukart
But what if a few tiny tweaks on the plan can make it even better for you—and Mother Nature? That’s what proponents of the “green” Mediterranean diet, which involves eschewing all meat and leaning into even more greens, believe their new diet can do.
Plus, those who eat little to no meat tend to have a lower risk for certain types of cancer, suggests a 2022 review inBMC Medicine.
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What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet? And How Does It Compare to the Classic Mediterranean Diet?
Atraditional Mediterranean dietpromotes eating the rainbow, which includes:
The resulting combo platter is potent in polyphenols, heart-healthy unsaturated fats and fiber, which helps to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, improve insulin sensitivity and reducechronic inflammation.
The “green” addition takes this plan and strips it of meat and promotesplant-based proteinsinstead. You can still eat some fish and poultry, along with dairy products, and the diet encourages green tea, walnuts and Mankai duckweed**. Scientists behind a November 2020 study in the journalHeartsay this combination might amplify theseMediterranean diet health benefitseven more.
To study this, the researchers tapped 294 people with an average age of 51 (at the start of the trial) who had abdominal obesity to embark on one of three diets:
*Walnuts are the only tree nutthat is an “excellent source” of the plant-based omega-3 essential fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
** Mankai is a tiny vegetable that’s often sold in supplemental form due to its ability to replace all of the essential amino acids and vitamin B12 in meat. Mankai was just a test, and other plant proteins like thesetop vegetarian protein sourceswould work as well, the researchers admit. “You can easily get all the protein you need without eating any meat, or without eating any animal products,” Stampfer adds to theMedical News Todayarticle.
Researchers found that after 6 months, both Mediterranean diets led to more weight loss and greater metabolic wins than the standard “eat healthy” advice. The green Mediterranean diet, in particular, was correlated with the largest reduction in waist circumference and other biomarkers of heart disease risk—including lower blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, better insulin sensitivity and less chronic inflammation.
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A 2021 follow-up study in the journalGutdetermined that a green Mediterranean diet can also help people lose fat in their liver—a very important factor for everyone, especially the 25% who havenonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can progress into cirrhosis and liver failure.
An additional study 2022 study inThe American Journal of Clinical Nutritionlooked at the possible brain benefits of going green, and the researchers found that both Mediterranean menus slowed the shrinkage of the hippocampus, a portion of the brain that impacts our ability to learn and remember. A green Mediterranean diet appeared to offer the highest amount of protection against brain atrophy. Over time, this may mean alower risk for dementia.
The researchers believe that eating less red andprocessed meatsand more polyphenols—the powerful compounds found in plants—may be the reason behind the bonus benefits of going green.
The Bottom Line
Since iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and other vitamins and minerals are often part of our diets thanks to meat and dairy foods, it’s important to work with a dietitian and your doctor any time you’re embarking on a nearly or completely vegan diet like the green Mediterranean diet. It is possible to cover your nutritional needswithout supplementation, but this takes some planning and a savvy menu strategy.
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