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Photo: Ali Redmond
Thetypical Mediterranean diet foods—fish, nuts, plant oils, fruits and vegetables—help lower inflammation in your body, improve blood vessel function and reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. All of these benefits serve to keep your ticker ticking and your mind sharp. Decades of research bears this out, too.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
This way of eating focuses on foods like olive oil, nuts, fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fish. Wine is part of the typical Mediterranean diet, too, but you should drink it in moderation. This style of diet can also include some dairy and poultry ingredients—but, like wine, these are usually limited.
The Mediterranean diet places an emphasis on fresh, colorful eating and shuns heavily processed ingredients. Trust us, your plate will never be boring. Even better news: though “diet” is in the name, this plan is more of a holistic approach to eating that relies on real foods. You won’t be counting calories or macronutrients like you would with a typical “diet.”
Here are three reasons to make space on your plate for Mediterranean diet foods.
It can keep your heart healthier
Recipe to Try:Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Olives & Cucumber
It can have an impact on weight-loss
Recipe to Try:White Bean & Veggie Salad
In astudyon younger women, those who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a smaller waist and thighs than those who adhered to the diet’s style the least. This is likely because the diet is high in antioxidants and provides rich anti-inflammatory properties. It’s also packed with fiber, a nutrient known for keeping you full.
Study subjects who closely followed the Mediterranean diet also had a lower body mass index (BMI).Body mass indexis a measure that’s often used in healthcare to determine a person’s body weight category such as overweight or obese, and therefore, chronic disease risk. However, it has limitations and does not account for individual factors that influence one’s health status, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, sex and age. This is why it shouldn’t be used as a comprehensive measure of someone’s health andcan be a source of body size stigma and bias.
It can support better brain health
Recipe to Try:Spiralized Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
The bottom line
With all of these accolades, it makes sense that you may want to start a Mediterranean diet. Here are8 ways to follow the Mediterranean Dietto help you get started anda week of Mediterranean lunches you can meal-prep in under an hour. Whether you decide to fully adopt the philosophies of the Mediterranean diet, or you think small, incremental steps are more your speed, every little bit can help you eat—and feel—healthier. The great thing about eating this way is that you’re sure to find many of your favorite foods are still available to you. Even better, you’re bound to find many new ones you love.
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