Med With Love XX

Eat The Way They Do In The Mediterranean And Your Body Will Thank You For It, Say A Growing Number Of Studies. Sarah Marinos Investigates

- Sarah Marinos

It began in the 1970s with a discovery that people living on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea had some of the lowest cholesterol levels in the world. In fact, while more than 40 per cent of the daily diet of Cretans traditionally came from foods rich in fat, death rates on the Greek island were 57 times lower than in countries like Finland, Holland and the US.

Researchers began unravelling the ancient Cretan diet and discovered that, throughout the Mediterranean, there are key elements to this style of eating.

All the fats eaten are healthy fats from foods like oily fish, olive oil and avocado, and diets are also high in fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Meats are lean and limited to a couple of times a week and desserts, pastries and highly processed foods are rarely indulged in.

And the evidence supporting the healthy impacts of the ‘Mediterranean diet’ continues to build. From helping to fight frailty as we age and reducing the risk of heart disease to lowering the risk of vision loss and helping to manage depression, the benefits of Mediterranean eating are many.

“It’s not a low-fat diet but it’s about good quality fats, plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and it’s an ideal way of eating for people of all ages,” says Marisa Nastasi, an accredited practising dietitian at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. “You can very easily bring elements of the Mediterranean diet into your daily eating plan.”

Brain

Mediterranean-style eating can feed the body and the brain. Researchers in Scotland found older adults who eat plenty of fresh fruit, veg and olive oil have less brain shrinkage as they age than men and women who eat more meat and dairy.