I am often asked, 'What is a good diet?' and, I often have to explain that a diet, as we know it, does not work since it is usually not sustainable. It is often more sensible to make small positive but cumulative changes. Since it is often difficult to make changes as adults, it is wise to prevent our children from falling into our trap by giving them positive examples.
Various ways of eating have been studied to understand their impact on populations, and one of them is the Mediterranean way of eating. It was typical in regions such as Crete and other parts of Greece and Southern Italy in the early 1960s. The adult life expectancy in these areas is among the highest in the world. Their rates of coronary heart disease are among the lowest in the world during that period.
This way of eating has been studied in centres in the United States such as the Cleveland and Mayo Clinics and has been associated with many positive effects . A study by Shai, et al, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, July 2008, called Dietary Intervention Randomised Controlled Trial (DIRECT), found that both a low-carbohydrate diet or a Mediterranean-style diet may be 'effective alternatives' to a low-fat diet, with more favourable effects on lipids and/or glycaemic control. This gives people, who are diabetic or seeking to lose weight, another option for eating.
Other studies have linked this way of eating to longevity benefits in Alzheimer's sufferers. About 200 patients were interviewed in a recent study, published in the Journal of Neurology, and those who more closely followed this eating style lived 1.3 years longer than those who did not.
Included in the diet
The tenets of the Mediterranean diet include:
An abundance of food from plant sources including vegetables, fruits, cereals, grains, nuts, beans and seeds.
Whole grain instead of enriched sources of breads and cereals.
Minimally processed foods.
Seasonally fresh foods.
Refined sugars and saturated fats eaten only occasionally.
Olive oil as the primary source of fat instead of butter and other undesirable fats. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and, when substituted for saturated fats, can reduce the bad (LDL) cholesterol.
Total daily fat intake, ranging from 25 to 35 per cent of total calories with saturated fat no more than seven per cent of calories.
Dairy products (primarily yoghurt and cheese) consumed daily in moderation.
Fish and poultry consumed in moderate amounts. Recent research suggests that consumption of fish is favoured over poultry because of heart-protective fatty acids present in most fish.
Red lean meat consumed, in very low amounts, a few times per month.
No more than four whole eggs consumed per week.
Wine consumed in low to moderate amounts, normally with meals. This equates to two 3.5-ounce glasses of wine for men, one 3.5-ounce glasses for women.
An added benefit to the diet of these Mediterranean regions is regular physical activity at a level that promotes a healthy weight and physical fitness.
This way of eating is similar to a healthy eating pattern which is promoted by this column.
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionis who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
