Mediterranean Diet

Initial excerpted notes on the subject from Wikipedia (Wikipedian? Wikipode? Wikipedallianania?) articles:

wikipedia.org: Mediterranean diet

Basic definition

The Mediterranean diet is a nutritional model inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of the countries of the Mediterranean basin, particularly Italy, Greece, and Spain. These common patterns include a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread and other cereals, olive oil and fish. Also wine should be consumed, but in moderate quantities….

• Olive oil vs animal fats - probably the biggest help I would think
• Red wine (though naturally there is a dispute about its effects)

Important scientific caveat

Dietary factors may be only part of the reason for the health benefits enjoyed by these cultures. Genetics, lifestyle, and environment may also be involved.

So if we eat well, move to the Mediterranean, and take siestas/live the c’est la vie lifestyle, we’ll have 3/4ths of the bases covered. I would definitely be willing to make that sacrifice if anyone would care to sponsor some experiments. Long-term experiments will be necessary, of course, to show the effects over time. I promise to write! ;)

The French Paradox

wikipedia.org: French paradox

…name for the perceived paradox that people in France suffer relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite their diet allegedly being rich in saturated fats. The term is often confused with the related but different notion of the Mediterranean diet…. [There] is a popular misconception about French food, whereby haute cuisine elaborated dishes with heavy sauces and fatty specialties, such as foie gras…are mistakenly considered representative of the meals eaten by the average Frenchman.

Talk about your major bummer — you mean we can’t eat like crazy people and live forever? Sacre merde!

Anyhow, what’s the old saw that the world’s best cuisines are all based on peasant food?

On the subject of wine, according to this article the same health benefits can be achieved from white wine as red, since it isn’t the type of grape that’s responsible.

Refining the definition

According to dietsindex.com Mediterranean diet here is a further refinement of the definition:

• It is rich in fruit and vegetables, especially leafy ones, and often raw or minimally processed.
• It contains many cereals and pasta, traditionally made from whole grain.
• There are plenty of beans, nuts and seeds.
• Animal products are consumed in small amounts. Rather than dairy and meat, especially red meat, poultry is to be preferred.
• Up to four eggs a week may be eaten.
• The diet is rich in fish and seafood, a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Although high in fat (around 35% of the calorie intake), it is low in saturated fat (7-8%). Instead, olive oil is preferred, which increases the level of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
• Wine is consumed in moderation: one to two glasses a day at meals.

And in summary:

There is no specific diet plan for the Mediterranean diet. It consists in eating a certain variety of foods in specific amounts, that is a prevalence of products of vegetable origin — vegetables, fruit, grains and seeds and sparing use of animal products.

Is it really healthier?

Alex (who says it should be “wikipedestrian” — which works on several levels) pointed me to this Andrew Weil article: Is the Mediterranean Diet Really Healthier? which offers some statistics showing how the diet helps your health. Near the end:

The Mediterranean diet consists of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, unrefined cereals, olive oil, fermented dairy products such as yogurt and natural cheese, and fresh fish as daily staples. The diet doesn’t eliminate red meat but limits it to about one meal a month; similarly, poultry, eggs and sweets are permitted but are not daily fare. Instead, they are eaten about once a week. Moderate amounts of wine are part of the diet.

Dieting Italian style

Dieting Italian style A well-written article describing the history of the so-called Mediterranean Diet and the later enhancement and deepening of our understanding of what’s so good about it.