Mediterranean Diet

A recent article in the LA Times — “Low-fat diet not tops for weight loss, study finds” — covers a study showing that low-fat diets are the worst for weight-loss, compared to low-carb and a Mediterranean diet.

The average weight loss in all three diet plans was small, and participants regained some of their pounds before the two-year study was over. Atkins dieters lost an average of 12 pounds; those on the Mediterranean regimen — which included nuts, fish and olive oil — shed an average of 10 pounds; and people assigned to the low-fat program lost an average of 7.3 pounds.

Whatever the nutritional issues with a low-carb diet (the study was sponsored by the low-carb-pushing Atkins Foundation, so keep that in mind), the real key to all this is a reasonable caloric intake, nutritionally sensible (i.e. not eliminating any of the macronutrients from your diet), accompanied by exercise. You know, the usual. ;)

From Laurel on Health Food comes “14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol”.

1. Whole grain and oats
2. Blueberries
3. Pistachios
4. Walnuts
5. Almonds
6. Avocados
7. Olives
8. Olive oil
9. Flaxseed oil
10. 100% cranberry-grape juice
11. Fish and fish oil
12. Black soybeans
13. Pomegranate juice
14. Yogurt with live active cultures (probiotics)

Check out if any of the foods above also made the “Eight foods to eat daily” list.

Compare with the verboten foods of the Paleolithic Diet — no grains, no beans, no dairy, etc. — as well as the items all three of these have in common. Somewhere in the middle, the truth lies.

A story in the LA Times this past weekend — “Caltech branches into … olive oil” — covers the geeks at the SoCal technical university coming up with a great scheme.

Take 130 trees dropping olives on campus walkways. Add in students seeking prankish respite from their studies. Mix in a French-born university president with a taste for Mediterranean cuisine.

That’s the formula for making olive oil at Caltech.

The institution better known for rocket science is launching its own brand of the golden kitchen condiment, produced from the trees on its Pasadena campus. A minor flood — upward of 300 gallons — is expected this fall.

Caltech has joined up with the California Olive Oil Council in order to get their products tested in various ways, including whether it gets rated as “extra virgin.”

According to the story, UC Davis and Cal State Fresno have also ventured into olive oil production.

A commercial came on a few days ago that was very confusing.

You probably have heard of the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter butteresque products. Apparently they’re jumping on the Mediterranean Diet bandwagon with a new line:

Olive oil is a key part of the Mediterranean Diet. Now you can enjoy I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Mediterranean Blend, made with olive oil, for the same delicious butter taste you’ll feel great about eating. It’s an excellent source of Omega 3 ALA, is naturally cholesterol free, and contains 70% less saturated fat than butter.

They also have a “Light” version.

Now, I have no idea how particularly healthy these products are, but at what point do you think it’s a good idea to just, you know, use actual olive oil instead of fake butter?

On a related topic my new favorite way to have a baked potato is drizzling it with olive oil and red wine vinegar, then a dash or two of garlic and basil, salt and pepper. Some red pepper flakes for bite. Good Lord, that’s good stuff.

The WHFoods “World’s Healthiest Foods” website (run by the George Mateljan Foundation) has a really cool “Weekly Bulletin” mailing list with informative articles on various food topics. The latest has a brief article answering the question, “Can you tell me more about the Mediterranean Diet?”

The article has nothing really new if you are already familiar with the ideas surrounding the diet, though it serves as a good introduction if you aren’t.

Of more interest is the References list at the bottom, with a dozen scientific articles that folks interested in diving into the nitty gritty might like to track down if they have the access and means to do so.