More Reasons to Eat a Mediterranean Diet

By Anne Danahy, MS, RD, LDN

The Mediterranean diet is making headlines again. New research confirms that a Mediterranean-style diet can help reduce cholesterol, lower heart attack or stroke risk, and even help prevent memory loss.

In February, results of the PREDIMED study, which ran from 2003-2011 in Spain, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers studied the effects of a Mediterranean diet, supplemented with nuts and olive oil, on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The study showed that participants whose diets were supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts had a 30 percent reduced risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

Another study in the April issue of Neurology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that healthy people with an average age of 64, who ate a Mediterranean diet, were 19 percent less likely to develop problems with thinking and memory skills.

A month later, researchers at Laval University presented a study to the American Heart Association, which showed that men at higher risk for heart disease who ate a Mediterranean diet had a 9 percent decrease in LDL (bad) cholesterol, regardless of any change in weight.

The traditional Mediterranean–style diet, and the diet that was used in each of these studies, is rich in fruits and vegetables and provides small servings of chicken, fish, or legumes for protein and nuts and olive oil for fat. Compared to the typical American diet, it is very low in red meat, refined sugar and starches, and includes only two servings of low-fat dairy foods each day.

Try the Mediterranean diet and you will get the benefits of a diet rich in unsaturated and omega-3 fats, fiber, antioxidants, and potassium. It’s great for your heart, your body, and your brain, not to mention your taste buds!  Here’s how it breaks down:

Vegetables

4-6 servings/day

1 serving is: ½ cup cooked or raw OR 1 cup salad greens

Fruit

3-5 servings/day

1 serving is 1 piece or ½ cup fresh fruit OR ¼ cup dried fruit

Whole Grains

4-7 servings/day

1 serving is 1 slice bread or ½ cup cereal, pasta or rice

Meat & Poultry

3 oz/day

Fish/Seafood

1-3 oz/day

Low Fat Dairy

2 servings/day

I serving is 8 oz low fat milk or yogurt OR 1 oz cheese

Desserts & Sweets

2 servings/day

1 serving is 1 small cookie OR 1 tsp sugar

Legumes

3 serving/day

1 serving is ½ cup cooked beans

Nuts

1 serving/day

1 serving is ¼ cup nuts

Olive oil

2-4 servings/day

1 serving is 1 Tbs oil

Try this recipe below for a chopped salad that incorporates many elements and ingredients of the Mediterranean diet into one dish.

Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Yield: 4 main course servings

Ingredients

• 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 English (seedless) cucumber, cut into 4 quarters lengthwise, and then cut each quarter into small, bite sized pieces
• 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 -15 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup pitted black kalamata olives
• 4 oz feta cheese, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Combine olive oil, vinegar, and garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine all other ingredients except for pine nuts in a deep bowl.  Toss well.
3. Add olive oil and vinegar dressing and toss to coat.
4. Divide salad onto 4 dinner sized plates.
5. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts over each salad and serve immediately.

About Anne Danahy, MS, RD, LDN

Anne Danahy, MS, RD, LDN has been a Nutritionist with Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates for the past 15 years, and she currently works as the “Virtual Nutritionist." Her professional interests include weight management, heart disease, and women’s nutritional issues. When she isn’t working, you can usually find her in the kitchen testing recipes that are healthy AND delicious.