The Mediterranean diet has long been considered a benchmark for a model of a healthy diet. It is recognised by the World Health Organization as a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern. At Refresh NQ we promote the Mediterranean diet as a guide to help make positive choices for eating healthier.
Interest in the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet began to grow in the 1960s. Arising from the observation that people in this region were healthier and had a lower risk of many chronic conditions. The traditional Mediterranean diet originated in the olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean region. Although the term ‘Mediterranean diet’ is commonly used, it is more a dietary pattern or style of eating rather than a single fixed diet. That’s because the types of traditional foods featured in it can vary based on geography in the Mediterranean region.
The Mediterranean diet is not just about the foods eaten. There are also social and cultural factors as part of it such as eating with friends and family, post-meal siestas and lengthy mealtimes. These habits promote positive social connections and a less stressful outlook on life.
What does the Mediterranean diet look like?
The themes of a Mediterranean dietary pattern can be summed up as:
- daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and legumes
- including healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and nuts daily.
- fish and seafood eaten at least twice per week.
- moderate amounts of eggs, poultry and dairy products
- red meat is eaten at most twice per week.
A sample of what a day’s menu could look like when eating close to the style of a Mediterranean diet could be:
Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with strawberries and unsalted nuts.
Lunch: Sandwich made with whole grain bread, hummus and salad vegetables such as tomato and cucumber.
Dinner: Tuna (tinned or fresh) with leafy green salad, canned beans and extra virgin olive oil and a fruit salad for dessert.
The Mediterranean diet is not just about what is eaten, but also what is not eaten or eaten rarely. Highly processed convenience foods, refined grains, sugary drinks, foods high in added sugars, and processed meats such as salami, sausages and bacon are rarely eaten.
A Mediterranean lifestyle that goes with the diet involves regular physical activity, the sharing of meals with other people and minimising stress levels.
Health benefits linked to the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most well-researched diets with highly suggestive evidence of a positive role of the Mediterranean diet for longevity, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, heart attack, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and diabetes.
Other areas where the research is growing and points to a positive benefit of the Mediterranean diet include body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, bone health and mental health including depression.
Top Tips
- Eat 5 – 6 serves of vegetables each day.
- Use extra virgin olive oil as your main cooking and dressing oil.
- Each week, replace a meat-based meal with one containing legumes like lentil, chickpeas or kidney beans.
- Aim to eat oily fish at least twice a week such as salmon, tuna, mackerel or herring.
- Enjoy fresh or dried fruit each day.