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Take Your Diet to the Mediterranean

BY Amber M., April 21, 2022

Fish instead of fried chicken. Brown rice instead of a white-flour roll. A handful of nuts instead of chips. Olive oil instead of butter.

And plenty of vegetables and fruit. Easy food swaps like these put the heart-healthy, life-extending power of the Mediterranean diet on your plate—simply and deliciously.

Just how much impact can diet have?

A Mediterranean style of eating reduced heart disease risk by 28 to 30 percent in a large 2013 study from Spain.

But you don’t have to live near the Mediterranean to get the benefits.

In a 2013 study that tracked a diverse group of 6,229 American women and men, ages 44 to 84, for eight years, Johns Hopkins researchers and others found that a Mediterranean-style diet combined with regular exercise, a healthy weight, and not smoking protected against early heart disease, slowed the build-up of plaque in artery walls, and reduced risk for an early death by 80 percent.

The Power of Your Mediterranean Plate

“Our study shows us that you have the control and power to change the trajectory of your health and life,” says lead study author and Johns Hopkins expert Haitham Ahmed, M.D., M.P.H. “With a healthier diet, exercise, weight maintenance and smoking avoidance, thousands of our participants were able to live longer and free of cardiovascular disease. You can too!”

Mediterranean-style eating aids your heart in four ways, according to Ahmed:

1. It helps keep cholesterol levels healthy.

2. It enhances your body’s ability to absorb blood sugar (diabetes and pre-diabetes threaten your heart’s health).

3. It cools off damaging inflammation, an immune system response triggered when the body fights perceived intruders. Acute, or one-time, inflammation is helpful in fighting viruses and bacteria, but people who are overweight, consume high levels of refined foods, and lead a sedentary lifestyle have chronic, or ongoing, inflammation, which may lead to diabetes and liver and heart disease.

4. It helps arteries stay flexible and resist plaque buildups.

“What you don’t eat is also important,” Ahmed notes. “Large amounts of refined carbohydrates [such as sweets and white bread] can cause blood sugar spikes, which prompt the body to store fat in a different way and can lead to obesity and diabetes.

Saturated fats [found in whole milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, fatty meats and poultry skin] can affect your cholesterol. All these harmful effects increase your risk of heart disease tremendously.”

Moving to the Mediterranean One Step At a Time

Take your diet to the Mediterranean with a few simple changes.

Try oatmeal with fresh fruit and a splash of whole milk for breakfast instead of bacon and eggs or pancakes.
Start lunch with a vegetable salad, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil.
Have fruit for dessert after dinner.

For more heart-smart choices, check out these recipes in the Mediterranean Diet.

“Add one healthy item to replace an unhealthy item,” Ahmed recommends. “Stick with it for three weeks, then make two more changes. Slow and steady wins the race.”

Eating a Mediterranean diet can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 30%.

It lowers your risk of weight gain and reduces the risk of early death by up to 80%. Key ingredients include whole grains and protein-rich beans and lentils, lean proteins like fish and poultry, and low-fat dairy foods like skim milk and low-fat yogurt.

The bottom line

With all of these accolades, it makes sense that you may want to start a Mediterranean diet.

Whether you decide to fully adopt the philosophies of the Mediterranean diet, or you think small, incremental steps are more your speed, every little bit can help you eat—and feel—healthier.

The great thing about eating this way is that you're sure to find many of your favorite foods are still available to you.

Even better, you're bound to find many new ones you love.