6 simple steps to eating Mediterranean
What would the average Aussie need to do differently to eat the ‘Mediterranean diet’?
The Mediterranean Diet has been proven to reduce our risk of lifestyle diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and possibly even dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The question is now how to eat that way? Fortunately there is a study looking at what the Americans are eating and compared it to the Predimed diet. Predimed was the medically prescribed diet which was used in studies to assess how good the Mediterranean diet is. I know we are Aussies, but there are some similarities in our dietary choices to America. Therefore the following recommendations would also suit us here in Australia.
Nutrient Adjustments
- Decrease processed carbohydrate options (eg white bread)
- Increase our omega 3 and monounsaturated fat intake
- Increase our fibre intake
We eat food not nutrients perse. Therefore these are the SIX food changes for us to do…
- Extra Virgin Olive oil: 30-50ml daily
- Nuts/seeds: 30grams daily
- Fruit: 400grams daily (eg. Medium apple = 150 grams)
- Vegetables: 340grams daily (1/2 cup broccoli = 90 grams)
- Legumes – 3 serves a week (each serve = 70grams = 1/3 cup)
- Seafood – 100grams daily (all types)
There you have it. These 6 dietary recommendations will be a great base to take on the Mediterranean benefits. It may not be so much as what not to do, but what to add to your routine.
Reference: Considerations to facilitate a US study that replicates PREDIMED, Metabolism Clinical and Experimental 85 (2018) 361–367 https://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495(18)30118-5/fulltext
