I strongly believe there is NO one-size-fits-all diet for health and wellbeing.
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The right diet is often determined by your health, medical condition, genetics and culture and can even change multiple times over the course of our lives.
However, the Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) has long been believed to be the best diet for wellness, heart health and stroke prevention.
It is primarily plant-based and includes lots of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, full fat dairy, legumes, extra virgin olive oil and even a little red wine.
Health Benefits of the Med Diet
Lowers cholesterol levels
The Med Diet is high in fibre, which helps to mop up excessive cholesterol in our gut, reducing reabsorption back into the body.
Fibre also helps feed our good bacteria, which in turn produce short chain fatty acids, which can actually inhibit cholesterol production in our liver.
Plus, the Med Diet contains lots of nuts packed with plant sterols that can naturally reduce LDL (unhealthy) cholesterol levels.
Reduces inflammation
The Med Diet is rich in health-boosting antioxidants ...
The Med Diet is rich in health-boosting antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium, all of which can be useful in reducing certain types of inflammation.
Extra virgin olive oil which is dominant in the Med Diet contains a special compound called oleocanthal which has anti-inflammatory properties and acts in a similar way to ibuprofen.
Oleocanthal may be beneficial in reducing PMS pain and Alzheimer’s and may help improve symptoms of arthritis.
Weight loss
A number of recent studies has found the Med Diet was more effective for both heart health and weight loss when compared to a traditional low fat diet.
This maybe due to the production of short chain fatty acids by our gut bacteria that induce satiety (keep us full) by slowing down gastric emptying and increasing certain gut hormones.
Recommendations
Include healthy fats in most meals - avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds as well as fish high in omega 3 fatty acids, such salmon or tuna.
Swap red meat for fish, chicken, eggs and dairy.
Choose wholegrain where possible.
Choose olive oil over other oils even for cooking (it can handle heat up to 190C).
A small amount of red wine can be included as part of a healthy diet, but should be limited to one or two standard drinks per night with a few alcohol-free nights each week, unless you are trying to lose weight, then avoiding alcohol is best.
