Mediterranean diet: it really is that healthy

Libelle asked the Nutrition Center how exactly it works.

What is a Mediterranean Diet?

As the name suggests, a Mediterranean diet originally comes from the Mediterranean countries. Especially in Italy, the South of France, Spain and Greece, it has traditionally been the ‘normal’ way of eating. A Mediterranean diet focuses on unprocessed products. It consists mainly of fresh produce, whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruit, fish and oils. Does this remind you of anything? That could well be the case. According to Maartje Boot, spokesperson for the Nutrition Center, these products are in the well-known Wheel of Five, thanks to the health benefits they provide.

Boot mainly emphasizes what does not fit into a Mediterranean diet. “Because the focus is on fresh and unprocessed products, foods such as cookies, cake and sweets are rarely included in this diet. And as a protein source, people mainly choose seafood and legumes. They usually avoid red and processed meat.”

Does a Mediterranean diet help you lose weight?

Boot states that the Nutrition Center is deliberately not talking about a Mediterranean diet, but about a Mediterranean diet. “An important feature is that a Mediterranean ‘diet’ does not focus on losing weight, while diets are often associated with that.” However, a Mediterranean diet can help with weight loss. Eating less processed products with a lot of sugar or saturated fat helps to reduce energy intake. And that helps with weight loss.

It is a misunderstanding that a Mediterranean diet is therefore low in calories. Boot: “There are still plenty of products that provide both healthy nutrients and lots of calories. Think of nuts, oil, avocados and oily fish.”

A Mediterranean diet can also – unintentionally or not – help with weight loss due to the large amount of fruit, vegetables and whole grains it contains. Boot explains: “These foods provide a high intake of dietary fiber and that has a satiating effect. People who follow this diet may therefore feel less hungry and eat less overall, causing them to lose weight.”

Does a Mediterranean diet help against diabetes?

A quick online search will bring you to the claim that a Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Is that correct? Boot: “There are studies that show that a Mediterranean diet can have a positive influence on blood values ​​related to diabetes. However, this is mainly due to the weight loss that occurs with a combination of a Mediterranean diet and a lower energy intake than you need. However, it is difficult to demonstrate a clear link between such a diet and specific conditions. After all, a Mediterranean diet is not a strict diet with fixed amounts of specific foods. People determine for themselves how much of each food item they eat in total.”

Does a Mediterranean diet help against cardiovascular disease?

The same applies to the idea that a Mediterranean diet would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. That thought is not very strange, by the way. Studies show that following the Wheel of Five does indeed reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. And basically the Wheel of Five resembles a traditional Mediterranean diet.

“This is due to the large amount of fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil, supplemented with rice, pasta, legumes and a little meat, cheese or egg,” says Boot. “A Mediterranean diet contains – just like the Wheel of Five – whole grain products and sufficient unsaturated fats, which reduce the risk of some diseases.” However, she emphasizes again that it is difficult to establish a clear connection, because everyone has their own interpretation of this dietary pattern.

How healthy is a Mediterranean diet really?

According to Boot, the Nutrition Center considers the Mediterranean diet to be one of the healthier diets, because in terms of products it largely corresponds to the Wheel of Five. The latter is especially important when labeling a diet as ‘healthy’. “Choosing olive oil, vegetables, fruit, unsalted nuts and drinking water are appropriate for this, as is the choice to consume little or no products with added sugars, such as soft drinks, cookies and sweets.”

A Mediterranean diet can therefore offer a solution, but other interpretations of the Wheel of Five are also very healthy. “The healthiest eating pattern is one that consists of healthy choices that suit your needs.”

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