Study on Mediterranian Diet

[Monika4]

New study summarizes several studies of the "Mediterranean diet" - which is very similar to South Beach. While some principles are not compatible with low carb, I still think it is a worthwhile article to post here (and not in war zone).

http://www.medscimonit.com/pub/vol_10/no_8/4270.pdf
(you might need to register to get there but it should be free)

There is increasing scientific evidence that there are protective health effects from diets which are high in fruits, vegetables,legumes, and whole grains and which include fish, nuts,and low-fat dairy products. Such diets need not be restricted in total lipid intake as long as there is no excess of energy intake over expenditure and vegetable oils are emphasized that are low in saturated fats and partially hydrogenated oils [1]. The traditional Mediterranean diet, whose principal source of dietary lipids (“fat”) is olive oil, encompasses these dietary characteristics [2].

http://www.nut.uoa.gr/english/piramidaEN.gif

The review comes to the conclusion that all studies find this diet advantageous, and the more people adhere to it, the less likely they were to die of cardiovascular disease. While it is described as high carb it is also high fat, and it is very similar to the "good carb- good fat" ideas of South Beach diet.

What is disappointing is that while the authors explain differences - e.g. Spain eats more fish and less carbs, Italians eat more carbs - and there are differences in how good it is, they shy away from trying to untangle WHAT it is that is good - is it the high amount of good fats, or really the avoidance of red meat, or the moderate amount of wine or the anti-oxidants in high amounts of fruits? Depending on

[K Walt]

Personally, I think the what makes this fictional 'idealized' Mediterranean diet effective (at least better than the usual American or Western diet) is the COMPLETE absence of processed and manufactured food.

It is a WHOLE foods diet. Even if it includes carbs, it will be better than the boxed, factory foods everyone else eats. And it can work, IF you can keep your calories down, and avoid overeating the carbs.

It also includes a HUGE cultural influence. Traditional societies along the mediterranean eat much less than Americans do. Smaller portions. They don't generally eat standing up, while driving to work, or while watching TV. They do not eat 7 or more times a day. They eat meals ONLY. They don't gobble, but linger over meals.

It also includes a wider variety of foods, generally, than Americans eat.
The typical Western diet -- even if we THINK it's highly varied -- includes just a handful of foods day after day: wheat flour, potatoes, sugar, tomatoes, ground beef, cow's milk. Lasagna, Big Macs, Pizza, . . . endless combinations made from the same five foods above.

(Except you will find NO whole-wheat pasta anywhere in the Mediterranean. As far as I've heard, no one ever made it or ate it. It's an invention of American politically correct nutrition.)

[Hellistile]

This is published by the Hellenic Health Council (Greek). What about people who live in Malta, Italy, France, Spain, etc or those in Northern Africa that also share the Mediterranean Sea?

[ouzogirl]

It is very true.

I just came back from Greece and all of my relatives eat this way. They also do not eat any processed foods, meats, etc. They occasionally eat fast food like McDonalds, but would rather eat souvlaki, or something like that if in a rush.

They also drink a lot of water and don't indulge in too much dairy with the exception of cheeses. For the most part they buy bread daily or every few days and do not eat store brand bread (WOnder, etc). Everything they eat is not processed, etc. And many people grow their own veggies too.

[ItsTheWooo]

This diet is totally fictitous. It's a combination of selectively choosing some aspects of the region and combining it with PC nutrition views.

For example, the "eat whole grain" advice... totally bogus. My grandmother is algerian and made a lot of middle eastern cuisine. First of all, the starch/grain they eat is mostly refined and white. They eat a lot of semolina products (cous cous), much like the pasta in italy. They also eat a lot of syrian bread. They often combine starches and carbohydrates. So while it's true that they do eat a ton of grain, it's not "whole grain" or any other such PC nonsense. (BTW I love how they use the word "whole" to imply it's a radically different product. The difference between whole and white bread is like 1-2 grams of fiber and 1-2 grams of starch. PHysically white bread is where the germ and bran is removed, but "whole grain" includes these parts. It makes almost NO difference in glycemic index or glycemic load... the
"healthy whole grain" fantasy is all an illusion to avoid nutritionists from having to admit they were wrong, that eating lots of sugar isn't a good idea when you enjoy a modern lifestyle and you should probably eat more fat instead).

Second, they eat lots of fat and savor red meat. It's by no means a low fat diet, and they savor fat. Red meat is also prized and desired. Lamb is used in a number of dishes and consumed frequently, fat and all. Again, the PC view that eating animals is wrong and unhealthy just doesn't jive with reality. They savor red meat, and the only reason they don't eat it more than they do is because of the relative expense and cost. It's usually reserved for occasions for this reason only.

Third, sweets are eaten more frequently than they imply. They make tons of dishes with honey and dried fruit. However, again, these fanciful foods are reserved for special occasions due to poverty.

Finally, the health of people in that region of the world (as well as in the east) correlates more with their wealth than it does their diets. Their poverty does not give them the option of sitting ont heir butt stuffing themselves with grain & honey, so even though their diets aren't very healthy they don't suffer ill effects since they are barely sustenance calories to begin with. Since their diets are so low cal to begin with, they aren't assaulting themselves with the amount of sugar that an american would due to the meager portions. Plus they exercise a lot, which helps neutralize the damage of the sugar.

The composition of their diets is bad in many, many ways, however because resources are so scarce they simply eat a lot less and they do a lot more activity. If they continue to eat their glorious refined grain & honey laden diets, as those who are more wealthy and westernized do, they end up with the same diseases as those of us in the west are plagued with. My grandmother had PCOS, an apple shape, and died of stroke (which is basically CHD localized to the blood flow of the brain, rather than the heart). You'll notice this in many modern, westernized people who originate from the Mediterranean basin... if they continue to eat the same kinds of foods they traditionally ate, but live a western lifestyle, they succumb to our diseases. Grandma ate her high grain diet, but the difference was she was now living in america, and able to afford to eat MUCH more food and do WAY less physical activity. Result? Less than optimal health and modern diseases.

Look at the wealthy mummified corpses of those people who ate their grain and honey. These are people who ate the glorified "Mediterranean diet" only they didn't live a peasants life, they lived a life of conveniences and surplus. Result? Rotted teeth, diabetes, short stature and failure to thrive.

Bottom line is this, as I see it. If you are a peasant and can barely afford to feed your family, living a physically trying existence, the so-called "Mediterranean sustenance diet" of refined grain and very little meat products might be the way to go, since it is a good diet for such trying times. It's packed with tons of efficient sugar energy which can help you retain some fat to keep you alive.
On the other hand, if you are wealthy and western and don't wish to spend hours on the treadmill & starving yourself down to simulate the hard life of a peasant, well then it's probably better if you cut out some of that sugar from your diet and replace it with fat and protein. That is, unless you want to succumb to metabolic diseases.

[ezandreth]

I have to second some of these observations, as I am the daughter of Italian migrants who moved to Australia. My mother cooked from first principles, did not like or trust processed food. Made her own everything: bread, pasta, preserves, sausages, they even made their own wine. Mum has always been fat, dad now has diabetes. (As do all his siblings who lived that long). He also has had gallstones.
They are much better off financiallly than the family who stayed behind in Italy so had the luxuries of the western lifestyle plus the mediterranean diet.
I grew up on pasta (and mum only ever used refined white flour) and after a couple of years on low-carb, bread gives me stomach cramps.
The "mediterranean diet" is a fiction. The truth is: nearly no processed foods, and moderation and lots of exercise. Mum and dad had number 1 and less of numbers 2 and 3.
Me, I had carb addiction and a hatred of exercise.
Zan