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It’s also tied as the best diet for bone and joint health and the best family-friendly diet. Discover some truths about those extra pounds and six effective weight-loss strategies to start today. The Mediterranean diet is always turning up in the top spot on “best diets” lists — and it’s easy to see why. Instead of relying on the salt shaker, buy a variety of these to spice up your meals. Fresh herbs are delicious but dry work too, just cut back on the amount to get a similar flavor since they are typically more potent. Instead of making meat the centerpiece of each meal, build more menus around grains, beans, fruits and veggies.

Whole grains are a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet and boast a range of benefits from helping to lower cholesterol to helping stabilize blood sugars and promoting healthy weight maintenance. Part of developing the Med-South program involved cataloging nearby resources related to eating, physical activity, medication assistance and other wellness resources that could help support behavior changes. Have community health workers deliver the program to improve accountability and lower cost.

What Challenges Does Following the Mediterranean Diet Present?

You may experience some discomfort – stomach upset, gas, bloating and light-headedness – when you start to eat this way. If the Mediterranean diet is a big change from your usual way of eating, you may want to start slowly. If your heritage is Northern European, you may also want to explore the Nordic diet. This way of eating has quite a bit in common with the Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on fish, plant-based foods and whole grains. 12 Although canola oil is recommended instead of olive oil, you can use olive, avocado or coconut oil if you are avoiding seed oils. The Med-South program has been well received by patients who have adopted it and has proven to effectively reduce blood pressure and improve short-term weight loss.

Skip the Added Sugar (Most of the Time)

While they’re not whole grains, legumes have similar health benefits to whole grains—including reducing inflammation and disease risk, thanks to their fiber and antioxidants. They’re also a source of lean plant-based protein and a part of the Mediterranean diet. Yes, always inform your primary care provider of any major dietary changes or weight loss or gain. They may need to adjust your medications or other treatments, and it’s important for them to know you are making lifestyle changes. No foods are completely off limits when following a Mediterranean eating pattern, but the diet doesn’t include processed food — which is why Obeid recommends minimizing their frequency.

Fish

Instead, it provides a guideline of what to include in your meals and snacks—especially whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, nuts, seeds, cheese, fermented dairy, eggs and, if you drink, a small amount of red wine. You don’t have to completely switch over to this eating pattern all at once. Pick one or two foods or food groups to start incorporating more of and once that’s become a habit, start adding more of others. Like plant-based oils and avocados, nuts are high in poly- and monounsaturated fats, which is the type that can benefit your heart health. Fat, protein and fiber are the perfect trio for staying full, keeping blood sugar stable, lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation. To incorporate more into your day, try snacking on a quarter-cup of nuts between lunch and dinner.

Most commercial and government insurances, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for certain conditions, including diabetes and obesity. Obesity screening and counseling is covered if it is received in a primary care setting. Medicare recipients in rural areas may receive MNT through telehealth. Ask your doctor or other health care provider to recommend a nutrition expert.

Mediterranean diet: Foods to eat, health benefits and how to get started

• Highly-processed foods are not regularly consumed as part of the Mediterranean diet.
• Use Seafood Watch recommendations to help determine the best choices for the environment and your health—including which fish tend to carry more mercury.
• You don’t have to completely switch over to this eating pattern all at once.
• Medicare recipients in rural areas may receive MNT through telehealth.
• When possible, try to choose foods with just whole-food ingredients like nuts, legumes or whole grains like oats and bulgur.
• Fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring are just a handful of the fish you’ll find in the Mediterranean diet.

“There are all of these benefits, and if you look at all the chronic conditions that really plague the U.S. population, diet is one of the risk factors that can be modified,” Samuel-Hodge said. The Med-South diet can serve as a model for combining healthier eating habits with local foods and flavor profiles, no matter where you live. Sarah Pflugradt is a registered dietitian who holds a Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Her extensive background in dietetics has made her a sought-after expert in family and youth sports nutrition.

Cook with Plant-Based Oil Instead of Butter

“A Mediterranean lifestyle also emphasizes certain cooking methods over others,” adds Obeid. “Baking, grilling, steaming, and boiling are preferred over pan frying or deep frying, for instance.” U.S. News & World Report has named it the best overall diet for six years in a row.

Snack on Nuts

For instance, there’s an emphasis unimeal-review.com/trustpilot/ on healthy fats — olive oil in particular, but also nuts and avocados, all of which are heart-healthy. But they’re also high in calories, so it’s important to watch portions. Same goes for red wine, which is allowed — in moderation — on the Mediterranean plan despite growing evidence that drinking even a little alcohol carries health risks, especially for older adults. Up to a glass of wine at dinner is given a green light on the Mediterranean plan. Saturated and trans fats can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol if eaten in excess over time. Swap butter most of the time for heart-healthy fats like plant-based oils high in unsaturated fat to help lower your cholesterol and improve your heart health.

What Are the Mediterranean Diet’s Health Benefits?

You can also work with a registered dietitian or a certified nutritionist or talk with your doctor or other primary health care provider about starting this eating plan. “Be mindful of how much processed food you are eating during the week,” says Obeid. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But even averaging 5 servings unimeal trustpilot per day has been shown to reduce the risk of dying early, including from cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease, per a 2021 study in Circulation.

Look for a registered dietitian or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). People in these occupations must usually have a four-year college degree plus 900 to 1,200 hours in a dietetic internship through an accredited program. They must also pass a dietetics registration exam and meet continuing professional education requirements. Some RDNs are certified in a specialized area, including pediatric nutrition, sports dietetics, nutrition support or diabetes education. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet does allow for the consumption of a moderate amount of wine.

What are the health benefits?

Provide patient-centered care to understand where clients are starting on their journey. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. Kimberly Goad is a New York-based journalist who has covered health for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, Prevention, Health and Reader’s Digest.

Public Health Lessons Learned From the Lifestyle Program

Frozen and canned are also great options to make them more cost-effective and to help them last a lot longer—just make sure to check that there is minimal-to-no added sodium, added sugar or added fat. Here, we give you a blueprint to follow the Mediterranean diet along with tips to make small, sustainable changes to what you’re already eating to help it better align with your goals. Get a quick how-to, a shopping list and meal guidance for beginning this ultra-healthy and highly-customizable way of eating.