Essay On Mediterranean Diet

There are many different styles of a Mediterranean diet, but they all have the same foundation. The Mediterranean diet originated from countries of Europe - Greece, Italy and Crete. The diet is composed of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish, chicken, and wine; red meat and dairy is barely consumed. . “In the late 50’s, Ancel Keys established the largely plant-based Mediterranean diet as the original prototype for current dietary guidelines in the United States” (Nestle, 1995, p. 1313S). Ancel Key’s career began as a biologist, than he transitioned into a professor at the University of Minnesota. Through studies and research, he found the benefiting factors of a Mediterranean diet. Dr. Keys was recruited by the government for a wide range of projects, such as K Rations, the effects of starvation and how to best re-feed starving people. (Brody, 2004) After successfully helping the governments and conducting “The Seven Counties” study, Dr. Keys discovered the Mediterranean style of eating and living habits are extremely beneficial. Benefits include prevention of coronary artery heart disease, help avoid metabolic syndrome, and increase

life expectancy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was drawn to Mr. Key’s research. Through his work, the WHO discovered the overall life expectancy was high in the Greek cultural. In Nestles (1995) article reviewing the Mediterranean diets historical and research overview, it was found that the life expectancy rate was between 30-32 while the Greek culture rate was 45 years old. This discovery motivated the WHO to research the Mediterranean style even further. There is an inadequate amount of information that dates back to the ancient Bronze Age to show proof of the Greek religions dietary intake. Recorded are food-related art, pottery, apparatuses and inscribed tablets surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. With all the WHO’s findings, it was concluded that people around the Mediterranean Sea consumed plant/animal food, seasonings/herbs, bread and wine, which validated Dr. Keys research.
The Mediterranean diet is high in monounsaturated fats, mostly olive oil and low in saturated fats.

Olive oil is the key fat source of this diet regiment. The diet incorporates complex carbohydrates such as, green vegetables, dairy, whole grains such as oats, legumes, and nuts into the dietary intake. Complex carbohydrates are a great source of fiber and can be high in vitamins and minerals because they are often found in whole plant foods. The replacement of salt with spices and herbs is also a major component because this reduces the amount of sodium intake. The diet limits red meat consumption to a few times a month and substitutes red meat with fish and poultry. Fish and poultry are consumed at least twice a week. Dieters who follow the Mediterranean intake have the option to consume red wine but in moderate

amounts.
Overall, the major understanding for dieters is to follow the dietary guidelines and exercise to help reduce the risk of death and increase livelihood. The Mediterranean diet nutritional facts vary, but are consistent with less than 30% of fat, carbohydrates are 55% more of total calories, and protein stands around 15% of total calories and less than 300mg/dl cholesterol (Dontas, 2007). The pyramid shows significant elements of what should be consumed at each main meal, daily and weekly. Anna Bach-Faig et al. (2011) associated the Mediterranean diet pyramid (MDP) with a better nutrient profile, with a lower prevalence of individuals showing inadequate intakes of micronutrients in comparison to other patterns such as western patterns (Anna Bach-Faig et al., 2011).
The key to the Mediterranean diet is to use olive oil as a fat source. Olive oil is shown in the middle of the pyramid displaying its high nutritional quality of consumption, every day. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid, which is one of the healthy dietary fats that should be incorporate into diets. The American Heart Association stated that monounsaturated fats can have health benefits such as help reduce the risk of bad cholesterol and can decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is recommended that 15-25% of total daily calories come from monounsaturated fats which are 33-55 grams in a typical diet. One tablespoon of olive oil has 11 grams of monounsaturated fat.” (Olive Oil vs. Coconut Oil, 2013) Overall, olive oil can only benefit dieters. The following component in this diet is whole grains. Grains should be consumed in the most minimally processed way, because if over processed, it can largely reduce the vitamin and fiber value. Some grains to incorporate would be barley, oats, corn and brown rice. Bread is a high component of this diet just like olive oil. The Mayo Clinic states that people following this diet dip the bread into olive instead of using butter because butter contains saturated fats.
The consumptions of fruits and vegetables are plentiful in the Mediterranean diet because it serves as a rich antioxidant and high in fiber. Fruits and vegetables is a readily available resource in Europe. These two food groups incorporate natural sugars that are needed for everyday function. Fruit contains natural sugars, such as fructose which is better than processed juice. Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils are found to be a good source of fiber, protein and monosaturated fats while is found to be useful in moderate amounts for the benefit of calcium to the heart and bones.
Protein is an important facet of a diet. Consuming fish is helpful due to the omega-3 fatty acid content in them. Fish is helpful because it is a lean protein, high in vitamin A and D, and phosphorus. With red meats only being consumed a few times a month, they contribute to the amount of protein that is needed in a diet. Due to the amount of fish consumed in this diet, it makes up for the lack of red meat.
Additionally, wine is consumed in moderate amounts because excessive drinking can lead to health consequences. One major allegory that people believe is if one glass of wine is good for you, then consuming more should be better for you. Unfortunately, the more you consume, the more health risks people experience. The 2010 Guidelines (2010) shows evidence from observational studies that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality among middle-aged and older adults. Moderate consumption of wine may help keep cognitive function intact for middle-aged to older adults. The 2010 Guidelines recommend that if alcohol is consumed, women should drink one per day and two per day for men of legal drinking age. This is not intended as an average over several days, but rather the amount consumed on any single day (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010).
The Mediterranean diet has been recorded to decrease the amount of people developing coronary heart disease. CARDIO2000 is a case control that investigators did research in the relationships between lifestyles, nutritional intake, demographics and biochemical risk influences between the Mediterranean diet and coronary heart disease. “CARDIO2000 investigators did an experiment an concluded that the Mediterranean diet was associated with a 17% reduction in the coronary risk in controlled hypertensive subjects, with an 8% reduction in unaware, with a 7% reduction in acknowledged but uncontrolled diet and with a 20% reduction in normotensive subjects” (Dontas, 2007). This diet style can also reduce the risk of diabetes, cancers and cognitive illnesses such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s. On an opposing side, eating saturated fats, meats and calories creates a high risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Individuals need to be mindful of not over indulging in healthy foods, it can counter the benefits and be harmful.
A randomized clinical trial showed the delay of cognitive illness such as Dementia with the Mediterranean diet. This trial consisted of 447 health people from October 1, 2003 all the way through December 31, 2009. (JAMA Intern Med, 2015) The participants were chosen randomly to the diet plus 1/3 were to consume 1 liter of olive oil a week, 1/3 to consume 30g of nuts a day and 1/3 to consume a controlled diet. After 4 years researcher were able to conclude that the diet plus olive oil or nuts showed improvement cognitively through neuropsychological testing. The control group did not show any improvement in cognitive function.
The reduction of diabetes was proven by the Predimed-Reus nutrition intervention randomized trial in 2011. This trial lasted up to four years before they reviewed the results. Overall, research put together a trail of 418 people aged between 55 and 80 years old. It is stated that the trial was meant for primary cardiovascular prevention in individuals at high cardiovascular risk. Researchers had a control group that was taught the education on a low-fat diet while the other two was put on a Mediterranean Diet (Med Diet) with olive and Med Diet with nuts. In the end it was proven that there was a significant decrease in the risk for diabetes. “The Mediterranean diet has confirmed its role in the prevention of many chronic diseases by large epidemiological studies published in hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles during recent decades” (Serra-Majem, Bach-Faig, Miranda, & Clapes-Badrinas, 2011).
The Mediterranean style diet is a simple diet to follow. Incorporating olive oil verses solid butter or margarine is an easy switch out that could help minimize raising levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. By making small adjustments such as fruits and vegetables for a snack instead of chips and dip, it is a step in the right direction. Snack idea dieters can incorporate is ½ cup of fruit such as mangos and/or pineapples with ¼ cup of plain low-fat yogurt and a few toasted sliced almonds on the top. Fruit and nuts also help curve hunger which helps control serving sizes. Another example would be dipping celery into a roasted beet hummus dip. The recipe is composed of chickpeas, beets, olive oil, lemon and salt/pepper. For sodium content you can incorporate some spices instead. (Cox, 2015) Both snacks follow in guidelines with Mediterranean diets, and the Dietary Guidelines. Dieters could also decrease the amount of red meat they eat by consuming reasonable serving sizes. For example, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics organized some comparisons for people to help them figure out what exactly is a serving size of food such as, three ounces of meat can be compared to a deck of cards. (EatRight, 2015) Dieters should understand that serving sizes are critical to health. In today’s world, as dinner plates become bigger so does the serving size.
Desert and alcohol creates a temptation in individuals. Instead of indulging in delicious chocolate fudge cake, dieters can substitute it with a dessert that has natural sugars such as a baked peach, topped with a drizzle of dark chocolate and blueberries. Or instead of indulging in ice cream or éclairs dieters can replace that with some fresh fruits and Greek yogurt. The Mediterranean diet has numerous deserts that follow the intake regiment.
Through Dr. Key’s research and the trials discussed, it is clear that a Mediterranean diet is vitalizing and health conscious. Not all Mediterranean diets are similar but they follow the same format; use olive oil versus butter, fish verses red meat, focus on fruits for natural sugars. Substituting some of these regiments in an individual’s everyday life style, could possibly help reduce disease and disorders (if incorporated properly). There are many resources an individual can reference for guidance. One site found to be helpful is Eatright.org which has great tips on getting started.