Written by Patrick Massey, M.D., Ph.D. Studies have shown that a Mediterranean-style diet leads to both health and longevity.
Do you eat to live or live to eat?
Given that the United States is the fattest country in the world and we probably buy more diet books than anyone else, it seems that we are more interested in how we eat than in what we eat: High-fat diets, low-carb diets, low-fat diets, high-carb diets, counting calories, food based on blood type – the list goes on.
I think we might have missed the whole idea.
What we eat should be contributing to our health and longevity. If we keep that as our main focus, all of the different diet programs might be unnecessary.
I believe it is safe to say that, for the majority of people, all diets work for about one month and all diets fail after four months. Why? Because we do not focus on what we need to eat to be healthy.
Is there a diet that fits that goal? Several studies have shown that a Mediterranean-style diet leads to both health and longevity.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet had a 33 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease and cancer. Their overall death rate was 24 percent lower than those who ate other foods. We don’t have medications that can begin to approximate these gains in health and long life.
In another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, nursing home residents who ate according to the Mediterranean diet had a 31 percent reduction in overall mortality compared to peers.
The Mediterranean diet is not the all-you-can-eat pasta and bread combo at the local Italian restaurant. It comes from the traditional fare of Spain, southern France, Italy, Greece and the Middle East.
It includes a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans, unrefined cereals, mono-unsaturated oils (olive oil), fermented cheese and yogurt. Fresh fish is the major source of protein and omega-3 fats.
This diet limits red meat to monthly servings and goes easy on poultry, eggs, milk and sweets. This is in contrast to the recommendations in the Food Guide Pyramid developed by the United States Department of Agriculture and supported by the Department of Health and Human Services. The food pyramid recommends a lot of starch and dairy products. It does not differentiate among red meat, poultry and fish or between good fats and bad fats.
The success of the Mediterranean diet might not depend solely on what is eaten. It is part of a culture that includes regular physical activity and strong social and family bonds that are strengthened and enjoyed around meals. In contrast, for many Americans, meals are not that same stress-reducing, family-bonding experience.
As an aside, if there is a strong association between good health and proper diet, then why do the menu choices of so many hospitals and school lunch programs promote a seemingly endless parade of starch, red meat and fried foods?
Good nutrition is most important for those who are ill and those who are growing. We should demand better.
Posted November 19, 2008.
