Would you like to try the Mediterranean Diet? Specialists say start here. – Harvard Gazette

Importantly, we also know enough about the components of the Mediterranean diet that they can be combined in other food cultures (Asia, Latin America, Africa) to create different taste-based It means you can create what is called a Mediterranean diet, and a variety of foods.

For example, olive oil can be replaced with many other types of vegetable oils.In Asian diets, soybean oil has traditionally been one of the main oils and is used to make stir-fries with lots of vegetables and nuts. has been used. Available fruits may also vary, and tofu is a widely consumed plant protein source.

about two years ago, paper We examine olive oil consumption here in the United States in relation to heart disease risk and all-cause mortality. In our large cohort study, there was an inverse relationship. That is, the higher the amount of olive oil in the diet, the better the health, but similar inverse relationships were observed with other vegetable oils such as soybean and canola oil.

Gusset: What if you’re on a diet most of the time, but not all the time?

Willett: Of course this depends on what you do on other days. Eating half the time of the average American diet high in refined starches, sugar, meat and dairy gives you about half the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. If so, it’s almost always about eating a healthy eating pattern.

This pattern is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, multiple cancers, neurological disease and dementia.

Some of us who have grown accustomed to Mediterranean-type patterns are thinking of returning to Midwestern patterns. Also, if someone really wants to eat a fair amount of red meat, that’s fine too.

Gusset: What is the biggest misconception about dieting?

Willett: The big problem was that all fat was bad and therefore the Mediterranean diet should be avoided. Although the nutritional community has come to focus on types of fat, and this is supported by multiple layers of evidence, there are still lingering strains on the idea.

Gusset: The Mediterranean diet is not the only research area related to food and health. What else have you learned recently?

Willett: Until recently, there was little information about diet in childhood and adolescence in relation to long-term health. We can now see the impact of diet at different points in life. By the way, adolescent diet is particularly important for later cancer risk, sometimes even more so than diet in middle age.

Another important part of our current research is the impact of our diet on environmental sustainability and climate change, which is an existential question. In this regard, the Mediterranean diet is very good, as it is predominantly plant-based.

We’ve also been digging into specific fruits and vegetables to look more closely. However, we know that their health effects may differ.

Higher specificity is important. Because even if someone eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, they may be missing a significant part of the whole basket of different foods. It should not be assumed. Eating too much spinach, although it has health benefits, can cause kidney stones, possibly due to its high oxalate content. When you encourage vegetable consumption, people overwhelmingly assume you mean spinach.

Gusset: What are the first steps for those interested in the Mediterranean diet?

Willett: It’s important to enjoy what we eat. So I encourage you to think about the components of a Mediterranean diet, start with the fun parts, and build on this, especially by adding more variety to vegetables and how they are cooked. Includes additions to salads. Healthy fats are important and extra virgin olive oil is central to the traditional Mediterranean diet. However, since there are so many types and flavors, finding one that suits your taste can be a daunting task. As I mentioned, other liquid vegetable oils may also have health benefits and these can be explored as well. there is. Also, nuts are particularly healthy, and there are many types with different tastes, so why not consider expanding their uses, such as eating them in place of breakfast, salads, or meat?

Basically, we encourage you to be adventurous.