The Mediterranean diet is a term used to describe the dietary patterns of people living in the regions along the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Spain, southern France, and Greece.

This dietary pattern gives priority to whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes, while minimizing the intake of ultra-processed and convenience foods. The Mediterranean diet offers numerous health benefits, ranging from reducing the risk of heart disease to promoting a healthy body weight. Read on to learn more about the Mediterranean diet, including its potential benefits, the foods to eat and avoid, and how to follow this diet to improve your overall health.

Although the Mediterranean diet is a general term for different dietary patterns in the Mediterranean region, most Mediterranean diets are rich in plant-based foods like vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts. The Mediterranean diet that is currently advocated for improving health is based on the eating habits of the people in the Mediterranean region before the emergence of large-scale food trade. At that time, people ate local foods, so their diets varied with the seasons. The traditional Mediterranean diet mainly relied on complete, nutrient-rich local foods and had a low content of ultra-processed foods.

Although no food is prohibited in the Mediterranean diet, those who follow this diet pattern should reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods and added sugars to approach the traditional dietary method.

The Mediterranean diet mainly focuses on the following food categories:

Olive oil is the main source of fat in the Mediterranean diet. This is because olive oil is produced in many Mediterranean countries and is very common in these regions. Other foods such as dairy products, meat, and eggs should be consumed in moderation. People who follow the Mediterranean diet usually drink a small to moderate amount of wine, mainly red wine.

When following the Mediterranean diet, there is no food that is completely forbidden, as it is more like a dietary pattern rather than a strict diet. Nevertheless, since the Mediterranean diet is based on a traditional dietary pattern that emphasizes complete and nutrient-rich foods, the following foods and beverages are best limited:

Decades of scientific research have shown that the Mediterranean diet has a variety of health benefits, including reducing the incidence of chronic diseases and body weight. It is generally believed that the powerful health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are mainly attributed to its high content of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds and its ability to control body weight. The nutrients in the Mediterranean diet help reduce inflammation, prevent cell damage, improve satiety, and thus promote overall health.

One of the most well-known benefits of the Mediterranean diet is its ability to protect and improve heart health. Research results show that the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease through various mechanisms. The foods prioritized in the Mediterranean diet (such as olive oil, fruits, and vegetables) help reduce atherosclerosis, which is the accumulation of fatty deposits (plaques) in the arteries. The protective compounds such as polyphenol antioxidants in olive oil and other foods in the Mediterranean diet help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, which play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. A 2021 article that included 939 heart disease patients found that compared with those who followed a low-fat diet, the participants who followed a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil for seven years had a slower progression of atherosclerosis. In addition to reducing plaque accumulation, the Mediterranean diet has also been proven to improve heart disease risk factors such as low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hypertension. This may be why it is so effective in preventing heart disease. A 2019 survey concluded that adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease and overall cardiovascular disease.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in foods that help protect brain health and promote brain function. People who follow the Mediterranean diet have a slower rate of age-related cognitive decline, better memory, and a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. A 2021 study analyzed the data of 512 people, including those at a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease. The results showed that the participants who adhered to the Mediterranean diet had a larger volume of gray matter tissue in the brain, better memory, and less accumulation of amyloid plaques (a protein deposit related to the onset and development of Alzheimer's disease). The reduction or atrophy of gray matter volume is associated with cognitive decline. The protective compounds in the Mediterranean diet are believed to protect the brain from damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammation, which helps promote healthy aging and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

The Mediterranean diet can improve vascular health and promote healthy blood flow, which can prevent strokes. A 2019 review concluded that adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke refers to the blockage of blood supply to the brain. Hemorrhagic stroke refers to the rupture of blood vessels and bleeding into the brain. Another 2019 study found that following the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes in Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean populations.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in foods that help maintain a healthy body weight, including fiber, healthy fats, and proteins. In addition, the Mediterranean diet has a lower content of foods that can cause weight gain (such as ultra-processed foods, saturated fats in fried foods, and added sugars). A 2018 study involving 32,119 Italian men and women found that adhering to the traditional Italian Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of being overweight or obese, the risk of having a high amount of abdominal fat, and had a smaller change in waist circumference over five years. A 2022 survey that included data from over 650,000 people found that following the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with a 9% reduction in the risk of being overweight or obese within five years. The Mediterranean diet is an excellent choice for promoting weight loss because it is not as restrictive as many popular diets and contains foods that are beneficial to overall health.

In addition to preventing heart disease and cognitive decline, adhering to the Mediterranean diet can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Research shows that following the Mediterranean diet helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and promotes healthy blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Research also shows that people who adhere to the Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer. Some evidence also suggests that the Mediterranean diet can prevent inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, premature birth, kidney stones, dry eye syndrome, macular degeneration, and depression. In addition, people who follow the Mediterranean diet are more likely to live a longer and healthier life.

Since the Mediterranean diet is a balanced and nutrient-rich dietary pattern that does not restrict any food, it generally does not pose any health risks. The Mediterranean diet can be adjusted to suit almost any dietary preference, including vegan and vegetarian diets. Plant-based diets are more likely to have deficiencies or insufficiencies of various nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and iodine. Therefore, those who follow a plant-based Mediterranean diet should carefully plan their diets to ensure nutritional adequacy and supplement the nutrients that may be lacking in their diets. Finally, although wine is part of many traditional Mediterranean diets, don't assume that you must increase your alcohol intake when following this diet. A small to moderate amount of alcohol is usually harmless, but excessive alcohol consumption, even of red wine, can have negative impacts on your health in many ways.

In conclusion, the Mediterranean diet is a healthy dietary pattern rich in plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. It is closely associated with a variety of health benefits and may help reduce the risk of diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes and help maintain a healthy body weight. If you are interested in switching to a Mediterranean-style diet, try adding some of the foods listed in this article to your diet and reducing the intake of ultra-processed foods.