Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet – Bring a Bit of Sunshine and Nutrition into Your Food Plan this Winter

 

 

As the days darken and we head into the depths of winter, there is a diet which can bring a bit of nutritional sunshine to your gut - the Mediterranean Diet?

 

Charlotte Harrison, Nutritionist, Spoon Guru (www.Spoon.Guru), AI food technology start-up that developed a unique food search & discovery engine to cater for individuals with specific dietary food requirements or health objectives, explains why the Mediterranean Diet is one we should all be incorporating into our weekly winter meal plans.

 

Characterizing the Mediterranean Diet

 

The Mediterranean diet is based on foods naturally found in countries like Italy, Greece and Spain which lie around the Mediterranean Sea. Obviously each of these countries have fairly different flavors but there are common features which can be combined to bring some sunshine into your nutrition all year round. 

 

From sunny Greek dishes like grilled seafood and Greek salad, to Italian pesto, pasta and grains such as polenta, and popular rice dishes like risotto and arancini, Spanish tapas like patatas bravas, olives, jamón, gambas al ajillo, and gazpacho, to robust classic French dishes such as Bouillabaisse, coq au vin and salade niçoise, all represent great Mediterranean flavors and all contain  substantial fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. 

 

 

 

How do you make your diet more Mediterranean?

 

·        Fats - instead of using saturated fats like butter or coconut oil, use a Mediterranean oil such as olive oil. This simple change is important, as saturated fats increase the LDL's (bad cholesterol) in the blood which, if raised for a long time, can clog arteries which can lead to heart disease.

 

·        Eating lots of fruits and vegetables - you can't go wrong with eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. Not only does a diet varied in fruits and vegetables supply you with pretty much all the nutrients you need, but also contains portions of fibre which keeps your bowels healthy and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. 

 

·        Less meat - A lot of Mediterranean meals tend to focus on vegetables and legumes instead of protein sources like red meat. An ideal meal is one with many different vegetables, not only does this make a colorful plate but also a highly nutritious meal.

 

·        More fish - the 'standard' Mediterranean diet contains a fair amount of fish. Obviously countries by the sea tend to eat more fish due to its availability and cheap price. There are two main types of fish, oily and white. Oily fish includes sardines, salmon, trout and mackerel, with white fish being cod, haddock, plaice and red mullet, to name a few. Each type of fish contains different health benefits:

o   Oily fish contains a high amount of omega 3's and vitamin D. Some oily fish (e.g. whitebait) you can eat the bones, this also contains sources of calcium and phosphorus, which keeps our bones strong. 

o   White fish is lower in fat making them a healthier alternative to some red or processed meat choices. Some species of white fish can also be a good source of omega 3 such as sea bream or halibut. 

 

·        Starchy foods - Mediterranean diets tend to contain a lot of starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta and bread. A lot of classic starchy, high carbohydrate foods tend to get a bad reputation, however swapping a fried chip for a boiled, unpeeled new potato can make up a really healthy meal. Also try swapping your regular white bread and pastas for whole grain or seeded varieties. 

 

Vegetarians and the Mediterranean Diet

 

Due to this region's focus on fresh produce and pulses, the Mediterranean diet can be vegetarian. In fact, for the seven weeks leading up to Easter, the food traditionally eaten by the Greek Orthodox community is nearly all vegan. 

 

Because the countries border the Mediterranean Sea, there can be quite a lot of fish and shellfish in the diet however if you don't eat fish then you can substitute the fish for some other options. 

 

Fish contains a high amount of omega's and vitamin D. Plant-based foods which contain these important nutrients include hemp, flax and chia seeds, walnuts, and kidney beans, all of which can be substituted in your vegetarian Mediterranean diet. Shellfish are low in fat and a great source of selenium, zinc, iodine and copper. Good plant-based alternatives in the diet would be:

 

·        Selenium: whole grains and milk, as well as Brazil nuts. 

·        Zinc: beans, nuts and whole grains. 

·        Iodine: good sources include eggs, milk, and kelp seaweed. Seaweed contains quite a lot of iodine so you don't need to eat too much in order to get the iodine.

·        Copper: shiitake mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and leafy green vegetables.

 

The Pros of the Mediterranean Diet

 

·        The Mediterranean diet puts emphasis on fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes, all of which are extremely good for you. Most fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins A, C, folate, fibre and potassium. 

 

·        High fruit and vegetables means that your gut gets looked after! Pretty much all contain a high amount of fibre which your gut loves. 

 

·        You'll reach 1 of your 5 a day in no time. This is a government guideline which suggests you should be having 5 different portions of fruit and vegetables in a day. With emphasis on plants in the Mediterranean diet, there'll be no issues with reaching your daily target and you may even eat more plants!

 

·        Limits the consumption of processed and high sugar/ salt foods. In time, a reduction of these foods can really benefit your heart health, blood health and gut. 

 

·        Saturated fat consumption is low - there is more of an emphasis on unsaturated fatty acids, which comes from plant based oils, such as olive. Having a diet low in saturated fat can help the body lower the levels of LDL's (bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL's (good cholesterol). 

 

·        It's tasty! There are so many meals to choose from so I'm sure you'll find at least one which you'll love. 

 

The Cons of the Mediterranean Diet

 

·        As there are no specific guidelines to follow, it can be tricky to make those choices and swaps without knowing everything about the diet. For some people it can be difficult to know what's best.

 

·        It can be time consuming - a lot of meals can take time to make. For example paella, it can take some time to let all the flavors come in and rice to cook, but the wait will be worth it.

 

·        Managing allergies around the diet can also be tricky. For example, if you are vegetarian and have a nut allergy, it may take more planning to get certain nutrients like zinc or selenium. 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Overall the Mediterranean diet is a tasty, non-restrictive diet which the whole family can enjoy. It's not only a great way to try new foods and really get those nutrients up, it's also very beneficial for heart health, gut health and blood health. 

 

ENDS

 

For interviews or other nutrition advice for upcoming articles, please contact:    Ken Hooper, Cherish PR, 07812098092, ken.hooper@cherishpr.com

 

 

Charlotte Harrison, ANutr

Nutritionist Spoon Guru

Charlotte graduated from University of Roehampton (UK) with a Bachelor of Science – BS, Health & Nutrition in 2018.  She holds a license and certification from the Association for Nutrition.  She also holds a certificate in Food Health & Safety Level 2 from the Food Standards Agency.

 

About Spoon Guru

Established in 2015, Spoon Guru is a London-based AI food technology start-up that has developed a unique food search & discovery engine to cater for individuals with specific dietary food requirements or health objectives. A world leading end-to-end solution, Spoon Guru combines AI and machine learning with nutritional expertise to enable food retailers to deliver a highly personalised experience tailored to each consumer, based on their distinct and unique dietary, health and wellness needs. The platform processes billions of data points on a daily basis and analyses every ingredient as well as its nutritional value to allocate the appropriate dietary tags to each product or recipe, enabling large and unstructured data sets to be easily searched and accurately filtered to deliver relevant choices. 

64% of the world's population now actively exclude foodstuffs from their diet (Nielsen). 72% of US consumers say finding healthy food is difficult whilst a staggering 76% of consumers have unintentionally consumed food that's restricted from their diets. 

 

Spoon Guru enables retailers such as Tesco in the UK, Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, and Woolworths in Australia and New Zealand to cater for shoppers' distinct and unique dietary needs – increasing the choice of foods available, whilst minimising the effort to find them. 

 

Spoon Guru received a number of accolades including the Retail Week Customer Innovation Award for its partnership with Tesco, the Retail Technology Game Changer Award at the World Retail Awards, and the founders were presented with the Retail & E-Commerce Tech Founder of the Year at the 2018 BMW i UK Tech Founder Awards. In the US, Spoon Guru was chosen as a 2019 Red Herring Top 100 North America winner. The company was also presented the Personalised Nutrition Initiative accolade at the Nutraingredients awards, and awarded a Gold Stevie by the American Business Awards® in the category of Most Innovative Tech Company of the Year.