The History of the Mediterranean Diet

One thing is very clear - this is no here today, gone tomorrow fad diet. The Ancient Romans ate this way, as did the Ancient Greeks. The people of the bible also dined on these very same foods. And their descendents are still enjoying these tasty foods and reaping their many health benefits right up to this very day.  

Way back during the Renaissance one Giacomo Castelvetro published a book entitled “A Brief Account of the Fruits, Herbs and Vegetables of Italy”. In it he promoted the healthy effects of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately in his time his ideas went largely ignored. 

Then in 1945 Ancel Keys an American doctor then stationed in Salerno, Italy discovered how healthy this approach to eating could be.  

But it wasn’t until the 1990s that the diet became widely known and appreciated. Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard University’s School of Public Health was the first to promote the diet and put it on the public’s radar. From there studies were done almost all of which came to the same conclusion – this is one very healthy diet!

The diet is centered on the traditional eating habits of people native to the coastal regions around the Mediterranean Sea including Spain, southern Italy, Crete, Greece, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Lebanon, Cyprus and Malta.

Though the diets of these people vary somewhat from country to country and province to province, there are many common elements and these are the foods that form the backbone of what we today know as the Mediterranean Diet.  

Scientists have conducted a host of studies searching for the single element in the diet they were convinced would confer it’s many health benefits. Unfortunately no single factor was ever found. Instead they’ve proven that it’s the lack of refined carbohydrates along with a combination of the fresh, nutrient-dense, high-fiber, natural foods that provide its many benefits. 

At the heart of the Mediterranean approach is a deep paradox. Though the people of the Mediterranean area consume a diet high in both fat and salt, their cardiac and cancer death rates are among the lowest in the world.  

Scientists all over the world continue to be mystified by this paradox. But we know that it’s the lack of refined carbohydrates that makes this diet healthy – despite it’s inclusion of tasty and satisfying high-fat and high-salt foods.

The Many Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet Include: 

Reduction of the level of insulin in the blood which dramatically reduces Alzheimer’s disease risk

Reduction of age-related brain cell and synaptic damage

Improved and elevated mood

Enhanced formation of brain connections - synapses

Reduced oxidation of LDL cholesterol reducing heart disease risk

Weight loss – equal to or greater than other weight loss diets

Slowed overall rate of aging

Slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Increased life span

 Increased quality of life

 Reduced Parkinson’s disease risk

 Prevention of type 2 diabetes

 Reduced blood insulin and blood sugar levels

 Substantial reduction in overall death rate

 Increased “good” cholesterol – HDL

 Shifted cholesterol from dense form to harmless soft form

 Increased anti-inflammatory effect of healthy Omega-3 fats

 Increased blood flow to the brain

 Reduced triglyceride level

 Reduced risk of psychological depression

What Can You Eat on the Mediterranean Diet?

 - Fresh fruit and vegetables

- Broiled, baked or poached fish

- Salads with vinegar/olive oil dressing

- Olives and olive oil