Living the Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle

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Living the Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle

By James H. O'Keefe, M.D.

This summer Joan and I took our family to La Ciotat, a small village on the Mediterranean coast in southern France. This is the home of the real Mediterranean diet and we found it to be the most delicious and healthiest cuisine we have ever experienced.

I also could not help but notice that the women of all ages tended to have small, sexy waists, and smooth and beautiful complexions. And it wasn't that these people were fitness buffs. There was only one gym in town, and it was used for playing squash. They didn't get their toned abs from doing hundreds of sit-ups daily or taking some weight loss supplement. No, their beautiful flat tummies are the byproduct of an active lifestyle and a diet that keeps their hormones in the healthy youthful ranges.

In contrast, the average overweight American continues his or her futile struggle with 'Ab-blaster' machines and weight loss supplements, while eating synthetic food loaded with trans fats and sugar, and drinking soft drinks full of high-fructose corn syrup and spending most of the day in front of a TV/computer screen or behind a windshield.

The Mediterranean diet is the eating style commonly followed by the people of southern France, Italy and Greece. These populations traditionally eat predominantly fresh healthy foods like fish, vegetables, nuts, fruits whole grains and olive oil, and drink water, red wine, tea and coffee. This diet is much closer to our natural human hunter-gatherer eating pattern; and very different from the majority of western diets that contain relatively large amounts of fatty meats and processed carbohydrates like white flour and sugar.

When Americans hear Mediterranean diet, we think pasta and pizza. In fact, these people do eat some of these foods and French bread too. But the portion sizes of these starches are small. The striking difference in their diet, however, is the amount of fresh produce, fish and lean meat they eat.

Each morning the market was crowded with people, all filling their carts with a remarkable variety of delicious fresh veggies and fruits. The largest line in the store was at the fish counter, where you could choose from over 30 different varieties of fresh fish and shell fish. The Mediterraneans prepare their food with olive oil, and eat minimal fried foods. They also are not big on packaged, processed foods.

And although the Mediterraneans love their coffee, tea, red wine, cheese, milk, and even cigarettes, their rate of heart disease is much lower than in America. In fact the cholesterol of the Mediterranean people is essentially the same as in America or other westernized nations, yet they have much lower rates of heart attack, stroke and Alzheimer's disease. One of the main reasons is their high intake of omega-3 fats, fresh fruits and veggies.

Today, you can eat the Mediterranean diet anywhere, anytime. Your choices may be a bit more limited, but fresh produce, lean meat, and fish are almost always available. You will have to develop the discipline to get to the store more often to keep fresh food on hand, but if you want a beautiful body, and a healthy heart, it is well worth it.

Just like the townspeople of La Ciotat, you should try to get to your local supermarket every other day, and spend just a few minutes there picking up fresh items. Literally tens of thousands of scientific studies make it abundantly clear that following the right lifestyle can extend the average person's healthy lifespan a number of years.

Yet another testimony to the power of diet and exercise was published Sept. 23, 2004 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examining mortality for 2,339 men and women from several European countries. This rigorously conducted study concluded that adopting four simple lifestyle habits cut mortality risk during a 10-year period by about 65 percent. The researchers found regular physical activity (defined as at least 30 minutes of activity per day) conferred a 37 percent decreased risk of death (from any cause) and not smoking was associated with a 35 percent lower risk. Consuming a Mediterranean diet lowered the mortality risk by 23 percent, and mild to moderate alcohol use was associated with a 22 percent lower risk.

These habits reduced mortality rates for both heart disease and cancer to a similar degree. Following all four of these diet/lifestyle recommendations dropped the risk of dying from any cause during the study period by two-thirds, compared to practicing one or none of the 'fab 4' healthy habits. In another report appearing in the same issue of JAMA, Katherine Esposito M.D. and colleagues found that the Mediterranean diet decreased the incidence of the metabolic syndrome (obesity and pre-diabetes), and improved blood vessel health/function, and lowered insulin resistance. The Mediterranean diet also reduces inflammation as measured by CRP, and decreases homocysteine and fibrinogen, which cause arterial disease and aging.

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