The benefits of the Mediterranean diet in promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, etc. are well known, but is it the only one? Are there other healthy eating patterns in the world? In this post I offer some of these healthy eating patterns, with common characteristics to the Mediterranean diet that make them an optimal alternative.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF HEALTHY EATING PATTERNS
Any type of diet that has the following characteristics can be considered healthy, as they help to improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation markers, improve insulin resistance….:
- Lots of vegetables and fruit: not in vain it is advisable to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (a serving is approx. 150-200g).
- More fish than meat: it is recommended to eat fish at least three times a week and, if possible, one of them should be oily fish (sardines, salmon, tuna, etc.). However, red meat is preferable to consume it a maximum of two times per week -and better lean-.
- Legumes in salads, stews, purees,…: in the past, families used to eat legumes at least three times a week and now it is difficult for people to eat them at least once. They have a great contribution of vegetable protein and fiber and give much play in the kitchen besides being very tasty.
- Whole grains as first choice: the nutritional value of whole grains – and by this we mean rice, oats, bread, etc. – is much higher than that of refined foods. In addition, it slows down the emptying of the stomach so that they give a feeling of satiety for longer and, as if that were not enough, it also favors intestinal transit. Pure benefit.
- Nuts at any time of the day: many people believe that they should not eat them because they are fattening. The truth is that overeating any food is fattening but 30g a day, equivalent to a handful of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc. between meals or complementing a salad, etc. will help us to keep hunger at bay and will also provide us with healthy fats, proteins, complex carbohydrates and fiber: it is a complete food.
- Minimal sugar consumption: remember that we are not only talking about table sugar, but also the sugar contained in soft drinks, juices, pastries, cookies, cakes, etc. It is well known that the abuse of this ingredient and the foods that contain it is harmful: excess weight, risk of diabetes, increase of triglycerides in the blood, etc.
AND WHAT PATTERNS MEET THESE CHARACTERISTICS?
We found several examples of “healthy eating patterns”, which coincide with the above points, in fact they are very similar but with different names, such as the DASH diet -Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or dietary approaches to stop hypertension, Healthy American Diet or healthy American diet and prudent pattern or prudent pattern. All of them are very close to the Mediterranean diet but lack one key point, the use of extra virgin olive oil.
The vegetarian diet
The vegetarian diet is an eating plan that coincides with the above-mentioned characteristics except that it avoids foods of animal origin or, at most, includes dairy products, eggs and honey. It has been demonstrated in multiple scientific studies that it is beneficial for health, since it has the same positive effects as the other types of diet: reduction of cardiovascular diseases, lower risk of obesity and diabetes, etc. But to avoid nutritional deficiencies, especially vitamin B12, it is advisable to consult a dietician-nutritionist to adjust the diet.
The Japanese diet
This is another healthy eating pattern because it coincides with many of the aspects mentioned above, as well as the fact that they eat a wide variety of foods and always in small quantities. In addition, they consume products rich in antioxidants and substances with beneficial properties for health: green tea, soy and its derivatives, algae, etc. and prioritize fish as a source of animal protein.
Blue zones
They have searched for the areas of the world where the population is longer-lived and suffer less mortality in middle age, as well as chronic diseases. They found that these zones were Barbagia, a region of Sardinia; Ikaria in Greece; Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; Loma Linda in California (population of Seventh-day Adventists) and Okinawa in Japan.
These are known as blue zones. As can be seen, they are very different places in the world -although, seen on a map, they coincide quite a lot in latitude- but they have in common several aspects of their lifestyle and that makes them maintain a good state of health and increase their longevity. The common points are: a diet with the aforementioned characteristics, eating moderate amounts, suffering little stress or knowing how to counteract it, maintaining strong family ties, personal relationships that promote healthy habits, etc.
As we can see, although there are many ways of naming it, healthy eating coincides in some basic factors. The best known is the Mediterranean diet, as it is one of the most studied, but it is not the only one. There are other healthy and very valid eating patterns. Even so, it is important to remember that physical activity must be added to the diet to achieve an overall healthy lifestyle.