Buzz
Once again, the Mediterranean diet has secured its spot on the popular yet questionable list of 'top diets.' This raises an interesting question: Does anyone truly 'adopt' the Mediterranean diet as a strict regimen to follow? Unlike other diets, there’s no convenient app to monitor your progress or a simple guidebook offering black-and-white rules about what to eat.
Moreover, do we even have a clear understanding of what the Mediterranean diet truly includes? Olive oil and fish are obvious staples, but what else? 'My knowledge is pretty much limited to the generic photos used in those articles,' admitted an anonymous Mytour team member, echoing a sentiment many of us share.
Let’s dive deeper. First, I’ll outline the basics of adhering to the Mediterranean diet—likely the primary reason you’re here. After that, I’ll explore some significant caveats surrounding its reputation as the 'best' diet and its scientific backing.
Daily Meal Guide for Adhering to the Mediterranean Diet
Despite its lack of strict guidelines, the Mediterranean diet is widely regarded as a healthy and balanced way of eating. If you’re interested in giving it a try, there’s no harm in doing so. The diet’s flexibility is both its strength and its weakness. On the positive side, no food groups are entirely excluded, and nothing is strictly forbidden. However, the absence of clear rules can make it challenging to determine what to eat for your next meal while staying true to the diet.
While the scorecard provided isn’t the only method to assess how closely a diet aligns with Mediterranean principles, it serves as a useful starting point. Here’s an example of what a typical day’s meals might look like:
Vegetables: Measuring 250 grams of vegetables can be tricky due to their varying sizes and shapes, but aiming for the familiar American guideline of 3 cups of vegetables will generally put you on the right track.
Fruits and nuts: Consuming two pieces of fresh fruit, such as an apple and an orange, will easily meet the 300-gram target. Feel free to substitute other fruits based on your preference, and incorporate a handful of nuts into your day—whether as a salad topping, a dish ingredient, or simply as a snack.
Legumes: The weekly goal of 140 grams averages out to about 20 grams per day. A single can of chickpeas or black beans will fulfill this requirement for the entire week.
Cereals (grains): You can achieve the daily 195-gram target with one cup of cooked brown rice. Alternatively, think of it as two 100-gram servings—half a cup of rice or farro for one meal and a 2-ounce side of pasta for another. While more is acceptable, ensure you leave room for other food groups.
Fish: A weekly intake of 250 grams translates to a quarter-pound serving twice a week—though this is just the minimum, and you’re welcome to eat more.
Meat: The daily average of 80 grams is slightly under three ounces (often compared to the size of a palm or a deck of cards). This is equivalent to a quarter-pounder patty or half a chicken breast. Unlike fish, this is a maximum limit, so consider having a meatless day each week to lower your average intake.
Dairy: The daily recommendation of 180 grams is roughly six ounces. A five-to-six-ounce container of yogurt would suffice, or you can incorporate feta or mozzarella into your meals.
Alcohol: The suggested amount is one to two drinks per day. A glass of wine with dinner would satisfy this recommendation.
Olive oil can be used liberally for cooking as needed.
Combining these elements, a day’s meals might include yogurt and fruit for breakfast, a salad with fish and vegetables for lunch, and a dinner featuring meat, rice, and additional vegetables. For a snack, consider hummus with whole-grain bread.
For culinary inspiration, Oldways, an organization dedicated to promoting traditional eating habits, including the Mediterranean diet, offers a recipe database here that can be filtered by dietary preferences. Additionally, OliveTomato provides a printable shopping list featuring typical Mediterranean pantry staples and a sample 5-day meal plan. You can also explore the Mediterranean diet subreddit, where enthusiasts share meal ideas and recipes.
Key Insights into the Research Behind the Mediterranean Diet
To understand the origins of the Mediterranean diet, it’s essential to know how scientists defined it. The term was initially used to describe the eating habits of certain Mediterranean populations and later expanded to include similar diets in other regions. However, it’s crucial to recognize that much of the research linking the Mediterranean diet to benefits for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia, and other conditions is based on observational studies.
In simpler terms, when you encounter headlines about the Mediterranean diet, they often stem from studies that didn’t involve assigning specific diets to groups. Instead, these studies typically survey individuals—sometimes within the Mediterranean region, sometimes elsewhere—about their usual eating habits. Responses are then scored (e.g., 2 points for consuming over 250 grams of vegetables daily), and comparisons are made between those with the highest and lowest scores.
How are these scores determined? This paper outlines one of the commonly used scoring systems. The criteria were developed by analyzing numerous studies, each with its own interpretation of the diet, conducted across various regions—some in the Mediterranean, others in different parts of Europe, and occasionally beyond.
The scoring criteria can be found here. Note that some targets are weekly, while others are daily, so pay close attention. You earn two points for each of the following:
Consuming a minimum of 250 grams (approximately half a pound) of vegetables daily (1 point for 100-250 grams)
Eating at least 300 grams of fruits and nuts each day (1 point for 150-300 grams)
Including at least 140 grams of legumes (beans and lentils) per week (1 point for 70-140 grams)
Consuming a minimum of 195 grams of cereals (grains) daily (1 point for 130-195 grams)
Eating at least 250 grams of fish per week (1 point for 100-250 grams)
Limiting meat intake to less than 80 grams daily (1 point for 81-120 grams)
Keeping dairy consumption under 180 grams (1 point for 181-270 grams)
Consuming alcohol within the range of 12 to 24 grams daily, equivalent to 1 to 2 standard drinks (1 point if under 12 grams, no points if over 24 grams)
An extra point is awarded if you use olive oil for cooking.
As evident, this system isn’t the simplest way to evaluate your diet. For instance, cheese and skim milk are both dairy but differ in weight. Similarly, fruits and nuts vary—are we referring to a fresh apple or a bag of pistachios? Additionally, unit conversions may be necessary if you’re unfamiliar with grams. While 250 grams of fish is half a pound and easy to measure, 250 grams of vegetables can vary significantly—it could mean two and a half cups of broccoli or one large onion.
Alcohol is slightly easier to measure: 12 grams equals one standard drink, so the recommendation is roughly one to two drinks daily, depending on alcohol content. For example, a 12-ounce beer at 5% ABV contains 14 grams of alcohol.
The meticulous counting required here is an amusing contrast to U.S. News’s description of the Mediterranean diet as a collection of "general guidelines." In past years, they highlighted that the diet’s appeal lies in not having to track carbs, points, or calories. Yet, determining whether you’re truly following the Mediterranean diet involves tracking a surprising amount of details. I believe their intent is to suggest adopting broad principles like "eat more vegetables" and "reduce meat intake" to align your diet with Mediterranean-style eating. However, this approach is so vague that it barely qualifies as a structured diet.
Additional Considerations
Before you generously pour olive oil over your first fish fillet, it’s worth noting that a 2019 paper by epidemiologists pointed out that while observational studies strongly support the Mediterranean diet, the evidence from controlled trials—studies involving people who switched to the diet—is only "promising (though not definitive)" in terms of reducing heart disease risk.
It’s also crucial to recognize that the scientific basis for the Mediterranean diet is derived from foods traditionally consumed in Greece, Italy, and nearby regions. The inclusion or exclusion of foods depends on how closely they align with these traditional eating patterns.
When people claim the Mediterranean diet is scientifically supported, they’re referring to studies conducted on individuals who loosely adhere to it. This doesn’t mean scientists designed the diet from the ground up, selecting olive oil for its superior health benefits or determining that 250+ grams of vegetables is the ideal amount for specific reasons.
