Glorious vegetables, herbs and fruits that come straight from the garden to the table to accompany an abundance of freshly caught grilled or broiled fish and seafood, served with tasty grains and legumes, crusty homemade bread, wine…
That fresh and vibrant menu, dressed with olive oil, and consumed with admirable moderation, has for decades been an ideal that not only conjures up memorable moments shared with loved ones but also promises physical well-being.
That’s because it contains many of the ingredients of the famous Mediterranean diet, the one that consistently receives top marks from health professionals for being one of the healthiest and most practical eating plans around.
And one of its crucial components has nothing to do with food.
Its name was coined nearly six decades ago, and since then no other diet has as much documented evidence supporting its positive effects.
Research continues to show an increasing range of benefits, including better cardiovascular health, less chance of developing type 2 diabetes and cancer. The most recent study shows that this way of eating may also protect against dementia.
But science also shows that while the foods on the Mediterranean menu are a must, there are other non-edible ingredients that are crucial.
And the Mediterranean is not just a diet, it is a way of eating in a way that extends beyond a list of foods.
Food is cultural and social, loaded with personal, family and regional histories.
And because the Mediterranean diet was not invented out of thin air but based on traditions developed over time by millions of people, it includes lifestyle components.
This contributes to the above-mentioned benefits and several others, including a reduced risk of depression.
Prehistory with 7 countries
When the fighting of World War II ceased, Haqvin Mamrol, a researcher from Sweden, demonstrated that mortality from coronary heart disease decreased in northern European countries during the war.
His hypothesis was that it was the result of wartime restrictions on milk, butter, eggs and meat.
At about the same time, a scientist in Minnesota, USA, named Ancel Keys, who had been studying the effects of starvation on a group of volunteer subjects, went on to study the diets of businessmen in the Midwest of his country.
He found that these well-fed Americans were more prone to heart disease than food-deprived men in northern Europe during the war.
Keys suspected that a drastic reduction in saturated fats was in order.
To test this, he recruited researchers in various parts of the world and embarked, in the late 1950s, on an ambitious project that would later become known as the Seven Countries Study, or SCS.
The multinational team examined the diets and lifestyles of thousands of middle-aged men in the U.S., the Netherlands, Finland, Yugoslavia, Japan, Italy and Greece.
In the late 1970s the first results were published confirming associations between saturated fat, cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease.
But there was another notable finding: those living in and around the Mediterranean, in countries such as Italy, Greece and Croatia, had lower rates of cardiovascular disease than participants elsewhere.
Their diets, rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean proteins and healthy fats, appeared to have a protective effect.
Keys, his wife and his colleagues in the study were instrumental in recognizing, defining and promoting the eating pattern that would be popularly called the “Mediterranean diet.”
Something that, as even the SCS website says, does not exist.
“The Mediterranean Sea borders 18 countries that differ markedly in geography, economic situation, health, lifestyle and diet.”
But that’s not all.
Diaita del Mar Medi Terraneum
First of all, it is not a diet, in the sense that there are no strict rules, no abstentions from food groups, no restrictions on portion sizes and no special recipes to follow.
It is rather a diaita, the Greek word for style or way of life, because its magic is not only in its nutritious components but in the way of obtaining them, and of creating and consuming colorful and aromatic dishes, pleasing to the palate and the spirit.
It was designed based on the observation of communities in places like the island of Crete some six decades ago, when the daily chores involved more physical activity.
In addition, the only foods generally available were those provided by local nature, so they tended to be fresh and seasonal.
Hence one of the advantages of the diet: it is not a matter of buying the food produced in a region, but of using anyone’s food in the Mediterranean style.
Even olive oil is not indispensable; what matters is to avoid saturated fats, so it can be certain seed oils (such as canola, soybean and flaxseed) and nut oils (walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds).
But perhaps the most magical ingredient is that both cooking and enjoying what is cooked is traditionally a shared event, a daily celebration with family and friends for no other reason than the pleasure of doing it.
It’s not just about what you eat, it’s also about how and with whom you eat it.
And yes, there are also studies on the health benefits of these other factors.
In a recent one, the results of which were published in February 2023, researchers wondered what the impact was of embracing the approach of relaxed, family-style dinners, afternoon naps and strong community bonds in other cultures.
To do so, they moved 2,500 kilometers away from the Mediterranean Sea, and explored what would happen if British adults adopted not only the diet, but also the Mediterranean lifestyle.
The 110,799 participants, aged 40 to 75, were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease when they were enrolled between 2009 and 2012. They were followed up until 2021.
They examined questions such as whether they ate meals with family and friends (conviviality); participated in physical activities with others, for example, by taking walks together; how often they met with family and friends (social habits); and how much sleep they got, both at night and naps (rest).
And they found that the more they adhered to that lifestyle, the lower their risk of dying from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.
“This study indicates that adopting a Mediterranean lifestyle adapted to the local characteristics of non-Mediterranean populations is possible and can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” said the study’s lead researcher, Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, of the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
So, just as the Mediterranean diet is a guide that allows you to incorporate the foods of your homeland, the lifestyle that reinforces its benefits is one that you can replicate even if you live far away from what the Romans named Mar Medi Terraneum.