May is Mediterranean Diet Month, a campaign started in 2019 by the Mediterranean Foods Alliance to celebrate the good-for-you foods associated with this region of the world.
If you haven’t tried this heart-healthy lifestyle endorsed by numerous nutritional and medical experts, May is the perfect time to start. According to the American Heart Association, a Mediterranean-style diet can boost both brain health and heart health and includes:
- Lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
- Olive oil as a cooking oil and primary fat source
- Low to moderate amounts of dairy products, eggs, fish, and poultry
- Minimally processed, plant-based foods
- Wine in moderation, usually with meals
The Mediterranean Diet has been rated as the #1 best diet overall and #1 best plant-based diet by U.S. News and World Report year after year. Pros of the diet are that it offers a diverse variety of foods and flavors as well as being nutritionally balanced.
The Mediterranean Diet also aligns nicely with two of Blue Zones Project’s Power 9® - nine specific traits that lead to longer, healthier, happier lives:
Plant Slant – a diet rich in beans, with some meat in moderation.
Wine @ 5 – a lifestyle that includes 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food, given that you have a healthy relationship with alcohol.
To help you follow a Mediterranean-style of eating in May and every other month of the year, Eating Well has developed 30 Days of Mediterranean Diet Dinners.
