Mediterranean Diet benefits

Abstract

Welcome to Public Health Moment from the University of Minnesota. May is Mediterranean Diet Month. What is the Mediterranean Diet? And why is it good for you? We asked Dr. Henry Blackburn, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. Blackburn worked with Ancel Keys, the famed U of M scientist best known as the man who linked a high-fat diet to cholesterol and heart disease. Keys was a proponent of the Mediterranean diet. <Blackburn: “Actually it’s many eating patterns in the traditional cultures around the Mediterranean Sea. It’s characterized by a predominance of plant foods, far greater focus on the vegetables and fruits and grains and it has certain other commonalities in terms of wine and olive oil being important parts. And wild weeds, wild greens, in other words. And a focus on legumes, peas and beans, with lesser emphasis on meat and dairy. “What makes it healthy is apparently the plant emphasis and predominantly a low intake of saturated fats, which are usually animal fats.”> Blackburn provides advice for those wanting to eat the Mediterranean way. <Blackburn: “It takes some effort. There are whole food resources in many communities now. And there are local farms and farmers’ markets. Usually, you couldn’t find those in rural cultures 20 years ago. Now, you can.”