Paleo, keto, fasting, vegan, plant-based, low carb, no carb, high fat, low fat, macro counting, vegetarian, piscatarian, flexitarian -you name it. There are a lot of fad diets out there. It can be overwhelming and confusing for people to know which way to eat. It doesn’t have to be this hard.

Time and time again the research suggests that people who eat the Mediterranean Diet, which focuses on high QUALITY eating patterns tend to have lower overall mortality and chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease) and are overall healthier (2). The Mediterranean diet is high whole grains, leafy green vegetables, other vegetables, nuts and seeds, poultry, fish and olive oil.

Here are the fundamental pillars to a high quality diet with all the health benefits without the fad dieting:

1) Eat more whole foods. For example, it means eating more foods in its whole form or foods that are not packaged or very minimally processed. Instead of grabbing a granola bar or protein bar as a snack, try grabbing a handful of dry roasted or raw nuts and a piece of fruit like an apple or orange.

2) Aim to fill at least half your plate with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and leafy greens -there are many options out there. We call this “peace sign” plate eating. It is when 1/2 your plate is vegetables, 1/4 is protein, and 1/4 is whole grains. Or try adding more vegetables to the foods you are already eating like veggies to your omelet or double the amount of veggies in your soup, stir fry or stew recipe you are already making.

3) Reduce the quantity of refined grains. Refined grains are like anything “white” in colour like white pastas, and white rice, heavily processed store-bought breads or packaged meals that can be found in the freezer section at a grocery store. Instead, opt for whole grain options like brown rice, whole oat flour, quinoa or millet or a baked sweet potatoes or yams over white potatoes.

4) Reduce added sugar. It could be as simple as choosing plain yogurt with frozen berries added to it over a fruited sweetened yogurt. Remove ANY sugar-sweetened beverages in fluid or powdered form. In place of energy drinks, soda, or sweetened tea or kombucha, choose water or herbal teas instead.

5) Reduce animal protein sources. Choose red meat less often and opt for fish and poultry, lentils and legumes more often.

That’s it!

Eating this way is simple and cost effective. This pattern of eating is not a fad diet, so you can continue to eat this way for the rest of your hopefully long healthy life. It’s nutrient-dense, whole food focused and is less about looking at specific grams of carbohydrates, protein or fats and more on the quality of the food you are consuming (1).

Resources:

1) The American Diabetes Association - https://www.diabetes.org/

2) PREDIMED study - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1800389