Dear DOCTOR Owen:

I heard the term “Mediterranean” diet on a talk show. Is this considered a “fad” diet? Will I lose weight and how fast? Is it safe? Where can I get a copy of this diet plan?

Zorba the Greek

Dear “Zorba”:

Hold on there! It always amazes me how ready and willing people are to try any new idea or “gimmick” that comes along. In this case, though, there is no gimmick, and the diet has little to do with “fatness.” Also, this is no “fad” diet—unless you call 2,000 years a “fad.”

The Mediterranean diet comprises the food that grows and is eaten along the Northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Italy, Greece, Southern France, and Spain. People in this region consistently have a lower incidence of heart attack and stroke at younger ages compared to the rest of the world. This is in spite of a diet that is high in fat; a high incidence of cigarette smoking; and a fair incidence of obesity, although not approaching that of the United States..

Researchers in Greece, reporting in Nutrition Review, Vol. 57, No. 8, 253–255, identified eight basic components of the Mediterranean diet:

1. High in monounsaturated fat compared to saturated fat; monounsaturated oils are found in olives and nuts.
2. High consumption of legumes (beans).
3. High consumption of whole grain breads and pastas.
4. High consumption of fruits.
5. High consumption of vegetables.
6. Low consumption of meat and meat products.
7. Moderate consumption of milk and dairy products.
8. Moderate ethanol consumption—primarily, wine.

Much of the food in this diet contains high amounts of flavonoids—especially, onions, celery, fennel, chives, saw-thistle, poppy, dock or sorrel, and Queen Anne’s lace. The researchers noted that most of these foods contain high quantities of flavonoids—at least to an equal quantity of red wine, which is believed to protect against coronary heart disease.

Results of another study, the Lyon (France) Diet Heart Study, indicated that the Mediterranean diet had substantially reduced the rate of recurrence of an additional heart attack after a first event. Doctors involved in the study suggested that the antioxidant properties of several plant foods in the Mediterranean may be important factors in the beneficial effects of this diet.

Many mainstream diet experts promote the Mediterranean diet. Even some of the fad diet plans use diet choices not unlike the ingredients in this diet. We diet and health counselors at my clinic promote 70 servings/week of fruit, vegetables, and meal replacements—that is, eat foods that are found compatible with the Mediterranean style 10 times a day. The only difference is that my clinic is interested in weight loss. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the fat—even monounsaturated fat, because fat contains more than twice the calories of carbohydrate and protein. One should avoid fat to lose weight.

The Mediterranean diet proves what I often tell my patients: The degree of “fatness” does not correlate with heart disease in individual cases. Only general statements can be made about weight and heart disease. Individual variations depend on what foods are consumed to make you fat, genetic variations, and other risk factors. If you wish to “splurge” on calories without doing much damage to your heart, Go Mediterranean!—Italian, Greek, French, and Spanish foods. WOW!—What a sacrifice!!