{"id":59578,"date":"2024-01-02T10:40:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T15:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themediterraneandish.com\/?p=59578"},"modified":"2024-01-02T10:40:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-02T15:40:29","slug":"why-dietitians-love-the-mediterranean-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themediterraneandish.com\/why-dietitians-love-the-mediterranean-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Dietitians and Doctors Love the Mediterranean Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s so great about the Mediterranean Diet? Well, lots! I recently visited with Kelly LeBlanc, a registered dietician and director of nutrition for Oldways,<\/a> a food and nutrition nonprofit. She walks us through why the Mediterranean Diet ranks as the top healthy diet to follow year after year<\/a>, is recommended by doctors, and how to make it work for you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At The Mediterranean Dish we know why we love food from the Mediterranean. It’s affordable, easy to make, bursting with flavor, and its good for our bodies and brains. Every year new people visit our site (welcome!) because their doctor recommends they follow the Mediterranean diet<\/a> and its lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Research has consistently shown that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease … for those who follow it,” according to the Harvard School of Public Health<\/a>. Doctors not only recommend The Mediterranean diet to help keep your heart healthy, but also to reduce Type 2 Diabetes<\/a>, and support and maintain healthy weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand why a doctor might recommend this way of eating, I spoke, with Kelly LaBlanc, an expert on food, nutrition, and cultural foodways. Kelly has been with Oldways, a food and nutrition nonprofit, since 2014. In addition to having a Bachelor of Science in nutrition, she also holds a Master’s degree in gastronomy with a concentration in food policy. As part of her education, she spent time in Sicily with a specific focus on the Mediterranean diet. 

Through our conversation, she provided a little insight into what to eat on the Mediterranean diet<\/a>, and why once you start eating this way you’ll probably never stop!

For some meal-time inspiration check out our favorite Mediterranean Diet recipes<\/a>. And if you need a shopping list<\/a>, well, we have you covered there too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Q: What is the Mediterranean diet?  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong> Generally speaking, the Mediterranean diet is based on traditional foods and foodways from countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back centuries in time, people around the Mediterranean enjoyed a diet of whole grains, legumes, seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and olive oil<\/a>.<\/strong> Back then, eating seasonally from local gardens, using lots of plant-based protein sources, and whole grains was considered “peasant food,” but today, we understand the inherent wisdom in these traditional eating patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are a few swaps that someone switching from the standard American diet to the Mediterranean diet could make?  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When starting on the Mediterranean diet, begin with simple swaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n