2.69 MD – Miscellaneous Rules and Summary
Notice that red meat is NOT included anywhere in this diet. The Mediterranean Diet can include 2-3 servings of red meat PER MONTH as a substitute for poultry (not in addition to), thus only a very small amount.
The Mediterranean Diet is low in sodium since many other spices are used to flavor meats and goods.
Low fat dairy can be included such as non-fat Greek yogurt, skim milk and low-fat cheese. Be sure to limit to 1-2 servings daily.
Lastly, there is no “allowance” for sweets at all in the Mediterranean Diet. Fruits are used as dessert, so eliminate sugary desserts completely.
Summary and Conclusions
The Mediterranean Diet has many health benefits including lowering the risk of heart disease and the risk of overall death when compared to the standard American diet. A Mediterranean Diet is not as strict as a whole food plant based diet since it includes some meat and low fat dairy, but also has not been shown to halting or reverse heart disease. Indeed, heart disease still progression on a Mediterranean diet, just at a lower rate when compared to the standard American diet.
There are many similarities of the Mediterranean diet compared to that recommended by the AHA, USDA and in the DASH diet, however with the Mediterranean diet you can add more healthy fats and small amounts of alcohol.
Be sure to read labels closely to see how big one serving size really is in order to help you avoid overeating calories and gaining weight while on the Mediterranean Diet, since with this dietary pattern watching Calorie Balance is very important, unlike a whole food plant based diet. The proper calorie balance always need to be maintained so you do not gain weight. As you know, a whole food plant based diet is recommended by HeartStrong.com and not the Mediterranean Diet.