So, I Can Only Eat Cheese, Fish & Olives: A Patient Asks About The Mediterranean Diet

So let's have a conversation about the so-called "Mediterranean Diet" - what it is, why it's become so popular, if it's right for you and ultimately can it help me live a happier, healthier and all around better life.

At Rehabilitation & Spinal Care of Rockford, we'd like to get it out right away that we're huge advocates of the so-called mediterranean diet in large part because it emphasizes an abundance of:

• Fresh vegetables and/or fruits
• Low-fat and low-calorie cheeses
• Healthy protein sources
• Healthy fats
• and lastly, de-emphasizes the use of simple carbohydrates

Without getting into the specifics of where the diet originated (um, in or around the Mediterranean Sea), detailing the long-term studies that prove its effectiveness and the biochemistry/physiology of why it works, let's just say that it works. With that out-of-the way, we can focus on the important things, like who should be eating in this manner. Maybe it's you.

The cardio-protective (heart healthy) aspects of the diet have been exhaustively studied and all come to the same conclusion, that if you have had or have a family history of heart disease, this diet can markedly decrease your chances of having a cardiac event. It's really that simple. We have to remember that, beyond all else, we are what we eat. At no other time in recorded (or unrecorded for that matter) history have we had the health-care issues that we face today. A large portion of those health-related issues revolve around inflammation and how that inflammation affects the cardiovascular system. 

An inflammatory cascade is triggered when the body, ANYWHERE within the body, senses a foreign body. Whether we are discussing cancerous cells, infectious bacteria or viruses, these are all foreign to the body and the body reacts against them. Specific foods that we eat are also considered foreign invaders by the body and, just as a cancerous cell is dealt with, specific foods are dealt with. 

The cardio-protective aspects of the diet have been extremely well-detailed and information about that can be found virtually anywhere. The benefits of a diet with the constituents listed above also are also evident in dealing with many other chronic diseases. 

The Mediterranean diet specifies that we should avoid these triggering foods and rely instead on the foods that evolutionarily speaking, we were raised upon. This serves to avoid the inflammatory cascade and thus reduces our risk for the many chronic diseases that are slowly over-taxing our health care system. 

As a health-care provider who deals with chronic diseases on a regular basis, the frustration that I have in helping patients overcome their reliance on the foods that are legitimately killing them is at times overwhelming. Click on the 'chronic diseases' link 2 paragraphs above and look at the list of diseases that 'eating well' can help with: Alzheimers, Diabetes, Obesity, Fatty Liver, Vascular Issues, Heart Disease. The list goes on and on.
It's very simple at the end-of-the-day. We are what we eat. No one should be shamed into eating healthier, but by realizing that what you eat can have not only at-the-time unforseen health effects that last into the future, but also bankrupt you in the process is something commonly lost in the process. Let your food be your medicine, save the money from the medications that you don't need and take a trip to, oh, I don't know where. Wait, how about Greece and that big body of water there.

Here are a few links to help you in this process:

List of the diseases that Mediterranean Diet can help improve:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/search/?q=mediterranean%20diet&p=1
A good overview:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/the-mediterranean-diet
A starter guide:
http://nutrition.about.com/od/foodfun/a/mediterranean.htm
A cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mediterranean-Diet-Cookbook-Alternative/dp/0553096087
Recipe storehouse:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/healthy-recipes/special-diets/mediterranean-diet/