The Mediterranean diet was recently ranked by experts in the U.S. News & World Report as one of the healthiest ways you can eat. Along with winning the category for Best Overall Diet (for the fifth year running!), it was also voted the Best for Healthy Eating, Easiest to Follow and Best Plant-Based Diet.
So, what is it about the Mediterranean diet that makes it so good for you? And is it possible to eat this way from your very own kitchen?
Discover the facts and learn how you can start eating the Mediterranean way—today—on the New Mayo Clinic Diet program.
The Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern that has been around for a very long time. Actually, it is not so much a “diet” that’s bound by a set of hard-and-fast rules, as it is more of an eating style that incorporates ingredients that are traditionally eaten by people who reside along the banks of the Mediterranean Sea.
Overall, the diet emphasizes whole, minimally-processed foods. It focuses on filling its followers’ plates with mostly plants, rather than red meat, and leans on a variety of flavors that enhance—instead of hurt—your health. (Hello, herbs and spices! Goodbye, salt!)
In the search for longevity, scientists discovered that people residing in Southern Europe not only lived longer than those from many other parts of the world, but they also had much lower rates of cardiovascular disease. Over the last 50 years, the Mediterranean diet has become one of the world’s most well-studied eating patterns, and research has shown it has many health benefits. The Mediterranean diet was also chosen in the categories of Best Heart-Healthy Diet and Best Diabetes Diet.
Those who have followed the Mediterranean diet have seen a number of health benefits including lowering the risk of diabetes. Some additional benefits of eating a diet low in red meat, sugar, and saturated fat, such as the Mediterranean diet, include:
The good news is, you don’t need to move to Southern Europe to put Mediterranean-style eating into practice. This way of eating is more about the types of foods you’re eating and less about counting calories or trying to stick to a long list of diet rules.
Following the Mediterranean eating pattern is possible with a few simple tweaks to your shopping list:
Since the New Mayo Clinic Diet is also a whole foods-based eating plan—which encourages consuming unlimited vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains, lean proteins, healthy fats, and limiting red meat and sugar—it’s easy to put the Mediterranean diet into practice on the program.
Our team of dietitians have developed seven different meal plans which allow you to find and follow an eating style that suits your taste preferences. One of these meal plans is the Mediterranean diet.
The New Mayo Clinic Diet allows you to incorporate all the staple ingredients of the Mediterranean diet that are associated with good health and weight loss. You’ll find delicious recipes—like One pan fish stew with green beans & cherry tomatoes and Pita pizza with olives & roasted veggies—that promote heart health, weight loss, and provide an opportunity to eat more plant foods without completely giving up meat.
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