A typical Mediterranean-style diet, as defined by the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea, primarily consists of unprocessed foods (fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products) and moderate amounts of fish, olive oil, and dairy products. Also, small amounts of lean meat are recommended. While the traditional Mediterranean diet of the 1960s included more than 200 grams of meat per day[1] in certain regions, study participants of the emblematic PREDIMED study[2] reported an average of 120 grams of meat per day, which is about 70% higher than the current U.S. intake (about 71 grams per day) and seven times the amount recommended by the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid[3] (less than 120 grams per week).
References
- ^D Kromhout, A Keys, C Aravanis, R Buzina, F Fidanza, S Giampaoli, A Jansen, A Menotti, S Nedeljkovic, M PekkarinenFood consumption patterns in the 1960s in seven countriesAm J Clin Nutr.(1989 May)
- ^Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, Gómez-Gracia E, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X, Basora J, Muñoz MA, Sorlí JV, Martínez JA, Fitó M, Gea A, Hernán MA, Martínez-González MA, PREDIMED Study InvestigatorsPrimary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or NutsN Engl J Med.(2018 Jun 21)
- ^Courtney Davis, Janet Bryan, Jonathan Hodgson, Karen MurphyDefinition of the Mediterranean Diet; a Literature ReviewNutrients.(2015 Nov 5)