{"id":2769,"date":"2008-06-16T13:10:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-16T13:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/2008\/06\/med-diet-gathers-momentum.html"},"modified":"2016-08-12T13:40:39","modified_gmt":"2016-08-12T13:40:39","slug":"med-diet-gathers-momentum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2769","title":{"rendered":"Med diet gathers momentum"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
An initiative to promote the Mediterranean style of eating amongst US households has gathered speed as the science supporting the diet continues to stream through<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The olive-oil-rich diet first appeared as a nutritional concept in the 1990’s, but it is only in recent years that it has started to take a hold within the American consciousness.<\/p>\n

This has largely followed the publication of numerous new scientific studies that back its healthfulness. As a result, the nutrition group responsible for waving the med flag in 1993 is now expanding its efforts, which are finally being met by response and action from the food industry.<\/p>\n

Mediterranean Foods Alliance<\/strong>
<\/strong>
Oldways, which is the same group behind the popular Whole Grains Stamp, in March launched the Mediterranean Foods Alliance (MFA), a network amongst health professionals, scientists, industry and media.<\/p>\n

The alliance – launched after 15 years of Med diet education efforts – is an expansion of the group’s Med Mark<\/a> program, which allows food manufacturers to flag up foods that fall into the diet plan using an easily-recognizable symbol.<\/p>\n

One year after its launch, the Med Mark appears on 150 products, and Oldways<\/a> projects this figure to triple by the end of the year. According to the non-profit group, the MFA provides manufacturers with one more channel of support and promotion for products within the category.<\/p>\n

“Membership in the Alliance benefits food industry players by deepening their involvement and visibility in this consumer supported food trend,”<\/em> said Nicki Heverling, registered dietitian and program manager of the MFA.<\/p>\n

Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

A flood of studies published in the past year have added support to following a Mediterranean style of eating. A few examples of the most recent findings are as follows:<\/p>\n

A new study published earlier this month on the British Medical Journal’s website bmj.com found that consuming a Med diet can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 83 percent.<\/p>\n

In December 2007, a study of almost 400,000 people with an age range of 50 to 71 reported that greater adherence to a Med-style diet reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer by 22 and 17 per cent in men, and 12 per cent for women. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.<\/p>\n

In September, another study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases found that the diet could help in alleviating pain in female sufferers of arthritis.<\/p>\n

Again in September, a report in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that adhering to a Mediterranean diet<\/a> could extend the life of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The diet has already also been associated with the prevention of Alzheimer’s.<\/p>\n

In August, research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that adhering to the eating plan may reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 30 per cent. The diet has been repeatedly linked to lower incidence of heart disease, as well as a lower risk of obesity and certain types of cancers.<\/p>\n

What’s in the diet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Med diet is rich in cereals, wine, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil. Its main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamins A, C and E, tocopherols, polyphenols, and essential minerals.<\/p>\n

Common foods of the eating plan include bread, pasta, rice, couscous and potatoes; olives, avocados and grapes; eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, nuts and beans; and cheese and yogurt. Moderate consumption of fish and poultry is also encouraged, whereas consumption of red meat is advised only a few times a month.<\/p>\n

Foods that carry the Med Mark include pasta and pasta sauce, hummus, olives, extra virgin olive oils, dipping oils, soups and avocado oils.<\/p>\n

Mediterranean pyramid<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1993, Oldways launched a Mediterranean nutritional pyramid, fashioned on the idea of the US government’s dietary pyramid. The pyramid was supported by the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n

The copyrighted pyramid has since appeared in millions of impressions in nutrition books, newspapers, magazines and television, and has even been licensed for use on some food products.<\/p>\n

A new website set to be launched as part of the MFA will feature an interactive Med diet pyramid. To access the pyramid, click here<\/a>. An adapted version for children is available here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An initiative to promote the Mediterranean style of eating amongst US households has gathered speed as the science supporting the diet continues to stream through. The olive-oil-rich diet first appeared … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[227,285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture-of-health","category-mediterranean-diet"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-IF","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2773,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2773","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":0},"title":"Olive oil-rich Med diet may protect against diabetes","author":"Will Clower","date":"June 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Eating a traditional Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of developing diabetes by a whopping 83 per cent, says a new study.In our work on providing the Mediterranean diet for Americans, we have found the same thing \u2026 that hallmarks of diabetes, such as high blood sugar, are controlled with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediterranean diet"","block_context":{"text":"Mediterranean diet","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=285"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2450,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2450","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":1},"title":"Why Med Diet is Best (please forward)","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 11, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out the video below ... I talk about the blizzard, and why our Mediterranean dietary approach is the best approach on the planet. Please forward to ANY you think might like this. For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower's website.","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1932,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=1932","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":2},"title":"Med Diet not just for prevention, beats low fat diet on treatment","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We've known for a long time that the Mediterranean diet is good for prevention, to prevent problems like diabetes ... and high blood pressure ... and heart disease ... and Metabolic syndrome ... and boring tasteless food ... from happening to you in the first place.\u00a0Follow @willclowerBut this study\u00a0shows that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.willclower.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/MedDietTable.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2449,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2449","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":3},"title":"Why Med Diet is Best (please forward)","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best parts about our approach -- is that you learn the difference between a REAL food and a FAKE food. That sounds like it should be easy, but unfortunately it's just not any more. In this video, I talk about what makes our Mediterranean dietary approach the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bookmark and Share","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/s7.addthis.com\/static\/btn\/v2\/lg-share-en.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2781,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2781","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":4},"title":"Mediterranean Diet for Diabetes Prevention","author":"Will Clower","date":"May 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you surprized by this? The Mediterranean diet is protective for heart disease, obesity, and now Type 2 diabetes. In our own work, we have shown that our Mediterranean diet can also be effective in treating and reversing the glucose instabilities of uncontrolled diabetes. See our data here.These are our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2496,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2496","url_meta":{"origin":2769,"position":5},"title":"Eight Remedies Treat Diabetes Naturally","author":"Will Clower","date":"October 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"This article talks about the link between the Mediterranean diet and control of diabetes.Interesting that the Med Diet is so effective as a behavioral approach that requires no meds. Eight Remedies Treat Diabetes Naturally","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3764,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2769\/revisions\/3764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}