A Lowcountry Plate, Mediterranean Style

What the Mediterranean diet is, the trial showing about 30 percent fewer heart attacks and strokes, its building blocks and how it compares with DASH.

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In this guide

Swap the Fat

• Collards in olive oil and garlic
• Skip the fatback
• A handful of nuts most days

Mediterranean or DASH?

• They overlap a great deal
• DASH adds low-fat dairy, less sodium
• Both are good choices

Keep It Occasional

• Red and processed meat
• Sweets
• Poultry, eggs and cheese in moderation

What the guideline says

• The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating built on vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts, olive oil and fish, with less red meat and few sweets.
• In the PREDIMED trial, 7,447 adults aged 55 to 80 at high cardiovascular risk followed a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, or a lower-fat control diet.
• Over about five years, the Mediterranean groups had roughly 30 percent fewer major cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, than the control group.
• Extra-virgin olive oil is the main cooking fat, with fish and seafood at least twice a week and a handful of nuts most days.
• The DASH eating plan overlaps heavily with the Mediterranean diet and puts extra emphasis on low-fat dairy and less sodium.

Source: Estruch et al., Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet, New England Journal of Medicine (2018)

Read the full article: The Mediterranean Diet: What the Research Shows and a Lowcountry Way to Start →

This guide is general health information and does not replace advice from your own provider.