Well, pass the guacamole! A recent study has examined the benefits of a Mediterranean diet finding that those adhering to the diet can eat ‘unlimited’ fats and still remain healthy.
Low-fat diets are slowly being ditched as more emphasis has been placed on healthy fats. A Mediterranean diet is loaded with healthy fats and has been found to protect against stroke, cardiovascular disease, and even premature aging.
Hallmarks of the Mediterranean diet include olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, legumes and nuts. The diet also allows for small amounts of red meat and, of course, red wine.
The diet, often described as more of a lifestyle, is a departure from the Standard American Diet consisting of refined carbohydrates and sugars.
Researchers at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and the University of Minnesota were interested in whether following a Mediterranean diet was always superior to typical western diets – even when fats were not limited. To evaluate the diet, the team conducted a meta-analysis using available research to date.
For the study, a Mediterranean diet was defined as a plant based diet with no restriction on total fat intake. The diet also needed to include two or more of seven components including: healthy fats, high fruit and vegetable intake, high consumption of legumes, high grain and cereal intake, moderate red wine consumption, moderate consumption of dairy products, and low consumption of meat.
After evaluating 44 independent studies, the team concluded that a Mediterranean diet with unlimited fats still provided health benefits. Namely, the diet was found to protect against type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The authors of the study argue for a paradigm shift, emphasizing that high fat diets can be healthy diets. They expressed disappointment in slow policy change which has caused fat to continue to be viewed as “bad”.
“In January 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture released new dietary guidelines that continue to emphasize the importance of limiting fat intake, despite evidence from such trials as PREDIMED that a Mediterranean diet in which total fat comprises 40% of energy intake results in fewer cardiovascular events than a lowfat diet, “the authors write.
In fact, many health advocates view eating more fat as the way to achieve optimal health. While many dieters avoid fats thinking they will lead to weight gain, the authors explain that the opposite is probably true.
“It turns out that the obesity epidemic in this country is more due to our increased consumption of refined grains and added sugar”, explains lead author Dr. Hanna Bloomfield.
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