the mediterranean diet evokes a romantic image of tradition, sophistication and health. and while on
the internet people fight viciously over vegan and keto, the mediterranean diet seems to get
all the critical acclaim. in fact, the scientists behind the US news ranking have placed the
mediterranean diet at number one for four years in a row. so what is it about the mediterranean
diet that has experts so turned on? out of all the traditional diets in all the regions of the world,
what makes this one stand out? also, are there any concerns we should be aware of? let's look at the
main pros and cons of the mediterranean diet. mediterranean diet pro number 1 is
science. studies have linked the mediterranean diet to a number of benefits. in a large clinical
trial conducted in france, the mediterranean diet cut overall cardiovascular risk in half
and cardiac deaths by two-thirds. even more interesting, another trial took people suffering
with depression and fed them a mediterranean diet. as a result, their mood improved and they actually
felt less depressed. benefits have also been reported in diabetes, cancer prevention and many
other contexts. this really comes as no surprise, since the foods that make up the mediterranean
diet are vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, cereals, fish and unsaturated fats like olive oil, all of which
are consistently tied to health benefits, while foods tied to health concerns like red
and processed meat and ultra processed foods are minimized in traditional mediterranean diets. the
second point in favor of the mediterranean diet is history. knowing that a real world population
ate this way for generations gives experts more reassurance. classical mediterranean populations
recorded great health, although by itself that fact does not prove that mediterranean diets
are healthier than any other. maybe those people also moved around more or had better genetics
we know the diet is health promoting from the scientific data, the direct tests and the actual
health effects we just touched on. but you can't run a clinical trial lasting four generations,
so the population data provides an added level of confidence regarding long-term safety. the
third upside is that the mediterranean diet is sustainable. most people have a really hard time
sticking with a new diet. we consistently see that in dietary trials, people make a change and then
they drop off with time, they fall back on old habits. we see that on every diet: low carb, high
carb, low fat, whatever. unlike many other popular diets, the mediterranean diet doesn't eliminate
any major food groups, so it's an easier transition for most westerners, they find it more doable to
stick with it in the long run. at the end of the day, the best diet is the one we'll actually eat
these three points so far, the science behind it, the population data and the sustainability
for westerners are the main reasons experts like the mediterranean diet so much and consistently
rank it number one. it doesn't mean it's the only healthy diet in town, it doesn't even mean it's the
healthiest, but it checks those main boxes: health, safety and doability, which is very important for
public health, for a large population. so that's why it gets the nods. the american heart association,
harvard and the mayo clinic, among many other institutions, all give the mediterranean diet
their seal of approval. mediterranean diet pro number 4 is environment. our food choices have a
major impact on the environment and climate change. as people often say, there's no healthy life on a
wrecked planet. a large body of evidence shows that plant foods have the lowest environmental impact.
eggs, dairy, pork, poultry and some fish have intermediate impacts and ruminant meat
like beef has an impact a hundred times larger. the mediterranean diet relies more on plant foods and
less on meat and dairy, thereby reducing its carbon footprint. and mediterranean diet pro number 5
is flexibility. the mediterranean diet is named after, of course, the mediterranean region. that
includes france, greece, italy, spain but also northern africa and even the middle east, so there
are many variants of the mediterranean diet, it varies by country and by region. not to mention, the
way those people ate 60 years ago is one thing and the way they now is something very different. and
not satisfied with all those variants, people have come up with even more: there's vegan mediterranean,
low carb mediterranean, no oil mediterranean, juice cleanse mediterranean, mediterranean for your blood
type... okay fine, i made up those last two, but you kind of wandered there for a second. now, at this
point you might say, well this is just nonsense, if there's no seafood, there's no grains, there's no
olive oil, then it's not mediterranean, it's something else. point is, we can call it whatever
we want but the key is to tweak things to find a diet you like while still checking
those boxes of health and, ideally, environment. we're not all the same and studies bear this out
so this feature of flexibility is a big plus. alright, that's enough fangirling over the
mediterranean diet, let's look at some of the cons. mediterranean diet con number 1 is flexibility
wait, what? i know we just said it's a plus but flexibility can backfire if it's taken too far
what?? it's a mediterranean diet. i fried the bacon in olive oil!
so again, it's less about the label and more about the actual foods we're eating. is it high in fruits
and vegetables? is it low in added salt and sugar and ultra processed junk and saturated fat? if so
you're probably doing okay. but if those boxes are not checked, then no amount of olive oil drizzled
on top is gonna fix it. and yes, when scientists talk about the mediterranean diet, they're
referring to the classical version, not the way a lot of people in the mediterranean region eat
now, with all the mcdonald's and the burger king. the second downside of the mediterranean diet is
calories. this is not an absolute deal breaker, more like a caveat. because of the olive oil and some
of the other foods that are more calorie dense, it's possible to go overboard on the calories
which makes it harder to maintain healthy body weight, so it's just good to bear this in mind
it's entirely possible to maintain healthy body weight or even lose weight on a diet with
some oil, it just depends how much and total calories, dietary context. some people like to use
a diet tracker like chronometer, others just judge by eye and kind of wing it. quick side note on
oil: i still see some people online repeating this idea that oil is unhealthy and causes disease. the
strongest evidence points to olive oil reducing cardiovascular risk, we've covered this in a
previous video. now, of course oil is not necessary, so if you prefer to eat no oil, that's completely
fine, but let's not propagate this myth that olive oil is necessarily unhealthy and causes disease
it's not supported by the science. the third caveat of the mediterranean diet is cost. some of the
typical foods of the mediterranean diet can be pretty pricey. fish, nuts and seeds, extra virgin
olive oil, depending where you buy them and which brands, they can add up. but just like we saw with
the calories, we can get around this obstacle with some good planning. for example, frozen vegetables
can be cheaper than fresh and studies show they are nutritionally equivalent, and the same goes
for frozen fish. bulk shopping can also make a huge difference, you can find nuts for a couple
dollars a pound if you know where to look. seeds are even cheaper, here's flax at a little over
a buck a pound. now, that's just an example, you don't need pecans and cashews in your diet to
be healthy, those are options but there's plenty of cheaper alternatives that are just as healthy,
so don't sweat it, just find a dietary pattern that works for your taste buds and your budget
the fourth downside of a mediterranean diet is time. meaning, if you're used to buying everything
processed, ready to eat, like tv dinners, then yeah, cooking fresh food is going to take a little
longer. but bear in mind it's not time wasted, it's time invested towards your health, especially if
you factor in all the time you'll save later on by not being sick. and just like the budget issue,
we can minimize prep time with good organization. batch cooking can shave off hours and you always
have something healthy ready to go. so, is the mediterranean diet for you? is it not your cup
of tea? let us know in the comments your favorite and your least favorite thing about it, and also
let us know if there are other diets you want us to review in future videos. stay healthy, take care