The Green Mediterranean diet, containing more plant matter and very little red meat or poultry, maybe even better for cardiovascular and metabolic health than the traditional Mediterranean diet.
While the plant-based diet called - the Mediterranean diet, has been proved helpful in preventing heart diseases and strokes, recent research has found that the Green Mediterranean (‘green Med’) diet containing even more plant matter and very little red meat or poultry, maybe even better for cardiovascular and metabolic health than the traditional version--at least in men.
The research was published online in the journal Heart.
The Mediterranean diet, rich in plant-based foods, is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes and currently forms the backbone of dietary guidelines to stave off coronary heart disease.
It’s thought that its impact is related to higher dietary intake of polyphenols, ‘healthy’ fats and fiber, and lower animal protein intake.
The researchers wanted to find out whether a greener version of this diet, higher in green plant food sources and even lower in red meat intake, might be even better for health.
They randomly assigned 294 sedentary and moderately obese people (BMI of 31) with an average age of 51 into three dietary groups.
The first group received guidance on boosting physical activity and basic guidelines for achieving a healthy diet.
The second received the same physical activity guidance plus advice on following a calorie-restricted (1500-1800 kcal/day for men and 1200-1400 kcal/ day for women) traditional Mediterranean diet.
This was low in simple carbohydrates, rich in vegetables, with poultry and fish replacing red meat. It included 28 g/day of walnuts.
