What are the disadvantages of the Mediterranean diet?
The disadvantages are in the popular version, not the diet itself. In North America it is often sold as a meatless plate of salad, whole grains and olive oil.
Dr. Martin on how it gets sold:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 658Mediterranean diet, they make it sound like it's meatless. It is far from meatless. In the Mediterranean diet, there is an enormous amount of fish and meat and cheese and eggs.
Asked the difference between the real diet and the North American one, he said:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1628The North American Mediterranean diet is fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. That's not the Mediterranean diet.
So the cons he sees are too little meat, fish, eggs and cheese, and too much bread, pasta and grain in their place.
Why is it called the Mediterranean diet?
It is named after the Mediterranean Sea, for the way people eat in the countries around it, such as Italy, Greece and Spain.
Reading a study that tested a Mediterranean diet, he said:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1803My wife's Italian. So when you talk about the Mediterranean diet, they're not heavy in carbohydrates.
When he asked where people live longest and some listeners said Greece, he answered:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1647And you guys, some of you guys said Greece and all, that's Mediterranean diet, but the Mediterranean diet's got a lot of meat in it.
In his view, the kitchens the diet is named after serve far more meat than most diet books let on.
Is the Mediterranean diet meatless?
No. He says the real one is full of meat, fish, cheese and eggs, and that part gets left out.
On what nobody mentions:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 819The Mediterranean diet is full of fat. Not only olive oil, but lots of meat in the Mediterranean diet. There's a lot of cheese in the Mediterranean diet and there's a lot of eggs in the Mediterranean diet, but they don't tell you that.
A listener asked what the real Mediterranean diet is. He started here:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1624The real Mediterranean diet is very high in meat, including fish. Look, there's salad in there, but they don't live on salad on the Mediterranean diet.
If red meat worries you, read whether red meat gives you diabetes and whether chicken is healthier than beef.
Is olive oil the secret of the Mediterranean diet?
Not on its own, in his view. He likes olive oil, but he gives the credit to the fish, meat, cheese and butter.
On why the diet works:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 588They always talk about the Mediterranean diet being so good for people, but it's not because of olive oil. Do you know that? It's because of the amount of fish and meat that those people eat, and cheese and butter.
He says the good fat in olive oil is not only in olive oil:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 625But what's in olive oil, what makes it so good for you? Oleic acid. Oh, that's in dairy. That's in bacon. Oleic acid, it's in bacon. It's in your cream, it's in your cheese. Oleic acid's in cheese.
"The benefits of olive oil, and I like olive oil, but I like bacon better because it's got oleic acid, the same thing olive oil. Is there anything in olive oil that bacon doesn't have? No."
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 658Oleic acid is the main fat in olive oil. Bacon also brings protein, he adds, and olive oil has none.
Is the Mediterranean diet high in carbs?
The real one is not, he says. The bread and pasta version is, and that is the con he comes back to most.
Finishing his answer on the real Mediterranean diet:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1624And the Mediterranean diet, when you look at the real one, it's good for you. Lots of eggs, lots of cheese, lots of meat, okay, yeah, they have a few fruits and vegetables, but not many grains.
He married an Italian and he loves pasta. But:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1521I live on meat. I don't live on the noodle. Don't live on the noodles. I don't care if it's whole wheat, triple grain or whatever it is. It's going to be sugar in five seconds.
Bread is the same story. Asked about sourdough, he said:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1188I love bread, but it don't love me and it don't love you, okay? So don't fool yourself. I don't care if it's 17 grain, 120 grain or sourdough, it's still going to be sugar rapidly, okay?
To see what happens to that bread next, read where bread goes in your body.
Has the Mediterranean diet been debunked?
Not the real one, in his view. What falls apart is the low-meat, grain-heavy version, and the old idea that fat was the enemy.
On a study that put a very low carb diet up against a Mediterranean diet:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1803But this one here, they call the Mediterranean diet. It's higher in carbohydrates, but is it really the Mediterranean diet?
In that study, out of Australia, the very low carb diet did better on fatty liver, he said. He was not surprised.
On Ancel Keys, the American researcher whose studies made the diet famous and blamed fat for heart disease:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 1844He lived in the Mediterranean after that, left the United States, lived in the Mediterranean, ate eggs, meat, and cheese. He didn't even listen to himself.
On Japan and the other Blue Zones, places known for long lives:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 784They eat lots of fish and meat. And their big advantage is in the Blue Zones that when they are healthier, it's because they don't eat the amount of sugar that we eat.
In his view, people blame the meat for what sugar and grains do.
Does Dr. Martin like the Mediterranean diet?
Yes, the real one. He just wants you to know what it is before you start.
Right after saying how much meat it has:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 658And there's vegetables and fruit. Do I like it? Yeah, I like it. I do. But just understand what it is.
To people who hold up the diet to say you don't need meat:
Dr. Martin, from The Doctor Is In, episode 658That's not what the Mediterranean diet is. The Mediterranean diet is eating from two kingdoms: the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. That's what it is.
In practice, that means eggs, meat, fish and cheese first, with vegetables and some fruit alongside. See how many eggs a day for seniors and why he puts protein first after 60.
Hear him explain it
In episode 658, a listener Q and A, he takes on the Mediterranean diet: olive oil, bacon, and why the real one is far from meatless.
Common questions
Is olive oil good for you?
Yes, he says, if it is a real virgin cold pressed olive oil. Some companies water theirs down with seed oils, he warns. He still likes bacon better, for the same oleic acid. Episode 950.
Can you cook with olive oil?
He thinks so. He never bought the idea that olive oil has a low smoke point, and he says he has never seen it break down. He likes avocado oil too. Episode 1670.
Is sourdough bread better for you?
Probably a little better than ordinary bread, he says, because it is fermented. But it is still bread and still high carb, so it still turns to sugar. Episode 1188.
Can you ever have pasta?
Yes. He never told patients they could never have a carbohydrate again. Out for your birthday? Have some pasta, he says. Just don't live on it. Episode 1521.
Want the plate he eats from?
His clinic way of eating is written up in a book, The Metabolic Reset. Eggs, meat and cheese sit at the center of the plate, which is the part of the Mediterranean diet he says gets left out.
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