Fish On! By Medimann: What Are Some Pros and Cons of the Mediterranean Diet?

Wow, TWO puns based on Lindemann in a row?!?  It’s almost like I like his singing or something!

Recently, there have been a lot of diets with quirky names.  People keep changing their names around so it is hard to know what diets are bullshit or not based on name alone or who is selling it.  Some diets sound like they make sense by the person selling them, when in reality it fucks your body up or does diddly squat.  Well, good news!  I am not here to sell anything!  I am simply here to talk about foods and diets.  Today I will be examining the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is based on following what the people living in the area by the Mediterranean Sea ate.  The focus of this diet is on eating plant-based carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and nuts.  The diet also exchanges butter for olive oil.  Instead of using table salt, foods are seasoned with herbs and spices.  Red meat consumption is heavily reduced, while fish and poultry are eaten at least twice a week.  My favorite part of the food changes is that it promotes red wine in moderation, if the consumer so desires.  Which, for me, means that I so desire if I were to start to eat this diet.  Food culture with this diet also is different when compared to the American diet.  The diet puts an emphasis on exercise and enjoying meals with loved ones.

So, are there benefits to eating the affectionately called “Medi” diet?  Well, for starters, it lowers the “bad” cholesterol LDL, which means your arteries will thank you as they have less plaque deposited in them.  It has also been found that in analysis, there is a reduced mortality and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.  There is also reduced incidences of cancer, Parkinsons, and Alzheimer’s disease.  Because of this, most doctor-y people promote this diet, or some form of it.

So, what are my concerns here?  Keeping in mind I am some stupid nutrition undergrad, meaning I know enough but I still don’t know shit, I do have some concerns about this diet.  First, I worry about high mercury consumption from fish consumption.  I also have to point out that some people have allergies, so promoting nuts or fish to them is like asking someone without the allergy to eat broken glass.  Other than that, I think this diet is one worth adapting to.  It promotes healthy fats, low-fat meats, and a variety of produce, which is essentially the basis for a healthy diet.