SmarterFitter Blog Less diet, more brain

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for email updates. Thanks for visiting!

A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute confirm benefits to the so-called “Mediterranean diet”, a series of eating patterns that includes a high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, who grains, fish, and monounsaturated fat, moderate alcohol consumption, and low saturated fat and red meat intake.

The NIC study used a 9-point scale to assess the adherence among 380,296 healthy retired persons. The results showed

• 21% decreased risk of all-cause mortality in men and 20% in women
• 17% decreased risk of cancer in men and 12% in women
• 22% decreased risk of cardiovascular death in men and 19% in women

No surprises here. The Mount Athos Monks in Greece have been following this diet since 923 AD and exhibit a phenomenally low rate of cancer and a zero-incidence rate of Alzeimer’s disease.

So how Mediterranean is your diet? Take the NCI’s 9-point test and find out:

For each item below, give yourself 1 point for each of the guidelines you follow, 0 for each of those you do not follow.

• Vegetables (other than potatoes) - 4 or more servings a day.
• Fruit - 3 or more servings a day
• Whole grains - 2 or more servings a day
• Alcohol - 1/2 to 1 drink a day for women, 1 to 2 for men (but no more)
• Fish - 4 or more servings a week
• Legumes - 2 or more servings a week
• Nuts and seeds - 2 or more servings a week
• Fat - More unsaturated fats, such as canola and olive oil, than saturated fats, such as butter, lard, and tropical oils
• Red and processed meat - Fewer than 2 servings a day

Now tally your score to see where it fits on the Mediterranean diet scale. If you score below 6, it may be time to adjust your eating habits.

Link to NCI Bulletin (via Consumer Reports)
Link to article on Mount Athos monks