Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
As functional medicine becomes more mainstream, I’m so happy to hear of more health programs being developed around prescribing therapeutic diets. Doctors’ offices are writing prescriptions for CSA memberships and many chronic illnesses are being addressed at their root - inflammatory diets. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a chronic disease like hypertension, heart disease, or diabetes, you may have had the Mediterranean diet recommended to you. The Mediterranean diet has so many health benefits from both a quantitative perspective (shifting macros to a more anti-inflammatory ratio) as well as a qualitative (encompassing things like healthy social life, balanced workload, and appropriate exercise). Though there are many variations of the traditional diets from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, many concepts remain fairly standard across the board: focus on whole, fresh ingredients, prioritize fruits and vegetables, include healthy fats, and stay hydrated. But what are the specific health benefits of the Mediterranean diet?
