The best way to improve your overall health? Food!

2024-10-31T20:00:00-04:00

Have you ever found yourself googling a quick fix to solve a symptom or make yourself feel better? Well you’re not alone. But why not start with food?

It’s perfectly normal, and very human, to look for a silver-bullet approach to health issues. I’d love to be able to tell you that there is one magical food that can solve health woes. But here’s the truth: food is magical, and it can do wonders for your energy levels, immune system and the way you generally feel – if you balance and combine it in the right way to suit your unique needs.

The closest we can get to the “healthiest” way of eating, according to many scientists and clinicians, is the Mediterranean diet.

Let's note here however that "healthy" means different things to different people, and the Mediterranean diet must be considered a lifestyle more than a dietary pattern.

It is also important to say that the Mediterranean has a very different climate and lifestyle to the UK. All the same, we can pull out beneficial components to suit our own lifestyles too.

The best way to improve your overall health? Food!

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What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is characterised (by E. Gouveri, 2015) as containing:

daily consumption of non-refined cereals and other products (e.g., whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, and brown rice), fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat dairy products
olive oil as the principal source of lipids
moderate intake of alcohol, preferably red wine, with meals moderate consumption of fish, poultry, potatoes, eggs, and sweets
monthly consumption of red meat
regular physical activity

In other words, the Mediterranean diet places a focus on whole foods, or foods that are as close as possible to their natural state. According to Finicelli, et. al (Mauro Finicelli, 2022) in their updated review of 438 MedDiet-based clinical trials “the respect for seasonality, biodiversity, and food varieties, preferring local and fresh products, is a cornerstone of the MedDiet”.

Their findings showed that intervention with the Mediterranean diet can influence the function of the immune system, reduce chronic inflammation, improve insulin response, support weight management and lower blood pressure, among others*.

Interesting findings were found by another trial - the fabulously named SMILES trial. It was a randomised controlled trial that looked at whether a modified Mediterranean diet could be a therapeutic tool in patients with major depression.

Half of the participants were given the diet, which was rich in wholegrains and vegetables, and the other half received social support. After three months, both groups improved, but to different extents. The social support group improved by 8 per cent, while the modified Mediterranean diet group improved by a third (Jacka et al, 2017).

How to eat the Mediterranean diet on Arran

The great news is that here on Arran, we can enjoy a plethora of organic local produce thanks to Woodside Farm, Pirnmill Stores, Robin's Herbs (available at The Bay Stores in Whiting Bay) and The Honesty Box in Kilmory, to name but a few. Eat in season with their pickings and your body will thank you for it.

Have you overindulged in the sweet stuff? Scoff some of Woodside's cavolo nero to rebalance and you won't regret it, I promise.

Do you want to find out how a Mediterranean-style diet could support you? Maybe you want to discuss how to build aspects of it into your life? Book a discovery call with Nutrition with Emmy to find out more.

*Our genes and microbiomes may be very different from those of people living in the beautiful Mediterranean climate, but we can still derive benefits from adapting that way of eating to suit our own bodies and needs.

Bibliography

Mauro Finicelli, A. D. (2022). The Mediterranean Diet: An Update of the Clinical Trials. Nutrients.
E. Gouveri, E. D. (2015). The Mediterranean Diet and Metabolic Syndrome. The Mediterranean Diet, 313-323.
Felice N. Jacka, et. al (2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Medicine, 23.