The Mediterranean Diet is Still the Best to Prevent Chronic Illness
Chronic health conditions like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases remain the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. About 11 percent of U.S. adults have type 2 diabetes, and one in three adults has pre-diabetes (many unknowingly). And cardiovascular disease, which applies to many conditions impairing the circulatory system, occurs in 50 percent of U.S. adults.
“With the proper diet, many of these chronic illnesses can be prevented,” says Stanford University research dietitian Dalia Perelman, who has spent the last 12 years researching how dietary patterns can prevent or reduce the risk of chronic illness.
Perelman identifies increased consumption of processed food as a key contributor to the rising prevalence and earlier onset of chronic health conditions. She explains that processed foods contain additives such as emulsifiers, flavorings, artificial flavorings, and colorants, which can negatively affect gut health and cause inflammation.
“People are cooking less and relying more on processed or commercially prepared foods,” says Perelman. “The food industry intends to make food tasty and craveable rather than nutritious. Processed foods tend to be lower in fiber and potassium and higher in saturated fat and sodium, which increase the risk for chronic illness.”
While most people recognize the importance of having a healthy diet for health and longevity, the overwhelming (and often conflicting) amount of nutritional information available can make it challenging to develop a sustainable eating plan. After more than a decade of nutrition research, Perelman still recommends the tried-and-true Mediterranean diet to reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Along with Perelman’s studies, many large-scale observational epidemiological studies have found associations between the Mediterranean diet and decreased mortality risk. The Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and monounsaturated fats, has been repeatedly designated by the U.S. dietary guidelines as the healthiest recommended diet.
How Does the Mediterranean Diet Reduce the Risk of Disease?
According to Perelman, the strength of the Mediterranean diet lies in its emphasis on whole plant foods, healthy unsaturated fats, and moderate fish and poultry intake.
“It’s a very plant-forward diet, with lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, and olive oil,” says Perelman. “Any diet with a lot of plants, the right type of fat, and low in processed foods is a healthy diet that promotes longevity.”
One of the key mechanisms through which plant-forward, unprocessed diets reduce chronic disease risk is through their antioxidant properties. Plants (i.e., fruits and vegetables) are high in antioxidants, which counteract oxidative stress at the cellular level and ultimately maintain the health of our cell organelles and membranes.
Also, unprocessed, whole foods typically contain more fiber and less added sugars than processed foods. This combination can help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes by slowing the influx of sugar into the bloodstream, easing the burden on the pancreas, and reducing insulin spikes.
Consuming high-fiber diets also supports gut health by fueling our intestinal microbiome. When we eat foods low in fiber, our gut microbes can starve and begin to break down the intestinal lining, compromising our gut health.
“Fiber is only found in plant foods. So, if you’re eating a diet that’s low in plants, you’re eating a diet that’s low in fiber, and you’re not maintaining proper gut health,” says Perelman.
Finally, fats are vital for health. Fat is not only useful for energy storage but also for other functions, such as creating hormones and bile acids. Perelman emphasizes the importance of prioritizing unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, over saturated fats found in animal products. Therefore, a Mediterranean diet is ideal because it focuses on consuming unsaturated plant fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.
“We, human animals, make our own saturated fat, so we don’t need more saturated fat from our food. But we do need unsaturated fats since our bodies don’t create them independently,” says Perelman.
How to Start the Mediterranean Diet
When it comes to realistically incorporating the Mediterranean diet principles into daily life, Perelman recommends setting achievable and measurable goals. “I recommend that people start small and change their eating habits gradually over time,” she says. “This will make it more likely they will stick with it.”
Easy ways to incorporate Mediterranean principles into your diet:
- swap out butter for olive oil
- prepare one “plant-forward” meal per week
- replace refined grains like white rice and pasta with a variety of whole grains, such as quinoa, buckwheat, farro, or wild rice to increase grain diversity
- snack on nuts and fruits rather than chips or protein bars
- incorporate two servings of fermented foods each week, such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or miso to support gut and immune health
“If you keep exposing yourself to these foods, your taste buds will start to change in just a few weeks and you’ll start to enjoy them,” says Perelman. “Ultimately, the Mediterranean diet is not just a temporary fix—it’s a sustainable, enjoyable way of eating that supports lifelong health.”
