WHY SWITCH TO THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET?
Simple Changes for Nutritional Health
BY:MARY ELIZABETH TERZELLA
It's never too late to adopt healthy habits, such as exercising and eating a Mediterranean-style diet low on meat and dairy and rich in fish, fruits, vegetables and olive oil. Mediterranean cuisine has been found to protect against heart attack, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and the latest research suggests adopting this diet may add years to your life-even if you are eligible for senior-citizen discounts or already suffer from heart disease.
One reason eating the Mediterranean way may help you live longer, healthier and wiser: olive oil. It's known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and a new study suggests it may also help quell the inflammation believed to play a key role in a variety of chronic diseases. Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia discovered that olive oil contains oleocanthal, a chemical which works like ibuprofen and aspirin to block Cox-1 and Cox-2 enzymes that cause pain and inflammation.
Over time, dipping your bread in olive oil and drizzling it over salads might confer some of the same disease-fighting benefits as regularly taking aspirin or ibuprofen. "Olive oil contains an ibuprofen-like anti-inflammatory and there is ample evidence that chronic use of low-dose anti-inflammatory drugs reduces the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and breast, lung and colon cancers," says researcher Paul A. S. Breslin, PhD.
"You could take a baby aspirin every day, but the Mediterranean diet, with olive oil as its primary source of fat, may offer the same health benefits," he notes.
Besides forking up fish and vegetables, substitute olive oil for butter, margarine and creamy dressings-don't simply add it to your diet, advises Dr. Breslin. "Shoot for forty to fifty milliliters (about three tablespoons) a day of an oleocanthal-rich extra-virgin olive oil, which effectively amounts to a low-dose anti-inflammatory."
To get the biggest benefits for your buck, "buy extra-virgin olive oil that stings your throat-a sign that it has high levels of pungent oleocanthal," says Dr. Breslin. Once you find a tasty olive oil with a throaty bite, use it on raw and cooked vegetables-and use it up quickly. Aging destroys oleocanthal (as does heat when you cook with olive oil).
TIP: Tests show that olive varietals originating in Tuscany contain high levels of oleocanthal, says Dr. Breslin.