The Glucocil team at Neuliven Health is always looking for new recipes and health tips to share with you. We see a lot about gluten, Atkins, keto and paleo every day. And we enjoy sharing recipes and studies with you. Today, we’re taking a look at the Mediterranean diet and asking if it might be the best out there for health and wellness.

The Mediterranean diet is largely modeled on that of the people living around the Mediterranean Sea: Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Greece. These places all have similar notes in their diet: olives, grapes and fish. There has been interest around the diet ever since a post-World War II study found that men from Crete lived longer. The study had more than 10,000 participants, and the results were viewed as significant.

Over time, more and more studies have added to the weight of the assertion that the diet is more than superficially beneficial. Over decades of research, the Mediterranean has been shown to help the heart, help control lipid and blood sugar levels, possibly fight dementia and Alzheimer’s and, even, protect against cancer. That’s in addition to adherents seeing the number go down on the scale.

What’s great about the Mediterranean diet is that it isn’t restrictive. It allows for a wide variety of foods. The system emphasizes fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, fish and olive oil while telling followers to lower their intake of red meat, saturated fats and simple sugars. That’s far easier to follow and maintain than systems like keto that require just lifestyle changes, or low-calorie diets that can leave a person hungry, feeling deprived and dissatisfied. Yet, one study found that people following the Mediterranean diet had roughly the same protection against cardiovascular events as people on statins.

While eating little red meat, eggs, butter, simple carbs and sweets may be disappointing, it’s certainly not as hard as going keto, where you can have virtually no carbs at all! There are a few things to watch out for, should you decide to follow the diet. You may experience lower iron and calcium levels from eating less meat and dairy. And, some people see weight gain from the nuts and olive oil. However, on the upside, wine is allowed in moderation. One study found that people who followed a Mediterranean diet and drank wine were 33 percent less likely to develop depressive symptoms.

With all this in mind, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you! Let us know at socialmedia@neulivenhealth.com. Next Tuesday, we’ll be sharing some great Mediterranean recipes!