Mediterranean Style Diet Benefits Cardiovascular Health

Reprinted from the winter 2024 issue of The Ohio Family Physician.

By: Alexia Lishnevski, MD, Core Faculty, Summa Barberton Family Medicine Residency

Family physicians are in the unique position to initiate and expose patients to a multitude of advice catered to their own physical, behavioral, and social health. It is a powerful position to be able to teach our patients an applicable method or lifestyle to positively impact future health outcomes. With an increasing amount of complex, and often unreliable, information accessible for everyone, it is a challenge to know what benefits our patients the most in the short time we see them.

The Mediterranean diet has been studied at length in various populations and risk states. It is consistently recognized and recommended as an adjunct for cardiovascular health.^1,2

During my research, I noted that there is limited data and resources on implementing a Mediterranean diet in underserved areas accounting for health disparities. There are many articles concluding that public policy to address health equity and barriers to health, such as food security in this instance, need to be prioritized and applied to the current health system to improve patient outcomes.³

Providing practical advice to patients, as well as local resources to access healthy foods and address social determinants of health, may be a starting point to help them achieve better cardiovascular health.

Following are some tips that may help start a discussion and invoke positive lifestyle changes that will improve heart health.

• Consume an abundance of plate-based foods including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains (ex. oats, quinoa, barley, nuts, legumes, lentils, chick peas). Avoid white rice and plain white bread. Seasonal produce is encouraged, but frozen is sustainable.
• A low to moderate amount of dairy products consumed daily is recommended. Avoid butter, try olive oil or canola oil as a replacement.
• Eating meat, such as fish and poultry, in low/moderate amounts a few times a week is good. Red meat should be eaten infrequently and in small amounts.
• Fresh fruits for desserts, with added sugars or honey a few times a week, is recommended.
• Drinking water is best. Soda and excessive fruit juices should be avoided. Wine in low amounts and with meals is permitted.

1. Start addressing healthy food choices in childhood. Food deserts and food insecurity are factors that impact nutrition. Resources such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),⁴ the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program,⁵ and the National School Lunch Program⁶ can be valuable to families. Community gardens are now found in many urban areas, and some local libraries have gardens and free events that focus on kid-friendly nutrition. Allowing children to read about foods and be involved in the food preparation process can help normalize their thoughts and behaviors towards health eating.³
2. Pre-plan meals when possible and prep meals for the week. Cooking ingredients like couscous, brown rice, lentils, and beans allow for quick assembly and they keep will in the refrigerator.
3. As an alternative to fresh produce, use frozen fruits and vegetables. If needed, use canned foods, but limit adding sodium.
4. Roasting vegetables can prolong their shelf-life. Roasted vegetables can be added to wraps and salads, or added to meals as sides.
5. Address snacking by setting pre-planned portions. Present ideas such as string cheese, apples, buts, hummus and veggies, and plain yogurt with berries.
6. Myplate.gov⁷ is great for establishing a visual representation of serving sizes and plate set-up, and allows users to create free meal plans.

Providing these specific, affordable, and practical nutritional recommendations will benefit diverse patient health needs, in addition to their cardiovascular health.

References available on the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians website.