Posted on 11/05/2013 11:42:24 AM PST by nickcarraway
For all of us nearing middle age, or slogging through it, yes, there is a benefit in eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fish, nuts, vegetables and fruit.
A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds that women who followed this pattern of eating in their 50s were about 40 percent more likely to reach the later decades without developing chronic diseases and memory or physical problems, compared to women who didn't eat as well.
Researchers tracked the dietary habits and lifestyles of more than 10,000 women, beginning in late middle age. Every two years, the women filled out detailed surveys describing their diets.
Over the next 15 years, researchers kept tabs on who among the women developed a whole host of chronic diseases including Parkinson's, cancer, and lung and pulmonary disease. The women were also given a battery of memory tests, and researchers also evaluated physical function, meaning the women's abilities to move around and stay active.
"This really suggests that a healthy diet can help improve multiple aspects of your health and your ability to function when you're older," says researcher Fran Grodstein of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Meir Stampfer, co-author of the new paper, says he was "surprised by the magnitude of the effects" in the study, given what we already know about the heart benefits of a Mediterranean style diet.
Stampfer says this study adds to a growing body of evidence that all points to measurable benefits of eating a diet that is rich in plant-based food and low in saturated fats, meat and refined starch. He says he's changed his own eating habits based on the weight of the evidence.
"I'm eating more nuts, berries and fruit," he says. As well as fewer potatoes, and less meat. "And I'm happier."
Yes, the evidence suggests that our diets really can help shape mood and overall well-being.
Making The Shift
Adopting a Mediterranean-style diet is not as difficult as you you might think. It's not a complete diet overhaul.
"Mediterranean cooking is simply a tweaking of basic cooking," says Chef Michael Friedman, part-owner of the Red Hen, a hip, newish restaurant in Washington, D.C.
Switching from butter to olive oil is the first step that any cook can make, Friedman says. After that, he says, think about scaling up vegetables, even ones you normally overlook.
The day I visited, Friedman whipped up a super creamy mushroom risotto topped with a parsnip puree. It sounds fancy, but Friedman says it's really pretty simple: You just roast the parsnips with thyme, garlic and a little salt, then put them in a blender.
"If you look at it, it has the texture of creaminess, of butter," he says. "But it's just a puree."
The taste is surprising.
Friedman agreed. There was no butter, no cream, no cheese, but the taste was divine. "I kind of tricked myself a little bit," he says.
Oh, and a bit of good news for those who like a nice glass of vino to accompany the meal. The healthy eaters in the study consumed moderate amounts of alcohol.
Can I smoke my mind out after I eat these healthy Mediterranean meals, just like the Italians do??
Are they sure it’s attributable to the Mediterranean Diet and not just that the European countries outlawed GMO foods? If we try to reproduce the Mediterranean Diet with the Genetically Modified Organism crap that makes up 90% of the ingredients available in the USA, will it still be healthy for us?
Article tells you to ditch potatoes but pick up risotto... huh.
If you take that kind of interest in your diet, chances are you take other kinds of interests in your health and lifestyle. Maybe this diet is not a cause of longer life, but only a marker or an indicator.
But I love Kale. Since we are among friends here, I'll share a recipe that might mark me as hippy dippy...but I love it. I keep rice and lentils in my frij most of the time...Saute kale with garlic and onions, spoon a little rice and lentils on top. Heat through with microwave. Now put some cold salad greens on top of that, add salad dressing, eat immediately. I like salad dressing for this made with tahini and ginger...yum.
Two of the three people I saw buying seeds at a local seed store were using EBT cards to do so. And we were *both* buying kale seeds. We have an awsome seed bank nearby; rich and poor folks grow around here.
I’m sure you’ll find EBT types that grow a garden if you look hard enough, just like you’ll find people who really need the help. I’m also pretty sure that they’re not representative of EBT users across the country.
It’s pretty damned simple.
Just about anything that a person can put in their mouth, or any other orifice, has been analyzed for its caloric content and that information is available.
Likewise, there is not an activity a person could engage in that hasn’t been studied as to how many calories it burns.
Anyone that can’t put the 2+2 together and/or lacks the willpower to apply such data is not doing the human race any good anyway.
Burn more than you eat you lose weight, eat more than you burn you gain weight. I’ve actually had someone tell me “I can’t lose weight no matter how little I eat”. “If you can not lose weight while eating fewer calories than you burn you can probably levitate, turn invisible and fly, since you’ve already demonstrated that the laws of physics do not apply to you” is what I say to such folks.
Probably not. But I know what I saw with my own eyes. Person in front of me paid with a card, person behind me paid with a card.
Mrs WBill does that occasionally, makes "Kale Chips" in the oven.
Tasty, especially with a light dip.
Country Joe? Electric music for the mind and body.
Many, not all, “EBT Types” live in rented multi-occupancy settings that offer no garden space. For that matter my own owned lot has no growing space.
Kale, along with spinach, has been at the top of my ‘good things to eat’ list for many years.
Lately, my family can’t get enough of sliced broccoli & diced garlic tossed with olive oil and roasted at 375 for about 30 minutes.
Mind you, this isn't a recommendation, but I do. Along with lots of booze, of course.
Bought two large bags of Kale chips from Costco Saturday.
Good eating, better than a sweet dessert.
So, if they could get garden space on their EBT cards, would they grow food?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.