“Fit” Is One Of The Four Fs Of Brain Healthy Eating

Why it matters to eat foods that fit your life, plus 3 traditional heritage diets

Picture a Mediterranean feast. What do you see? I envision Greek or Italian people gathered around a spread of enticing foods. Platters of colorful vegetables crowd the table, along with fresh fish and seafood, dark leafy salads, and bowls of oranges and grapes. There’s a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling and glasses of red wine to wash it all down. People are talking, laughing, literally breaking bread, and heartily enjoying eating together.

Behold an actual Mediterranean feast. The lunch spread at the Sempre Sano wellness retreat in Tuscany where I’ve taught cooking since 2017.

Chances are, it’s not so difficult to conjure a Mediterranean spread even if you’ve never traveled to a Mediterranean country. That’s because the Medi diet has been extensively studied—and marketed—in the Western world as a healthful way to eat. The Mediterranean diet pyramid, created by Oldways, is an iconic symbol of healthy eating. 

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. Oldways, www.oldwayspt.org.

Now, picture an African feast. Unless you are from Africa, it would be challenging to list traditional foods and dishes. But did you know that heritage diets from other cultures—Africa, Asia, and Latin America—provide many of the same brain healthy attributes as the famously studied Mediterranean one?

African and Asian Heritage diet pyramids. Oldways, www.oldwayspt.org

Latin American Heritage diet pyramid. Oldways, www.oldwayspt.org