The Mediterranean Diet Gets A Boost
Is the Green MED diet the best brain-protective way to eat yet?
Hello, everyone. I am settling into student life in Cagliari, Sardinia with almost a full week of Italian immersion classes under my belt. I could not ask for better teachers. Not only do they drill me on verb tenses and pronouns, they take me on walks around the city so I am also learning about Sardinia’s fascinating culture and history. Next week my “scuola” will focus on culinary language with market tours, restaurant ordering lessons, and cooking classes.
I will be hosting a cooking class from my tiny Sardinian kitchen this Sunday, March 24. Join me live on zoom to cook up a few simple traditional dishes.
Learn more here.
Today we are talking about the Green MED diet. I first learned of this new spin on the Mediterranean diet when it was described in 2020. I was so impressed with the brain health findings that I devoted a half-page of my book to it (find it on page 18).
Now, I am delighted to see more papers coming out that support the brain and metabolic health benefits of this approach. Not only does Green MED reduce the shrinkage of brain volume with age, researchers have shown it may improve cardiometabolic health, reduce visceral fat, and even enhance longevity through epigenetics.
I’ll get into that below, but first: what, exactly, is a Green MED diet?