{"id":30264,"date":"2022-05-03T20:28:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T20:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=30264"},"modified":"2022-06-13T19:40:32","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T19:40:32","slug":"what-is-the-green-mediterranean-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/what-is-the-green-mediterranean-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Thought The Mediterranean Diet Couldn’t Get Any Better, Try The Green Mediterranean Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introducing the green Mediterranean diet, an even healthier version of the famed Mediterranean diet. But what it is exactly? Experts break down everything to know about this breakthrough approach to eating.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

According to experts, the Mediterranean diet<\/a> is not only one of the most popular diets in the world, but one of the healthiest. In 2022, U.S. News & World Report<\/a> ranked the method of eating, which emphasizes the consumption of foods found in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, as the top diet in a number of categories, including\u00a0 Best Diets Overall, Best Plant-Based Diets<\/a>, Best-Heart Healthy Diets, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and Easiest Diets to Follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

However, according to 2020 research published in <\/em>Heart<\/em><\/a>, there may be another diet in town that can one-up the traditional Mediterranean Diet: The green Mediterranean diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

What Is the Green Mediterranean Diet and How Does it Compare to the Mediterranean Diet?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The green Mediterranean diet \u201cis basically the regular Mediterranean diet but a little super-charged,\u201d says Keri Gans, RDN<\/a>, a nutrition consultant and the author of The Small Change Diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

The \u201cMediterranean diet\u201d is not a trademarked diet but a general term to describe the eating habits of those who live in the 16 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, according to The American Heart Association<\/a>. While the exact foods these people eat vary, most of their diets involve an abundance of fruits and vegetables, bread and whole grains, potatoes, beans, nuts, and seeds, olive oil as a primary fat source<\/a>, and a minimal amount of dairy products<\/a>, eggs, fish, and poultry. The Mediterranean diet also emphasizes the consumption of fish and poultry over red meat, minimally processed, plant-based foods over processed foods, and fruit over refined sugar. It allows wine<\/a> in low to moderate amounts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s the difference? The green Mediterranean diet includes even more green food and less meat than its counterpart. \u201cIt focuses on even more plant-based foods and meals and totally excludes red and processed meats<\/a>,\u201d says Gans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Kristina \u017dalnierait\u0117<\/a>, head of nutrition and wellness for Kilo Health<\/a>, who holds a BA and MA in Public Health Nutrition, Food Safety, and Dietetics, adds that the green Mediterranean diet is higher in polyphenols. \u201cPolyphenols are the main source of antioxidants in the diet, as they are abundant in plants, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, and cereals, as well as derived beverages such as tea, coffee, and wine. There are more than 8,000 known polyphenols, which are classified into phenolic acids, stilbenes, phenolic alcohols, lignans, and flavonoids,\u201d she explains.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

While there are many foods that can be consumed on the diet, there are three that should be eaten on a daily basis, according to Gans and in line with the clinical research:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n