The benefits of this way of life are profound but, asks Sophie Morris, can they really be felt living in the UK?
Should we be surprised that a diet that sounds like a summer holiday has become so popular? The Mediterranean diet is not only revered by every corner of the health industry, it’s a huge hit with chefs and cooks of all kinds, as well as - crucially - us lot at home. Overall, it’s a way of eating that is big on flavour, bright in colour and characterised by diversity.
A new cookbook, Mediterra (Bloomsbury, £26), by the chef Ben Tish, takes me on a journey from Spain to Sardinia via Slovenia, Syria and Palestine - through the northern, eastern and southern shores and the islands of the Med - via baked black rice, Basque cheesecake, lamb and pistachio meatballs, red lentil soup, grilled veg and sardines. It’s a big place.
But there’s a problem with this approach to food, and it’s not inconsiderable. Can you truly adopt, or relocate, a way of eating - a living heritage that is culturally and geographically specific - and make it work for anyone in the UK who fancies some tasty food with a side helping of improved health? Can the Western health canon co-opt millennia of history and culture spanning a huge and diverse region? Can we really experience the benefits of this way of life while living in the UK?
The concept of the Mediterranean diet - not to be confused with Mediterranean cuisine as a whole - has been spoken about since the 1950s and 60s. Over time, it’s evolved into the Holy Grail in health and nutrition circles, famed for helping followers to maintain a healthy weight and, more importantly, protecting them against chronic disease.
Meanwhile, obesity and chronic disease rates have worsened along with the widespread “Western” diet’s focus on convenience foods, processed meats and sugary treats. Though most European Mediterranean countries are considered part of the Western or “developed” world, they have been slower to convert fully to the “Western pattern” diet that’s so popular in the UK and the US - though France is well known for its love of McDonald’s, and Spain leads EU countries in child obesity.
What does it involve? It’s not vegetarian but predominantly plant-based, focusing on wholegrains, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts, extra-virgin olive oil and some meat, fish and dairy. Sounds easy.
Which might be why over half of British consumers (53 per cent) choose to follow the Mediterranean diet, according to new research from Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor, compared to 22 per cent and 13 per cent following vegetarian and vegan diets. A June poll of 2,000 Brits by deli brand Unearthed found that 70 per cent try to follow a Mediterranean diet at home.
How and why does it continue to grow in popularity? “The cumulative science,” says Dr Simon Poole, one of the world’s foremost experts on the diet. “It’s been ranked as the healthiest diet overall for seven years by the US News & World Report.” Dr Poole is co-author of The Olive Oil Diet and The Real Mediterranean Diet, as well as a trilogy of Diabetes for Dummies guides, with Olive Oil for Dummies on the way. “It really is enjoyable, and it’s not a fad diet.”
If, you might ask, this way of eating is so popular in the UK, why aren’t we winning the fight against rising obesity rates, which have doubled in 30 years? For one thing, it’s a slow burn. For another, it’s not just about what you eat, but how you eat it.
He says the word diet is from the Greek diaita, meaning way of life rather than anything to do with weight loss. And this is where we are going wrong. Our eating habits differ wildly from many Mediterranean communities, certainly those the diet was based around, who spend time cooking and eating together as families, friends and neighbours.
Last night, I had a dish I believe Dr Poole would praise - wholewheat pasta, courgettes, beans, peas, garlic, chickpeas and lashings of extra-virgin olive oil. But I ate this cold, standing up, in a rush to go out. As for cooking with others? I don’t.
Can we claim to follow this diet, if we don’t accept cooking and eating as a ritual of daily life, instead of rushing around clutching a flask of Huel? “Eating together is a really important event in the day,” says Poole. “It is part of the culture of the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle to plan to spend time together enjoying meals.”
Many of the benefits of cooking and eating together are anecdotal, yet a study from Oxford University links it to increased feelings of wellness and community, while it is known that eating alone is in fact a health risk, linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
It would be a shame to die of loneliness after all the oily fish I’ve eaten.
“Studies on the benefits of communal cooking and eating on health are largely inconclusive,” says Lloyds Pharmacy GP Dr Bhavini Shah. “However, it’s important not to ignore the emotional and behavioural benefits you might experience. For example, cooking with friends and family may inspire you to try a more varied diet as you discuss different recipes. It may also help you control portion sizes, especially if you share dishes.”
But few of us take the time to gather communally like this. Then there is the issue of expense. No one can avoid the incredible price hikes in olive oil over the past few years. It has more than doubled since 2018. A mass market brand like Filippo Berio is already £15.60 per litre in Sainsbury’s. This isn’t just any olive oil, it is specifically extra-virgin olive oil, which has unique anti-inflammatory properties that make it an intrinsic part of the Mediterranean diet. The antioxidants and polyphenols that give it its anti-inflammatory powers are considered the principal reason those following the diet, or living in the so-called Blue Zones famous for their centenarians, enjoy longevity as well as many disease-free years.
It’s tempting to skip the extravirgin olive oil for cost reasons, but Poole says you can’t get the health benefits of this way of life without it. He recommends thinking about the price of a few tablespoons a day over the month, and says given this equates to two or three coffees out, many of us can make that choice.
While I associate the Med with holidays, and think of fresh fish, expensive fruits, and gallons of olive oil, Poole also says the true Mediterranean diet focuses on beans and wholegrains, which aren’t expensive. “It’s not all about pomegranates,” he says. “Contrary to what many people perceive. New evidence from Rhode Island and Australia shows that it’s actually a very affordable diet.”
We can buy tinned fish over fresh, or choose better value species like mackerel and sardines a few times a week.
Finally, critics point out the Western bias of the Mediterranean diet. It was developed around eating patterns broadly in Italy, Spain and Greece, and when Unesco granted the diet Intangible Cultural Heritage status, the application was only supported by seven countries - Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain - while the region consists of over 20 nations, stretching from France to Albania, Malta, Turkey, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, depending on whether you measure it according to the coastline or the wider Mediterranean Basin.
“Each and every country around the Mediterranean has its own food style and unique dishes,” writes Tish in Mediterra. “While geography and cultures differ, east to west, Christian to Muslim, there is a commonality that runs through them all, bringing the region together in one glorious whole? If I have one message, it is not only to cook like a Mediterranean, but to also eat like a Mediterranean: take time, invite friends and family, pour a glass of wine and lay the table.”
This sounds similar to how I do things on weekends and holidays. Maybe it’s time to add some Mediterranean attitude to my speedy weeknight teatimes, even if the extra-virgin olive oil will cost as much as the glass of wine.