Adopting Mediterranean Diet in American Style

If an American would want to adopt the Mediterranean way, olive oil would have to replace - not be added to - other fats. That would be tough for a lot of people.

We love the fat in candy bars and French fries. People would want to have their olive oil and eat their candy, too. But we can't afford those fat calories.

Miller and Yost the dieticians expressed concern about promoting alcohol as part of an eating regimen.

"I don't have a problem with it in a diet," Miller said. "Having wine with dinner makes you feel relaxed. But I don't want to put it up as having a strong food value."

"Alcohol does not deserve a place on the food pyramid except in the 'others' category."
Yost said the Mediterranean attitude toward alcohol differs from ours, a reason for her reluctance to endorse its value in an American diet. "(Europeans) drink it with their meals. Americans may have it with meals, but they also use it as a social event."

If people choose to drink, wine is "a better choice," Miller added. "But I worry about people consuming wine calories instead of other calories. Alcohol is second only to fat in the number of calories per ounce," and obesity is a national problem.

The Mediterranean diet also does not take into account the far-reaching genetic mixture of the U.S. population, the dietitians said. For example, low to moderate amounts of cheese and yogurt are recommended, which might be insufficient sources of calcium for fair-skinned American women, at high risk for osteoporosis.

"Even within our own country, eating styles vary according to different ethnic and cultural groups," Miller said. "Many are healthy, but they don't fit on the pyramid."

Miller and Yost said that although the Mediterranean diet may not mesh with typical American lifestyles, the plan has many things in common with the U.S. Food Pyramid. Emphasis on complex carbohydrates is one similarity, particularly the increase in fruit and vegetable consumption.

Miller said the two pyramids send the same message. "Eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods, which is what we've been saying for years," she said. "But there are other things we know that can improve your life. Limit fat. Stop smoking. Exercise. Control your weight."

"For people who do want to eat (the Mediterranean way), this will give them some guidelines to follow."

But for the masses, she suggested, "Try the American pyramid before starting something else. It's much more in line with how we now eat."


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