Evaluation of Mediterranean Diet

Mary Angela Miller and Michelle Yost, registered dietitians in the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at University Hospitals, were asked to evaluate the Mediterranean diet from materials prepared by its sponsors. Neither nutritionist was involved in the project nor in its research heir duties involves food and dietetics services for University Hospitals' patients, staff and visitors.

The experience was enlightening for them.

Miller and Yost both agreed that the diet (they prefer to call it a "lifestyle") is a valid direction toward healthful living.

"There's nothing bad about it," said Miller, who is the department director. They praised the emphasis on fruits, vegetables and grains, regular exercise, unprocessed foods and sparing use of sugar.

But both had reservations about applying it to Americans overall. Miller said, "It worked for (the Cretans), but will it work for the rest of the world?'' Most Americans would have to make a drastic about-face from typical eating and living patterns, she said. ''If you put something like this out here, it sets you up to fail. Olive oil and wine sound appealing, but meat and potatoes are still the mainstay."

Yost, a senior dietitian, said that while the amount of fat in the Mediterranean diet is high compared with the U.S. guidelines (which call for less than 30 percent total fat calories), the fat is predominately olive oil. (Olive oil is thought to lower levels of bad serum cholesterol while maintaining good cholesterol levels).

But olive oil is not the fat of choice for Americans, who lean toward butter, margarine and oils made from legumes, vegetables and seeds for baking and cooking. According to the Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter, Americans consume only about 3 tablespoons of olive oil per person - about every four months.

Olive oil also is more expensive than traditional cooking fats, Yost added. She believes that Americans would have trouble adjusting to its unique flavor in common foods.

A better alternative, she said, would be canola oil, which contains a more healthful ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than olive oil. It also is flavorless.


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