For six years in a row, U.S. News and World Report has ranked the Mediterranean diet as the best overall diet. But is it the best diet for your health?
What is the Mediterranean diet?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the Mediterranean diet doesn’t have a strict definition but generally consists of the following components:
- whole plant foods
- extra virgin olive oil
- a moderate amount of fish
- a small amount of poultry
Eggs are also allowed, while red meat and butter should be consumed rarely.
A healthy vegan diet, on the other hand, includes whole plant foods but avoids all animal products and calls for minimizing, if not avoiding altogether, plant oils.
A head-to-head study looking at a vegan diet vs. a Mediterranean diet
One problem with the Mediterranean diet is it’s simply too permissive and flexible, allowing for animal products such as fish, chicken, eggs, and dairy that have been linked to a host of problems. I’ll cover the drawbacks of these individual components in a moment, but first, it’s helpful to look at how the Mediterranean diet performs in general against a strict vegan diet.
In a randomized crossover study, researchers found that, compared to a Mediterranean diet, a low-fat vegan diet resulted in greater weight loss and insulin sensitivity as well as lower cholesterol levels.
Commenting on the study results, Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said, “The problem [with the Mediterranean diet] seems to be the inclusion of fatty fish, dairy products, and oils. In contrast, a low-fat vegan diet caused significant and consistent weight loss.”
You can see an in-depth discussion of this study with Dr. Barnard in the below video.
The shortcomings of the Mediterranean diet were also apparent in a study that compared it to a so-called green Mediterranean (Med.) diet, which includes more plant foods and less meat than the traditional Mediterranean diet. That study found that those on the green Med. diet achieved a greater reduction in visceral fat.
Chicken and fish are not health foods
These head-to-head comparison results are not surprising because, contrary to what seems to be the received wisdom of most Americans, chicken and fish are not health foods. Chicken raises cholesterol just as much as red meat; moreover, chicken and fish contains carcinogens and high levels of saturated fat.
As is the case with other meats, consuming fish is associated with increased level of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is associated with cancer.
Choosing to eat fish or chicken for a particular meal also carries an opportunity cost; that is, every time you eat these animal products you’re missing out on eating more plant foods and obtaining their beneficial phytonutrients.
Dairy products are problematic
Another negative aspect of the Mediterranean diet is that it includes dairy and eggs, both of which show high levels of dioxin. Dioxin is a contaminant and carcinogen that bioaccumulates as one moves up the food chain; that is, there are relatively small amounts of dioxin on grass and other plant foods, but as animals eat these plant foods, the amount of dioxin in their flesh accumulates. The accumulated dioxin is also a part of the milk and eggs these animals produce.
As you eat eggs and other animal products, the dioxin in your system further increases. But if you avoid these products, you can minimize your dosage, which is why those eating plant-based diets have the lowest levels of dioxin.
Eggs, of course, are also loaded with fat and cholesterol. Dairy is also a significant source of fat and has been linked to breast cancer as well as other health problems.
Plant oils cause harm
Another component of the Mediterranean diet that is not healthy is the saturated fat that comes from olive oil. While plant oils might be not as unhealthy as butter, they nevertheless impair endothelial function. Moreover, in a controlled study, olive oil failed to reduce arterial plaque levels.
For these reasons, most proponents of whole-food, plant-based diets recommend minimal to no oil consumption.
So why is U.S. News and World Report so high on the Mediterranean diet?
So, why does U.S. News & World Report recommend the Mediterranean diet above all others, including the plant-based Ornish diet, which has been empirically shown to reverse heart disease but is only ranked #10 by U.S. News & World Report?
I don’t know. You can read more about their methodology here. What I can say is that medical experts that I consider more reliable would disagree with the publisher’s rankings.
Not only is a vegan diet better for your health, it’s also very easy to begin and maintain. Check out my guide here, which provides a simple approach.
Originally published on veganlaunchpad.com on August 17, 2023
