Why You Should Consider Eating the Mediterranean Way

About Tori Thurmond

Tori Thurmond combines her creative writing background with her marketing experience in her role as the Content Specialist at Brookdale. When she's not writing, she's probably spending time with her two cats or knitting.

You may have heard of the Mediterranean diet before and its supposed links to health and wellness. But what does the Mediterranean diet entail and why is it actually good for you? On the most recent episode of Great Full Life, Brookdale’s own VP of Dining Services, Chef Thomas Yun, and Gerontologist, Dr. Christy Philips, discuss what’s included in the Mediterranean diet and the health benefits you could receive from following it.

If you haven’t had the chance to watch the full episode yet, here are a few key takeaways.

It’s All About Seasonality

One of the Mediterranean diet’s key focuses is eating produce that’s in season where you live. If you’re not sure what foods are in season, you can always reference a seasonal food guide where you can specify your location and the season you’re in. Another tip for eating what’s in season is sticking to the fresh foods section of your grocery store. While it’s true that many grocery stores ship food in from all over the country or different parts of the world, staying in the produce sections of the grocery store instead of venturing into the canned goods aisle can help you eat fresh foods that aren’t as processed. For optimal seasonality, visit your weekly farmer’s market if you’re able to.

Not only does eating seasonally pack in the most flavor to your produce but it’s often more affordable. For example, if you choose to buy a fruit like strawberries in the winter, they won’t be as flavorful and they’ll likely be more expensive since they need to be grown in alternate ways. However, if you buy them in their peak season, usually May through July, they’ll likely taste better and be more affordable.

Why is the Mediterranean Diet Good for Aging Adults?

While everyone’s health journey is different and certain foods and diets will show varied results depending on other health factors, evidence around eating the Mediterranean diet could improve metabolic and cardiovascular health. From a brain health perspective, individuals could experience preserved cognitive function and maintained integrity of your brain’s structure. This diet could also lead to lower inflammatory markers, which is important in disease processes. Research suggests that eating in the Mediterranean style can lead to a slower decline for aging adults over time.

Getting the Most Out of Your Seafood

An important part of the Mediterranean diet is incorporating seafood when you can. For those who love different kinds of fish and shellfish, this may sound delicious, but seafood tends to be a bit divisive. It seems people either love it or hate it. For those who aren’t fans, maybe you just haven’t tried the right varieties yet or haven’t eaten properly cooked seafood. To start, some types of fish are more robust or taste and smell “fishier” than others. If you don’t love the taste of a robust fish, give a milder tasting fish like Branzino or tilapia a try. Or, you could try incorporating different types of seafood like lobster or scallops into your diet if you decide fish just isn’t for you.

Incorporating fish into your diet is a great way to pack in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. To get the most out of your fish, cook it with the skin on. There’s a layer of omega-3 fatty acids between the skin and the rest of the fish that you’ll retain by cooking and eating the fish with the skin on. If you’ve never cooked fish this way or it hasn’t come out quite right, make sure to watch the full webcast episode where Chef Thomas cooks a full Mediterranean meal, including Branzino with a crispy skin. And keep in mind, you don’t have to live in a coastal area to eat fresh seafood. Check your grocery store’s frozen aisles—freezing fish helps retain freshness, and depending on how the fish was caught and stored, frozen fish can be even fresher than the unfrozen fish you can buy at the fish counter.

Trying a new way of eating can feel intimidating at first, but just take one step at a time. Try incorporating fish into your diet once or twice a week, or check what produce is in season where you live. Cooking and eating should be fun, so give the Mediterranean way of eating a try to experiment with new flavors and ingredients.

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