Overindulged in lockdown? Give the 'green' Mediterranean diet a go! Swapping meat for more vegetables can make the traditional meals even more healthy, researchers say
Following a Mediterranean diet has long been seen as the key to a healthy heart and long life.
But scientists have now found you can make it even healthier – by swapping meat for more vegetables.
The so-called ‘green’ Mediterranean plan was found to be better for weight loss and lowering cholesterol and diabetes risk than the traditional version.
Researchers conducted a trial on nearly 300 participants who were obese, with a body mass index (BMI) over 30.
They were all told to increase their physical activity and were then randomly divided into three groups.
The first group followed basic guidelines for a healthy diet and the second followed a traditional Mediterranean diet.
The third followed a green version of the Mediterranean plan, avoiding meat while eating more plants and walnuts and drinking green tea and plant-based protein shakes.
After six months, it was found that the ‘green’ Mediterranean group lost a stone on average, the traditional group 12lb and the healthy diet just 3lb.
The research, published in the journal Heart, also found the green diet group achieved significantly larger falls in ‘bad’ low-density cholesterol as well as insulin resistance.
Study author Professor Iris Shai, of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, said the green version ‘may further reduce cardiovascular risk’ compared to the traditional Mediterranean diet.
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