YOUR DIABETES
eating style Most diets tend to be based around what they cut out – carbs, calories or large portions. One of the oldest and most successful is much more about changing your eating style. MYKE BARTLETT speaks to Dr Antigone Kouris-Blazos about the potential benefits of a Mediterranean approach to food. Backed by decades of study, the Mediterranean diet encourages a shift away from the stodgy staples of Western cuisine towards lighter, more varied fare. Its key elements are plenty of plant-based and seasonal foods, nuts, moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and fish, and olive oil as the principal source of dietary fat. It’s also renowned for being one approach to eating that doesn’t sacrifice taste for health! Dr Antigone Kouris-Blazos is an experienced and highly published dietitian and academic who has extensively studied the benefits of the Mediterranean diet for the general population and people living with chronic conditions. She says she recommends the Mediterranean diet, along with a shift towards eating more plant-based food, to all the patients she sees in her private practice. Why is that? “Because of the overwhelming evidence showing that plant based diets are protective against the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, depression.” Her early work has underpinned further research into the broad health benefits of a Mediterranean eating style over the past three decades. In 2020, a wide-scale review of the evidence surrounding the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet was compiled which showed very positive results. A large study of more than 7000 people conducted from 2003 until 2011 found similar benefits. For people living with diabetes, this research found greater benefits on glycaemic control, body weight and total cholesterol for individuals who closely followed a Mediterranean diet compared to those who followed a low fat diet. Researchers have suggested several theories around why this style of eating has shown such
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