Together with regular physical activity and not smoking, our analyses suggest that over 80% of coronary heart disease, 70% of stroke, and 90% of type 2 diabetes can be avoided by healthy food choices that are consistent with the traditional mediterranean diet – Quote in a review of the Mediterranean diet by Walter Willett, MD of Harvard.

Let that sink in for a second. These are the basics folks and they work.

What exactly is the Mediterranean diet and why are we still talking about it? Remember the 5/2 or the (fill in the blank) diet? Probably not too well. Dietary trends come and go, but the Mediterranean diet has had staying power. These questions will all be answered when you hit play at the bottom of this page.

We speak with Kelly Morrow, MS, RD to answer these questions. Kelly is a registered dietician, and core faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University.  At the Bastyr clinic she supervises nutrition shifts, in addition to having a private practice. Her past includes a stint working at Evergreen Hospital and a Community Health center. She gives a great overview of the diet and resources to help you get to know the diet better.

Press play to learn more about:

  • What foods are included in the diet and what aren’t
  • What the deal is with alcohol – is it really recommended as part of the plan?
  • Why it’s not just about the diet, but the other things too
  • Motivating patients to change
  • The idea of generalized to personalized
  • Resources to learn more about the Mediterranean diet
  • Easy to follow recipes for your patients
  • And more….

Resources:

Studies Mentioned: