by Curious about the differences between the Mediterranean and paleo diets? Learn the basics needed to make informed choices about your meals.
January 4 2024, Published 10:57 am ET
The Gist:
- The Mediterranean diet includes plant-based foods, olive oil, and certain seafood.
- It is commonly seen in daily diets throughout the Mediterranean region, according to the Journal of Internal Medicine.
- The paleo diet features foods found during the Paleolithic era, focusing on lean meats, veggies, fruits, and eggs, as mentioned in Nutrition Research Reviews.
- Overall, research has found that a plant-based diet is the best for the environment.
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There are numerous nutritional structures that people use to achieve their nutritional goals, and it’s important to compare your options before starting anything new. If you’re curious about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet vs. the paleo diet, this guide will teach you the basics you need to make informed choices about your meals.
Before starting a new diet or way of eating, it is important to consult a doctor or nutritionist. What do you want and what health conditions do you want to avoid? You’ll easily track your progress if you keep your goals in mind and follow your health care provider’s other health precautions to ensure your well-being.
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What are the differences between the Mediterranean diet and the paleo diet?
Understand the difference between the two diets by reading on. They may look similar, but they are easy to tell apart when you learn more about them.
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The Mediterranean diet is full of plant-based foods, eggs and dairy.
The Mediterranean diet allows for plant-based foods and some animal products, such as eggs, certain dairy products, and certain fish products. Fans can enjoy starchy veggies like potatoes. People comparing the Mediterranean diet to paleo foods may start their research with the Mediterranean diet, as it is a modern way of eating.
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Prehistoric people ate the paleo diet.
The Paleolithic diet is an everyday diet that includes only foods that prehistoric people could have had access to during the Paleolithic era, as researchers have pointed out. Cureus. It is important to remember these details when comparing the Mediterranean diet to the paleo diet.
People who eat paleo eat lean meat, fish, fruits, veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds. Processed foods, sugar, dairy, starchy vegetables and grains are off limits because they developed or became accessible later in human history, as the same researchers point out Cureus.
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Is the Mediterranean or paleo diet healthier?
A Mediterranean or paleo diet may be healthier for you, depending on your health goals. Here’s the research behind the two options to compare the specific health benefits of the Mediterranean diet vs. the paleo diet.
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Research has found that the Mediterranean diet has some significant health benefits.
Evidence in Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health shows that the Mediterranean diet has many health benefits, including:
- Weight loss
- Lower stress marker levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The research found that the Mediterranean diet may be healthier for you if you are at increased risk of heart conditions, high blood pressure, or conditions associated with high levels of chronic stress, as many foods It usually involves whole plants.
That being said, the more fish, eggs and dairy you eat, the more you are at risk of diseases related to high cholesterol. It is important to discuss how this diet would work for you with a health care provider.
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A paleo diet is usually pretty strict on the planet.
Researchers with Science of the Total Environment found that paleolithic-inspired food choices are typically high in cholesterol and fat, and may result in a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes – meaning, given that the diet is focused on meat and other animal products.
This, of course, also makes the paleo diet “an expensive and nutritionally inadequate diet with a high carbon footprint,” as the researchers concluded.
A plant-based diet takes the best elements of the Mediterranean and paleo diets.
For those who care about personal health and the health of the environment, how to eat can be complicated. Overall, various researches have found that a vegan diet is best for the planet, as well as providing people with all the nutrients they need.
Consider your health goals to see which nutritional path would best support your needs. Merging your nutritional and environmental interests may lead to the best diet.
