What is the Atlantic Diet? Experts Explain the Trendy Eating Plan

• The Atlantic diet is the latest eating plan to have the internet abuzz.
• The diet is different from the Mediterranean diet.
• Nutritionists say that the Atlantic diet is also a good healthy food choice.

For many years, the Mediterranean diet was considered the gold standard eating plan for overall health and wellness. But a new study suggests that a cousin of the Mediterranean diet has plenty of benefits too. It’s called the Traditional Southern European Atlantic Diet—or the Atlantic diet—and there are plenty of great things to say about it.

The study, published in JAMA Open Networkanalysis of data from the Galician Atlantic Diet study, which was a six-month randomized clinical trial that looked at the impact of the regional diet and a controlled eating plan on 250 families in a rural town in northwestern Spain from March 3, 2014, to May 29, 2015.

The researchers found that the Atlantic diet “significantly reduced” the rates of metabolic syndrome in the study participants.

Of course, the Atlantic diet and the Mediterranean diet do not have the same name. What is the eating plan and why can it be good for health? And how does it compare to the Mediterranean diet? Here’s the deal.

What is the Atlantic diet?

The Atlantic diet is a traditional diet in northwestern Spain and Portugal, the study explains. Its feel is similar to the Mediterranean diet but with slightly different foods, such as cod, red meat, and pork products. Potatoes, not normally found in the Mediterranean diet, also appear in the Atlantic diet.

This is not the only research that has found the health benefits of the Atlantic diet. A study published in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology in December looked at data from 35,917 people and found that the Atlantic diet reduced the risk of death from any cause over the 14-year study period. People who followed the diet also had a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer.

What is metabolic syndrome?

As the study found, the Atlantic diet reduced the rates of metabolic syndrome in people who followed it during the six-month trial. Metabolic syndrome, aka insulin resistance syndrome, is a group of conditions that together raise your risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other health issues, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Metabolic syndrome includes higher blood pressure, blood sugars, cholesterol, and belly fat, says the NHLBI. People with metabolic syndrome will usually have lower levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

One in three adults in the US has metabolic syndrome, but the condition is largely preventable.

What foods are in the Atlantic diet?

The Atlantic diet includes a wide variety of foods, including local, fresh, and seasonal foods that are minimally processed, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and olive oil.

The diet also contains a lot of fish – including cod – and seafood, as well as starch-based foods, vegetable soups, potatoes, dried fruit, chestnuts, milk, cheese, and moderate amounts of red meat, pork and wine. “He also recommends eating with the family, going for daily walks, and being mindful when you eat,” says Keri Gans, RD, author The Little Change Diet.

Atlantic diet vs Mediterranean diet

There are some similarities between these two diets, as well as some key differences. “The Atlantic diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet except that it focuses more on the culinary habits specific to northern Portugal and northwestern Spain,” says Gans.. The diets seem to be “pretty much the same” depending on your likes and dislikes, she says.

That said, she notices that “A person on an Atlantic diet may eat slightly more red meat, pork or dairy than a follower of a strict Mediterranean diet.”

“For both, you’re looking at lots of fish, veggies, legumes, and minimally processed foods,” says Jessica Cording, RD, nutritionist and author. The Little Book of Changing Games.

Gans says there are many benefits to both of these diets. “I wouldn’t say one is better than the other, as both recommend lots of plant-based foods that are rich in antioxidants, such as nuts, legumes, fruit and veggies, as well as seafood, monounsaturated fats healthy, and minimized. processed foods,” she says. “They both promote a lifestyle, not a strict diet plan.”

What experts say about the Atlantic diet

Gans recommends the foods in the Atlantic diet. “The Atlantic diet includes plenty of foods rich in plant antioxidants, such as nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables, as well as seafood, healthy monounsaturated fats, and minimally processed foods,” she says.

Cording also likes that the Atlantic diet is high in fiber, along with healthy fats. “These have been shown to support overall health and heart health,” she says.

But the Atlantic diet is not perfect. Cording points out that red meat and even moderate amounts of alcohol are linked to health issues, such as an increased risk of cancer. “People have to be careful about limiting their intake of those,” she says.

The Atlantic diet may also lack specific guidelines for someone who needs more structure in their diet, Gans says.

But Cording says the Atlantic diet is a good overall choice. “There are no big red flags or big downsides,” she says. “It may come with a learning curve for some people.”