The Mediterranean Diet has gained immense popularity in recent years, celebrated not only for its potential to promote long-term health but also for its affordability. This centuries-old eating pattern emphasizes whole, plant-based foods, challenging the common misconception that healthy eating is inherently expensive. By prioritizing whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, the Mediterranean Diet can be a budget-friendly option that may even help reduce your grocery bill.
The Core Principles of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is characterized by a high consumption of olive oil (as the prevalent visible fat), vegetables, legumes, whole-grain products, fruits, and nuts. It also includes moderate amounts of fish, dairy products, and wine, with limited intakes of meat, processed meats, and sweets. This dietary pattern reflects the traditional eating habits of people in the Mediterranean region during the mid-20th century.
Health Benefits and Economic Implications
The Mediterranean Diet is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions. Studies show that adhering to a Mediterranean Diet can lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Lifestyle changes, especially related to the Mediterranean diet, have the potential to modify disease outcomes and ultimately costs related to their management. Incorporating this diet into your lifestyle can not only improve your health but also save you money in the long run.
Debunking the Costly Myth
Despite its numerous benefits, a common misconception persists that the Mediterranean Diet is costly to follow. Contrary to popular belief, eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. Ella Bracci, study co-author, researcher, and PhD candidate at University of South Australia, emphasizes the significance of a balanced healthy diet in reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Bracci explains that global agencies are increasingly endorsing plant-based diets like the Mediterranean diet as the preferred approach to healthy eating. “The Mediterranean diet encourages eating fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, seeds and seafood, and there is a view that these foods are more expensive,” Bracci said. However, the research demonstrates that the Mediterranean diet is an affordable choice, allowing individuals to prioritize both their health and their budget.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Studies and Findings
Several studies have investigated the cost-effectiveness of the Mediterranean Diet as a prevention strategy against degenerative pathologies. The objective of these studies was to perform a systematic review of the scientific literature, to gauge the economic performance and the cost-effectiveness of the adherence to the Mediterranean diet as a prevention strategy against degenerative pathologies. Researchers investigated the monetary costs of adopting Mediterranean dietary patterns by determining cost differences between low and high adherence.
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One study, utilizing the PubMed and Scopus databases, reviewed eight articles that met pre-determined inclusion criteria. The adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been extensively reported to be associated with a favorable health outcome and a better quality of life.
Another study, which stems from the intent to perform an update of a previous systematic review entitled ‘Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of the Mediterranean Diet: Results of a Systematic Review’ [16], published 10 years ago, with the aim of examining and evaluating new evidence concerning the health-economic implications of adhering to the Mediterranean model. This study was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines [17].
A total of 321 articles were found for all strings. Of the 321 articles, 272 were removed, because they were not relevant (lack of data, researched other Mediterranean diet outcomes data or simply because they did not correspond to our objective) and 36 articles were duplicates. Finally, 13 articles were assessed for eligibility: all full texts were examined; at the end of the evaluation, five were excluded, because they had no data on economic evaluation or did not have appropriate full text articles. One of the five articles conducted by Peracino et al. [31] in their Appendix simply reported data from the study conducted by Dalziel et al. [28], which had already previously been selected in the database search and, therefore, already included in the review, so the article conducted by Peracino et al. [31] was excluded by the review. The reference sections of all eight articles were examined in order to achieve other pertinent studies, but the interesting cited references that we selected, which reported economic evaluation data, were overlapped in the eight selected studies.
Micro-Costing Analysis: Examining Food Prices
Mediterranean-style foods can be obtained at all price ranges, whether calculated per 100 g or per 4.18 MJ (1000 kcal). Generally, nuts and seeds cost between $1.00-25.00 per 4.18 MJ (1000 kcal), in part due to their relatively high energy density.
One study examined the costs of observed dietary patterns in a Mediterranean Spanish cohort evaluated by a food frequency questionnaire. A higher score on the Mediterranean dietary pattern was positively associated with increased costs of daily food consumption after adjusting for age and sex, whereas a higher score on the Western dietary pattern was inversely associated with cost. A healthy Mediterranean dietary pattern is more expensive (fifth quintile vs. first quintile of scores of adherence: +€0.71 (+$0.90) (95% CI: +€0.67 to +€0.74) per 1000 kcal) than a Westernized dietary pattern (fifth quintile vs. first quintile of scores of adherence: −€0.64 (−$0.80) per 1000 kcal (95% CI: −€0.68 to −€0.61) after adjusting for potential confounders among healthy middle-aged Spanish graduates.
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Another study with six thousand free-living Spanish men and women, aged between 25 and 74 years, were randomly selected from the general population of Girona, according to the 1996 census, and participated in this study from 1999 to 2000. An increase in 1 Euro ($1.25) of monetary diet costs per day was associated with a change of 0.46 units (P < 0.001) and 2.03 units (P < 0.001) in the MDS and HEI, respectively. The magnitude of the association was similar to both scores after standardization. Subjects who closely adhered to the MDS and HEI paid 1.2 Euro ($1.50) (P < 0.001) and 1.4 Euro ($1.75) (P < 0.001) daily more for food consumption, respectively, than those who weakly adhered to these dietary patterns.
Cost-Saving Strategies for the Mediterranean Diet
Study co-author and Associate Professor Karen Murphy from the University of South Australia asserts that healthy food shopping is more affordable than commonly perceived. Murphy suggests money-saving strategies such as comparing prices, taking advantage of specials and mark-downs, buying in-season produce, and stocking up on frozen, dried, and canned goods.
Next, add colorful vegetables like onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and artichokes; these are versatile and great for adding flavor. One of the key components of the Mediterranean diet is a quality extra virgin olive oil. This healthy fat is not only great for your heart, but it also has a wonderful flavour that can enhance any dish.
Vegan vs. Mediterranean Diet: A Cost Comparison
A low-fat vegan diet cuts food costs by 19%, or $1.80 per day, when compared with a standard American diet that included meat, dairy, and other animal products, according to new research by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published in JAMA Network Open. The study also found that a Mediterranean diet cost 60 cents more per day when compared with the standard American diet. Total foods costs were 25% lower, $2.40 per day, on a vegan diet, compared with the Mediterranean diet.
Key Components of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is not only a healthy way of eating, but also a cost-effective one. Rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fish, this diet offers a wide variety of delicious and nutritious meals that are easy on the wallet.
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Stocking a Mediterranean larder is the perfect way to enjoy all the nutritious goodness of the Mediterranean diet.
Practical Guide to Following the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet encourages you to eat plenty of some foods (like whole grains and vegetables) while limiting others. Here are some examples of foods to eat often with the Mediterranean Diet. From colorful veggies to crunchy seeds, there's a wide range of nutritious foods to choose from when following a Mediterranean Diet.
Sample Meal Plans
- Breakfast: Steel-cut oats with fresh berries and ground flaxseed, Whole-grain toast with nut butter and a nutritious smoothie, Greek yogurt topped with fruit and walnuts, Egg white omelet with fresh, seasonal veggies.
- Lunch:
- Dinner:
- Snacks: A handful of nuts and seeds (low salt or no salt added), Fresh fruit, ideally local and in-season, Nonfat Greek yogurt and a small piece of dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao), Whole-grain crackers with hummus, Raw veggies with a nonfat Greek yogurt dip.
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