What is Mediterranean food? More than you probably think

Well + Good wrote up a recap of this week’s TALK Panel, where I offered my thoughts on the Mediterranean Diet and how to reap its nutritional benefits:

“The Mediterranean diet, the way that we talk about it in the US, we’re really referring to the Mediterranean as Italy. However, we know that the Mediterranean expands to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa,” Feller said at a recent Well+Good event.

Feller pointed out that in reality, there are 21 countries that actually are part of the Mediterranean region. When adhering to a specific eating plan, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of having the same handful of meals on repeat. By keeping in mind just how far the region extends, it opens up new types of cuisine that otherwise wouldn’t be considered.

“The Mediterranean diet refers to the patterns of eating that are rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and monounsaturated fatty acids,” Feller said, adding that filling your plate with these foods and nutrients is linked to myriad health benefits. “I think we need to reframe the Mediterranean diet to include all of those regions because in Lebanon, for example, there’s tons of delicious food that’s incredibly wonderful, like legumes, ancient grains rich in nutrients, and spices.”