Mediterranean-Style Diet Linked To Better Thinking Skills In Later Life

[Julieanne]

University of Edinburgh
February 10 2021

People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet -- particularly one rich in green leafy vegetables and low in meat -- are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study shows.

Closely adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher scores on a range of memory and thinking tests among adults in their late 70s, the research found.
The study found no link, however, between the Mediterranean-style diet and better brain health.


Read more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0210133340.htm

[Islander]

If you take a little tour around the Mediterranean Sea, list all the countries that you pass. There's no need to charter an expensive ship; you can do this tour on a map. My point is, you'll be surprised at the number of countries you pass that may not have occurred to you as being "Mediterranean." Are you including the cuisine of Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Syria? How about Algeria, Morocco, Greece? In other words, there is no one diet or style of cooking that is characteristic of the Mediterranean. Talk about this famous diet typically includes Southern Europe, and I say southern because even northern France and northern Italy have a very different cuisine from the south.
In short, there is no one perfect diet that is universally beneficial for humans. I suspect that the term "red meat" applies to beef, whereas people throughout the Middle East consume far more lamb and goat than beef, yet I would categorize both as "red meat." So what's the take-home? Aim for a diet high in vegetables, including some like eggplant that you might not incorporate in your daily meals; eat more seafood — broiled or steamed or poached rather than deep-fried; increase your intake of fresh fruit; and sample some of the Near East herbs and spices that may be new to you. In other words… recalibrate your palate.