The Mediterranean diet is different from other dietary models encountered around the world, including vegetarian diets, ketogenic or “keto” diets, Western diets, and others.

Though there may be some important similarities with certain dietary models, the Mediterranean diet manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to its singular features, which are also responsible for its great benefits. For example, the Mediterranean diet, and by extension the traditional Greek diet, shares some common elements with a vegetarian diet in that it promotes the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed plant-based products. Nevertheless, there are still significant differences, since a vegetarian diet excludes animal products, while the Greek Mediterranean diet incorporates the consumption of dairy products, fish, seafood and, to a smaller extent, meat.

In comparing the Mediterranean diet to other dietary models, we note that while other models focus mainly on dietary choices, the Mediterranean diet promotes a more holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle. This is evident in the revised Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, which incorporates other lifestyle parameters, such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, an emphasis on seasonality, conviviality of meals and others.

Additionally, the traditional Greek diet is characterised by the variety of foods that can be consumed and does not set significant restrictions like other diets do (e.g. the keto diet). The traditional Greek diet encourages eating foods from all basic food groups, with an emphasis on consuming unprocessed or minimally processed plant-based products and healthy fats like olive oil. This range of choices makes it a flexible and sustainable dietary model that can be adapted to individual preferences without limiting the variety and enjoyment of food. In fact, the Mediterranean diet has been recognised as a healthy and balanced diet by a number of international health organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Moreover, the Mediterranean diet could be viewed as one of the most thoroughly studied dietary models worldwide. Numerous epidemiological studies over the years have investigated the potential beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet on our health. Specifically, adopting a Mediterranean diet seems to lower the risk of developing various chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and it has also been associated with longevity.

For all these reasons, most – if not all – scientific organisations urge healthy adults to adopt the Mediterranean diet to prevent serious chronic diseases and live longer, healthier lives. To conclude, the Mediterranean diet is distinguished by the significant benefits it offers to our health, promoting a holistic and healthy way of life.