Going from vegetarian to Mediterranean Diet?

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emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone

I have been meat free since Christmas Eve 2019. After watching a couple of interesting Netflix documentaries I decided to cut out meat to see if it would have a positive effect on my mildly elevated blood pressure.

Long story short, it hasn't. I am interested in the Mediterranean Diet and wondered if anyone has gone from a vegetarian diet to the Mediterranean style of eating, and whether they noticed any positive or negative changes in their health or exercise capacity.

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  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I live in Italy and we eat the Med diet everyday. If you're looking to lower your blood pressure then you may need to lose weight. That and watching salt intake help the most. If you need to lose weight, plug your stats into MFP, get your daily calorie goal, get a digital food scale, and start weighing and measuring all your food and drink. Sodium is listed with carbs, fats, protein, and sugar, so as you log your food, you can watch your daily sodium intake. A type of diet alone doesn't lower blood pressure--losing weight usually does, and so, choose a way of eating that you like and can adhere to long term. The Med diet is very balanced and practical, so it could be a good choice for you. Good luck.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
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    Yeah, I'm (mostly) vegetarian and I have high BP. Right now the only thing for it is medication and losing more weight. Do you parents have it as well? Both of mine do, so I also have that working against me. Mediterranean diet is great, but isn't going to be the key. If anything, the DASH diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension - https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-2004845) may be worth looking into (lowering sodium intake and saturated fats), but for losing weight, all you need is a calorie deficit.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    emmab0902 wrote: »
    Hi everyone

    I have been meat free since Christmas Eve 2019. After watching a couple of interesting Netflix documentaries I decided to cut out meat to see if it would have a positive effect on my mildly elevated blood pressure.

    Long story short, it hasn't. I am interested in the Mediterranean Diet and wondered if anyone has gone from a vegetarian diet to the Mediterranean style of eating, and whether they noticed any positive or negative changes in their health or exercise capacity.

    It has been a common trend to endow food with more life changing / medical remediation potential than I believe will be common. Food satiates and provides energy, macros, and nutrition. I think of it more as a sustaining aspect of my life.

    Outside of allergies and certain medical conditions some people do find they have a food lane which is more beneficial. Some people report that lowering sugar intake also lowers their inflammation among some other things. I have no idea if that is proven or not.

    There is a chance that you react to the sodium in your food so the style of food would not matter as much.

    However, if you are currently overweight or obese, the first best answer is to reduce. That is how I fixed mine. My BP was 135-142/75ish and it is now 102-108/64.

    When I struggled to lose weight I kept hoping there was an alternate route to improving my health - at least a little. There was not. The health needle might move for some based on food but mine barely fluctuated. It was weight loss and when I was able adding exercise that had my doctor doing cartwheels.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    I should also mention while I was losing weight I still ate moderate amounts of fast food, processed food, restaurant foods snacks, etc. My health improved because weight loss is healthy all by itself.

    Documentaries and internet blogs about curative food are there to make money. I am not totally dismissing that food can help some people in some situations but if carrying too much weight that should be the primary focus.

  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
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    Thanks all. Mine is hereditary unfortunately. I am 164cm. 48kg (small build) and swim about 15-20km each week. Have never smoked and rarely drink alcohol. I am on an ACE inhibitor - doc says there is no other lifestyle improvements I can make as am already doing them lol.

    My parents have been dead for many years - high blood pressure runs in the family. Having just turned 50 I am keen to prolong life!
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    emmab0902 wrote: »
    Thanks all. Mine is hereditary unfortunately. I am 164cm. 48kg (small build) and swim about 15-20km each week. Have never smoked and rarely drink alcohol. I am on an ACE inhibitor - doc says there is no other lifestyle improvements I can make as am already doing them lol.

    My parents have been dead for many years - high blood pressure runs in the family. Having just turned 50 I am keen to prolong life!

    Sorry for the wrong advice. Yes, you are at a good weight. Since it is hereditary, did your doctor say why the Med diet would be good for you? The Med diet is just a well-balanced diet with a little of everything. Fruits and vegetables are key, as is EVOO. Meat is eaten, but not in large quantity, eggs, fish, and legumes are part of the whole. We eat a lot of carbs--pasta, breads, and rice (risotto) are staples. People walk a lot and are generally active without organized exercise. My husband and I both swim and go to the gym. Stay happy and healthy.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    edited October 2020
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    I think I’d slowly incorporate small amounts to see how you digest it first as it might upset the stomach
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I’m currently doing Mediterranean keto. I go mildly on the meat. And I really like it I’m feeling prettty good. I don’t know effects on my health. But I watch my calories as well bc it’s easy to overdo it on all the nice fats, and what I consider a portion lol.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
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    @snowflake954 This was on my newsfeed and immediately thought of you. Wondering what your thoughts are about the whole thing.
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-mediterranean-diet-only-works-for-rich-people-study-says?utm_source=pocket-newtab
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    @snowflake954 This was on my newsfeed and immediately thought of you. Wondering what your thoughts are about the whole thing.
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-mediterranean-diet-only-works-for-rich-people-study-says?utm_source=pocket-newtab

    When the American couple, the Keyes, started studying the Med diet in the 40's, it was a different world. They noted that poor Italians ate better and healthier than Americans, who had more income. A lot has changed since the 50's.

    Eating patterns have changed here (in Italy). There are Steak Houses, and McDonalds in even medium sized Italian towns. Doctors are furious and are constantly saying so. There is an education that is constant on TV, programs that visit farms, show how animals and vegetables are raised and harvested, the local specialties, etc.... Italians know a lot about their food and where it comes from.

    It is constantly noted that the diet is to be affordable. Fruits and vegetables are to be consumed in season, because the cost is lower, and produce is fresher, and local produce over anything shipped in (strawberries in Dec, for instance). However, our fruit and vegetable chain is controlled by the Mafia. Prices are higher than they should be, and, lets face it, fresh produce takes time to clean and cook, and time is getting scarser for working women, who still do the bulk of the cooking. The little old ladies of the family used to sit there for hours cleaning produce, sometimes right outside their doors gossiping with the neighbor ladies. Those days are going as they die off. I used to go to my MIL's small home village in the mountains and this is what I saw 30 yrs ago.

    So, when I go shopping, I buy what's in season, and on sale. If I can't, I use frozen--nothing wrong with that.
  • lnxjenn
    lnxjenn Posts: 64 Member
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    Find what works for you. Med is quite good though, in general, AND you can still be pretty Veggie on Med. Maybe check out some of the recipes and meal ideas, stick to fresh veggies and try a bit of fish in your diet. I would not do bread and limit pasta. So try like a low carb (at least processed carbs) mediterranean diet, and i think you may enjoy it.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,973 Member
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    My brother teases my mother that she has a small piece of chicken and seven vegetables*, which is a bit of an exaggeration, but the thrust of his point is not off base.

    * He's including starches and legumes in "vegetables."
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited November 2020
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    @snowflake954 I can see it through your words. Thank you. I like to think of you over there making your own food and going out for pizza on the weekend and having some fun, just watching all of the people go by.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    @snowflake954 This was on my newsfeed and immediately thought of you. Wondering what your thoughts are about the whole thing.
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-mediterranean-diet-only-works-for-rich-people-study-says?utm_source=pocket-newtab

    It seems really exaggerated to me, and ignores other reasons better-off people might be healthier, apart from diet.

    For example: "Fresh produce and fish are often only available at higher costs and in certain areas (this disparity leads to the food desert phenomenon), which makes them harder for low-income people to access and afford."

    I think the food desert thing is a US thing, and if you look at the stats it affects only a quite small potion of the population, and does not result in people eating the Med diet with lower quality foods (the Med diet to me inherently means eating whole grains, veg and fruits, and lower amounts of premade stuff and foods with high added sugar/fat or high sat fat).

    Assuming one has access, cooking from whole ingredients actually is cheaper than buying lots of packaged meals or restaurant meals (even fast food). And lots of the ingredients are cheap (whole potatoes and sweet potatoes, grains, beans (dried or canned), lentils). Yes, out of season veg and fruit can be expensive, depending on where you live and what fruits and veg (and in Chicago, which has nothing like a Med climate, stuff is out of season much of the year in some cases), but the "quality" thing makes it sound like it works only if you consume organic produce from WF, and if you ignore that and buy what's locally in season, what's on special, conventional, and even frozen (I use lots of frozen greens and berries in the winter), it's a lot cheaper.

    But yes, many places fish can be expensive (although there may be options that are less so -- I'd focus on the local market and prices).

    Rather than getting all hung up in the details, I'd say that based on food surveys, the US diet could be easily improved by most (not all of us, some of us got fat while eating tons of produce, even) eating more non starchy veg (the numbers are shockingly low), more whole grains (esp as a substitute replacement for some of the more refined grains), fewer foods or smaller portions of foods with added sugar (which usually have added fat too), replacing some servings of chips/fries with more whole food starches with less fat, and probably eating less non-fish meat (and less highly processed meat). Adding in fish is great too, but not necessary.

    This can be done by following a Med diet (which also has the benefit of inspiration from some great food cultures), but also in a variety of other ways. It is not inherently expensive, especially if one is cutting down on the pre-made foods and buying fewer dessert type items (or sugary sodas) as part of it.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    @snowflake954 This was on my newsfeed and immediately thought of you. Wondering what your thoughts are about the whole thing.
    https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-mediterranean-diet-only-works-for-rich-people-study-says?utm_source=pocket-newtab

    It seems really exaggerated to me, and ignores other reasons better-off people might be healthier, apart from diet.

    For example: "Fresh produce and fish are often only available at higher costs and in certain areas (this disparity leads to the food desert phenomenon), which makes them harder for low-income people to access and afford."

    I think the food desert thing is a US thing, and if you look at the stats it affects only a quite small potion of the population, and does not result in people eating the Med diet with lower quality foods (the Med diet to me inherently means eating whole grains, veg and fruits, and lower amounts of premade stuff and foods with high added sugar/fat or high sat fat).

    Assuming one has access, cooking from whole ingredients actually is cheaper than buying lots of packaged meals or restaurant meals (even fast food). And lots of the ingredients are cheap (whole potatoes and sweet potatoes, grains, beans (dried or canned), lentils). Yes, out of season veg and fruit can be expensive, depending on where you live and what fruits and veg (and in Chicago, which has nothing like a Med climate, stuff is out of season much of the year in some cases), but the "quality" thing makes it sound like it works only if you consume organic produce from WF, and if you ignore that and buy what's locally in season, what's on special, conventional, and even frozen (I use lots of frozen greens and berries in the winter), it's a lot cheaper.

    But yes, many places fish can be expensive (although there may be options that are less so -- I'd focus on the local market and prices).

    Rather than getting all hung up in the details, I'd say that based on food surveys, the US diet could be easily improved by most (not all of us, some of us got fat while eating tons of produce, even) eating more non starchy veg (the numbers are shockingly low), more whole grains (esp as a substitute replacement for some of the more refined grains), fewer foods or smaller portions of foods with added sugar (which usually have added fat too), replacing some servings of chips/fries with more whole food starches with less fat, and probably eating less non-fish meat (and less highly processed meat). Adding in fish is great too, but not necessary.

    This can be done by following a Med diet (which also has the benefit of inspiration from some great food cultures), but also in a variety of other ways. It is not inherently expensive, especially if one is cutting down on the pre-made foods and buying fewer dessert type items (or sugary sodas) as part of it.

    Yessss! You got it. I truly believe that anyone can better their diet and save money in the process. When I go shopping I buy the stuff that looks the best, and costs the least. I feed a family. I splurge a little, now and again, but if I had to, I could tighten up my budget even more. When we had the economic crash, here in Italy, in 2009, my husband was worried and said it would take a long time to pull out of it. I told him that I'd do my part and cut my grocery bill by a third. I come from a farm and we didn't have a lot of money when I was a kid, so I just went back to that mindset.

    Italians eat a lot of pasta and bread because it's cheap, just like potatoes in other cultures. Carrots are usually available anywhere and are cheap. Add in some celery and you've got a filling soup. Add some cheap cuts of meat and it's got protein too. If I were trying to follow the Med Diet on a budget, I'd probably splurge on EVOO and Parmigiano (substitute pecorino if you can't find it).

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