Types of diets

What is the Traditional Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean Diet is widely regarded as the healthiest diet, yet it lacks a precise definition. The original study that reported remarkably low rates of heart disease and cancer was based on a Traditional Mediterranean Diet that primarily consisted of whole plant foods and fish. This Traditional Mediterranean Diet is very similar to a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet, as both prioritize plant-based foods while minimizing saturated fats and processed foods. While it is not feasible to conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) on nutrition in the same way we do with pharmaceuticals, ample research affirms that Traditional Mediterranean and Whole Food Plant-Based diets are the most effective in promoting health and longevity. This website aims to present this growing body of evidence, which includes RCTs such as PREDIMED, case series published by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and others, large observational studies of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda (who have a high percentage of vegetarian diets), and studies of the Blue Zones, where populations enjoy exceptionally long and healthy lives.

What is a WFPB diet?

A Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) diet is a vegan diet that excludes junk foods and refined carbohydrates, such as white bread. While many people think a WFPB diet is limited to salads and fruits, whole grains and legumes also play a crucial role in making this diet complete and sustainable.

	Standard Amercian Diet (SAD)	Modern Mediterranean	Traditional Mediterranean	WFPB Diet	Comments
Highly Processed & Junk Foods	Yes	No	No	No	HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS are infused with sugar, salt, and fat, these foods can be addictive.
Processed Meat (sausage, sandwich meats…)	Yes	No	No	No	PROCESSED MEAT increases the risk of heart disease and many types of cancers.
Red Meat	Yes	Little	No	No	RED MEAT increases the risk of heart disease and has been associated with an increased risk of some cancers. See American Cancer Society Guidelines below the table for more details.
White Meat (chicken, turkey)	Yes	Yes	Little	No	WHITE MEAT is generally lower in saturated fat than red meat, but it is healthier to avoid meat altogether. See information listed below this table.
Refined Carbs (white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc)	Yes	Yes	No	No	REFINED CARBS High glycemic index causes spikes in blood glucose after eating. Processing removes fiber and other nutrients.
Whole Grains (oats, whole wheat bread, etc)	No	No	Yes	Yes	WHOLE GRAINS High in fiber and nutrients, health promoting.
Fruits & Vegetables	Little	Yes	Yes	Yes	FRUITS & VEGETABLES High in fiber and nutrients, health promoting.
Legumes (beans, lentils, etc)	Little	Yes	Yes	Yes	LEGUMES High in fiber and nutrients, health promoting.
Dairy with fat	Yes	Yes	Little	No	DAIRY WITH FAT High in saturated fat. Examples include cheese, ice cream, regular yogurt, low fat milk, and whole milk.
Nonfat Dairy	Yes	Yes	Little	No	NONFAT DAIRY Shown to be health- promoting in some areas and harmful in others.
Fish	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	FISH Fish like salmon and tuna are high in omega 3 fats (essential fatty acids). Some raise concerns about toxin content including mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls.

Per the 2020 American Cancer Society dietary guidelines,
"Evidence that red and processed meats increase cancer risk has existed for decades, and many health organizations recommend limiting or avoiding these foods. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that processed meat is in Group 1 (“carcinogenic [cancer-causing] to humans”) and that red meat is in Group 2A (“probably carcinogenic to humans”), based on evidence for increased risks of colorectal cancer. Recent studies also suggest a possible role of red and/or processed meats in increasing risk of breast cancer and certain forms of prostate cancer, although more research is needed. It is not known if there is a safe level of consumption for either red or processed meats."
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/diet-physical-activity/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention/guidelines.html
Per the 2019 American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines,
"A diet emphasizing intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish is recommended to decrease cardiovascular disease risk factors."
This is a Class 1 recommendation, the strongest level of endorsement.

The guidelines go into more detail supporting that minimizing animal products is associated with a substantial reduction in mortality rates:
"Plant-based and Mediterranean diets, along with increased fruit, nut, vegetable, legume, and lean vegetable or animal protein (preferably fish) consumption, with the inherent soluble and insoluble vegetable fiber, have consistently been associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality than control or standard diets in observational studies. The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) trial randomized participants to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil or nuts and demonstrated 30% and 28% reductions, respectively, in the combined endpoint (MI, stroke, or cardiovascular mortality), but the improved outcome was driven largely by the reduction in stroke, with no significant improvement over the control diet for mortality or MI. When the PREDIMED cohort was reanalyzed post hoc for the “provegetarian” food pattern (more vegetable consumption versus animal, egg, fish, dairy, or meat product consumption), a significant mortality rate reduction (41%) was noted in the 2 quintiles with the highest vegetarian score. A comparison of plant and animal protein from the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort similarly indicated that using meat for protein was associated with a 61% increase in mortality rate, whereas replacing meat with nuts and seeds was associated with a 40% reduction in mortality rate. Similarly, the graded risk published by Song et al. indicated that lower mortality rate was associated with replacing animal protein of different origins with plant protein. The evidence is mixed with regard to the effectiveness of dairy intake to reduce ASCVD risk factors, which is why it is not included in the listed foods for this recommendation."
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678#d1e1862

Red

Unhealthy

White

Neutral or mixed data

Blue

Healthy