The Mediterranean diet wasn’t deliberately developed with the intention of becoming a popular healthful diet. It emerged organically as a result of the land and water in the region being perfectly suited to grow the right combination of foods. These regional foods just so happen to provide incredible benefits to your health!¹ Especially healthful in the Mediterranean diet are olives, fish, nuts, and seeds. These foods provide fats that are famous for their healthful properties, and for good reason. Let’s check out the reasoning behind why they call Mediterranean fats the “good” kind.

Can you say satisfying?

Although the Mediterranean Diet has more fat than a classic “heart healthy” diet, the fat emphasized in the Mediterranean diet is mostly unsaturated, including those from sources such as olive or other vegetable-based oils, fish, and nuts.² These fats give a flavor boost to every meal! When purchasing olive oil, choose EVO, which stands for extra virgin olive oil, this means it’s free of defects or odor. You also want to see if there are notes about the date it was harvested or the best-by date. Choose the olive oil that’s the freshest. Always smell and taste your olive after purchasing—you can tell when it’s rancid because it tastes horrible and smells!

So why is fat from olive oil sometimes called “healthy” or “good” fat? Fat in olive oil—unsaturated fat— helps decrease inflammation and lowers your risk of heart disease.³ Despite the rumors –butter is not back! If you eat more unsaturated fat (from olive oil, nuts, and fish), and eat less saturated fat (from meat and full-fat dairy), you may see an improvement in your cholesterol levels.⁶ Unlike unsaturated fats, saturated fats can increase blood cholesterol and blood pressure increasing your risk of heart attack, heart disease, or stroke.⁶ Saturated fats and the foods that contain them are consumed in limited amounts in the Mediterranean Diets. Bottom line—eat more of the good fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish!

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