The trouble with eating healthfully is that it just costs too much, right? Sorry; that excuse just bit the dust. The Mediterranean diet — the world’s healthiest way of eating — isn’t the world’s easiest way to drain your wallet. That’s a fact confirmed by a recent Public Health Nutrition study.
This diet (and our YOU: Diet, which is the same thing tweaked for American and Canadian eating preferences), is full of ingredients, including seafood and olive oil, that you can spend quite a bit on if you choose to. But you also can slash the cost. And we mean at the supermarket, not just at the doctor’s office, although the savings there are huge, too. That’s because the Mediterranean diet’s ample produce, whole grains, fish and olive oil components are overflowing with vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals as well as good-for-you monounsaturated and omega-3 fats. These nutrients can fight diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome, obesity and memory loss. And that’s just the beginning. The Mediterranean diet also can slash your risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 13 percent. What’s more, it can cut the odds of prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, breast and colon cancers by 10 percent to 25 percent, and help you live younger and longer with less disability.
