If you want to lose weight, you’ve got options, from medications like GLP-1s to apps like Noom.
But an ancient — thousands of years old — diet could trump them in one big way.
With it, people eat highger-quality food over time, which research suggests keeps weight down for longer.
That’s the big upside of the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes olive oil, whole fruits and vegetables, and fish over red meat. The University of North Carolina developed “Med-South,” which adapts these principles to Southern favorites.
Researchers in a new study pitted the Med-South program against the Weight Watchers program, a standard for weight loss that’s been around for over 60 years.
What they found was that both programs helped people lose weight, with “no material difference” between the two — except for diet quality, which was improved with Med-South.
“My key takeaway was the profound impact of the Mediterranean diet on improving our overall eating habits in a way that’s sustainable,” Emily Case, a registered dietitian at Northwell Health, told The Post. That improved diet quality “makes us much more likely to adopt these habits for life.”
What’s the Mediterranean diet and Med-South?
Mediterranean diet participants naturally eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, and less refined carbs, Case said. “We know that people who adapt these whole food pattern styles of eating … report feeling better. They have more energy.”
While the diet is straightforward on paper, it takes real effort to integrate it into real life. That’s why participants in this study got help in three phases.
First, they worked with dietitians to improve food quality without a focus on weight loss. Second, they identified weight loss goals and worked on changing eating habits and third, they focused on maintaining good habits. Participants had in-person and telephone counseling from dietitians throughout the program.
Weight Watchers also has clients come in for a “workshop,” which they recommend weekly. In a workshop, you weigh yourself, and talk to a guide about your goals. In the study, participants attended workshops and got access to the app/online platform for 2 years.
The digital component allows clients to track their food and activity via a points system. Foods that are less healthy, based on nutritional value, “cost” more from a daily and weekly allowance.
In contrast, Med-South focuses more on behavioral and general changes to diet, rather than close tracking.
A better solution to an American health crisis
As many as two of five American adults have obesity, which often comes with a higher risk of a number of serious conditions, from diabetes and arthritis to fatty liver disease and heart disease.
Weight loss is one of the best ways to combat these.
“It’s not about living longer but living better. We want to prioritize the quality of our life, and that starts with food,” Case said. Mediterranean diets “directly address the underlying causes of chronic disease.”
With the Med-South diet, easy swaps make beloved dishes better for the body — like pecan pan-fried chicken and oven-fried okra.
For weight loss in particular, Med-South focuses on drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages and swapping white bread and white rice for whole grain products. Med-South has been shown to help people shed pounds, even without specifically targeting weight loss.
The authors said that using drugs like GLP-1s and procedures like bariatric surgery could be used in conjunction with changes to diet for long-term results.
“It is important to further study the impact of a lifestyle program that focuses on diet quality as a co-intervention with effective weight loss medication,” the authors wrote.
“Such co-interventions might improve outcomes during treatment and reduce weight regain when medications are discontinued.”
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