Eat Like a Greek for High Heart Health

20 September 2007

Consuming a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in fruit, vegetables and fish, may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 30% according to a new large scale study.

Eating lots of garlic, cucumber, olive oil, salad greens, capsicum, legumes, tomato, feta and ricotta cheeses, olives, onion, watermelon, steamed fish and boiled chicken brings great health benefits says the 10-year-study of 40,600 Australian aged between 40 and 69, the largest study of eating habits ever done in Australia.

The high plant and fish, moderate wine intake and low animal products regime equals a diet rich in:

• antioxidants that help reduce oxidative damage


• monounsaturated fats that help to lower cholesterol


• Omega-3s, believed to stabilise the heart rhythm


• fibre that may assist in lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors

The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, adds to an ever-growing list of research supporting the health benefits of a traditional Mediterranean diet for lower incidence of heart disease, obesity and certain types of cancers.

Co-authors of the study include researchers from The Cancer Council Victoria, The University of Melbourne, University of Cambridge and St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne.

* American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2007, Volume 86, Number 1, Pages 221-229
Dietary patterns and cardiovascular mortality in the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
Authors: LR Harriss, DR English, J Powles, GG Giles, AM Tonkin, AM Hodge, L Brazionis and K O'Dea

Check out our ‘Eat Like a Greek’ Recipes.

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