Kerri Waldron
If you have diabetes, dietitians recommend a few particular tweaks: You may benefit from having smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day and having fruit with a source of protein to stabilize blood sugar, says Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. This could mean Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries, an apple with a piece of cheese, or walnuts with pear slices.
Also, consuming lots of soluble fiber—including whole grains, legumes, beans, and pears—can “reduce spikes in glucose levels because it’s digested more slowly,” Salge Blake says.
Osteoporosis
Maintaining bone density is super important if you have osteoporosis but the Mediterranean diet doesn’t emphasize foods that are loaded with calcium or vitamin D. That’s why it’s important to “add low-fat or fat-free dairy foods such as milk or Greek yogurt to get enough calcium and vitamin D,” says Keith Ayoob, a dietitian in New York City and an associate professor emeritus of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “You need the calcium even if you don’t need dairy.”
If you use plant-based milks, make sure they’re fortified with calcium and vitamin D, says Salge Blake. Also, keep in mind that canned fish—such as salmon, sardines, and anchovies—are good sources of calcium because they contain soft bones.
(The scientific case for eating more bones.)
Making it even more personal
You can also adapt the Mediterranean diet for your own personal preferences. “It needs to include a few basics but there’s a lot of flexibility,” says Ayoob. If you’re vegetarian, for example, you can stick with plant-based foods and add eggs, cheese, yogurt, and milk. Pescatarians can take the same approach and add fish and seafood to their meals.
Source: bing.com
