Mediterranean

Sun on their backs, gazing out over the deep blue sea from the top of a dry, windswept hill, the Mediterraneans live the good life.

Once every couple of weeks, a 4-5 oz. piece of grass fed beef or lamb could be a valuable source of nutrition for Mediterraneans. Any more than that and their lab tests for heart health might not look as good.

Since carbohydrate metabolism is likely to be robust, we prefer not to see our Mediterranean dieters sitting with the keto kids. Saturated fat heavy keto diets are out for the Mediterranean crowd. Having said that, if they are able to achieve ketosis relatively easily, they could go the plant based keto route and rely heavily on nuts and seeds, olive oil, sardines and little bits of avocado to get in the keto zone. Just be sure to test your blood ketones and also be sure to cycle in and out of ketosis.

Nope.

All day, every day. Low sugar yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, even some kombucha, it’s all on the menu for the Mediterraneans.

We already touched on it, but absent celiac or gluten sensitivity, good quality bread can be a staple for this genotype, as can oats. The foods to avoid are those wrapped in plastic, foods with added sugar and oil, or really anything made by a giant corporation at scale. Mediterranean dieters have leeway in the carb department, but just play by a simple rule - don’t eat crappy carbs. Leeway in the carbs department does not mean go out and mainline cookies, that isn’t a good look for anyone.