A cousin to the Mediterranean Diet is rising in popularity this year
While diets of the past leaned into the idea of restriction—eat low fat! watch your carbs!—diet trends of today tend to lean into prioritizing certain nutritious foods over less nutritious ones. It’s about the ways foods can help you instead of hurt you. In the case of many Americans, trying to replicate the eating habits of cultures where longevity and vitality are the norm has a certain appeal. Look at the way the Mediterranean diet captivated so many consumers, who started building their menus around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil. Doctors and dietitians praised the diet for the way it could improve heart health and lower weight.
Now there’s a new cultural diet that’s gaining similar popularity: the Atlantic diet, which mimics the eating habits of people living along the European coastline in Spain and Portugal. A study published in February in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) found it helps stave off diabetes and heart disease, improves energy, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
In some ways, the Atlantic diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet. They both emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, plus legumes for a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein, and moderate amounts of fish. But the Atlantic diet also encourages red meat and dairy. Potatoes, pasta, or rice should be included with every meal.
Does that sound do-able? If you want to give the Atlantic Diet a try, you’d be eating a lot of these foods:
Fruits and vegetables: A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, but if you want to get really authentic and eat like someone in Spain or Portugal, you could try tomatoes, spinach, onion, mushrooms, eggplant, artichokes, collard greens, and carrots.
Milk and cheeses: Dairy products are known for being excellent sources of calcium and protein, but they’ll also provide many nutrients needed for a strong, healthy body: B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, and potassium. The most popular Spanish cheese is Manchego, a sheep’s milk cheese with a creamy texture and savory flavor. You also might try a Rabaçal cheese from Portugal, a semi-hard white cheese made from a blend of goat and sheep milk.
Bread and potatoes: These are a staple with every meal, providing your body with plenty of carbohydrates for energy throughout the day. Opt for whole-grain bread whenever possible, or minimally processed grain products like brown rice or barley. Potatoes served with their skins will provide extra nutrients and fiber. These complex carbohydrates don’t break down as quickly as refined products like white bread, so you get a steady stream of energy without a blood sugar spike.
Seafood: As coastal countries along the Atlantic, Spain and Portugal include plenty of fish in their typical diets. Whiting, salmon, and cod would be authentic choices, providing plenty of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and important antioxidants for staving off disease.
Beans, legumes, and nuts: Red beans, black beans, garbanzo beans—you can take your pick when it comes to beans, as any of them will provide the filling fiber and powerful protein combination you need. As far as nuts go, marcona almonds are popular in this region, but you can also try chestnuts for some variety. Nuts are full of vitamins and minerals as well as healthy fats.
Red meat: The biggest different between the Atlantic diet and the Mediterranean diet is the room it makes for red meat, which would be consumed minimally in the Mediterranean region. Red meat has protein plus lots of iron for ensuring oxygen gets carried to every cell in your body.
And just as important as what you’re eating is how you’re eating it—the Atlantic Diet encourages communal dining, so you have a chance to enjoy your food while you’re socializing with people you care about.
Is the Atlantic Diet better than the Mediterranean diet?
Both diets encourage people to eat whole, unprocessed foods, which is a great base for any diet. Doctors point to the much more substantial body of research to support the Mediterranean diet’s benefits, compared with the way the Atlantic diet has only been studied relatively recently. However, because the Atlantic diet allows for more red meat and dairy, the flexibility may make it easier for some people to stick to it.
The short answer: Don’t feel confined to any one diet. As long as you’re opting for minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods, it doesn’t matter which region they come from.
