The Mediterranean keto diet combines ketogenic and Mediterranean diets to produce health advantages such as weight loss, improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and improved brain function.

Clean eating is emphasized in the Keto Mediterranean diet. It contains fish, olive oil, low-carb vegetables, and red wine in moderation. You should avoid entire grains, most fruits, honey (and other conventional sweeteners), and starchy vegetables because it is very low in carbs.

This essay examines the keto and Mediterranean diets individually and how you may mix them to get the best of both worlds.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean diet (or “med diet”) is a predominantly plant-based diet that includes a broad range of green vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, and olive oil (a mainstay of this diet). Fish and poultry are good sources of dietary protein. It necessitates moderation of dairy and red meat (1, 2).

Ancel Keys, an American scientist, coined this diet in the 1960s after seeing that individuals living in the Mediterranean area — Italy, France, Spain, and Greece — had reduced heart disease and death rates due to what they ate (3).

The Mediterranean diet is far superior to the Standard American Diet (SAD). This is because it prohibits using processed foods and refined sugar, which leads to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and some malignancies (4).

What is Keto Diet?

The Ketogenic diet, sometimes known as the “keto diet,” is a low-carb, high-fat eating plan that is best recognized for fat reduction. Nutritional ketosis is induced by restricting carbs, which are plentiful in cereals, most fruits, starchy vegetables, baked products, and highly processed meals.

This is how it works:

When you limit your carbohydrate intake to 50 grams or less, your glycogen reserves are depleted, and you enter the fat-burning state of ketosis. During this metabolic state, your liver produces ketones, which are used as fuel (rather than glucose). There is an abundance of studies on the keto diet. It has been found in studies to aid with weight loss but also diabetes reversal, inflammation reduction, seizure reduction, cognitive health, and more (5, 6, 7, 8).

Meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, full-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, salad greens, cruciferous veggies, avocados, and berries are all healthy low-carb and high-fat keto diet mainstays.

All grains, high-sugar fruits (such as apples, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits), and starchy vegetables (such as potatoes, maize, carrots, turnips, and beets) should be avoided to achieve and maintain ketosis.

This comprehensive keto diet food guide contains more options and what to avoid.

Combining the Mediterranean and the Keto Diet

When you combine the keto and Mediterranean diets, you only consume Mediterranean diet-friendly, low-carb items. For example, whereas whole grains, sweet fruits, and starches (potatoes, maize, and beets) are generally permitted on a standard Mediterranean diet, they are prohibited on a keto Mediterranean diet.

Remember that items that are neither keto-friendly nor Mediterranean-friendly, such as overly processed meals, should be avoided. Examples include sugary sweets and products using vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut, and safflower oil).

Benefits of the Mediterranean Keto Diet

Aside from providing various food options, the keto Mediterranean diet has been shown to promote better health in multiple ways. Their benefits are supported by research on both the diet and specific topics such as carb reduction, avoiding processed foods, and eating healthy fats.

1. Promotes weight loss

The Mediterranean keto diet can safely lead to considerable weight loss.

In a 2008 trial, researchers put overweight people on a “Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet” (SKMD), which included virgin olive oil, green vegetables, and various types of fish as their primary protein source (9).

Although they were not asked to limit their calories, they did restrict their daily carbs to no more than 30 grams. Trans fats, such as margarine and processed meats with added sugar, were avoided by the participants (10).

The outcomes were unexpected. They went from 108.62 kg to 94.48 kg in 12 weeks (11). As a result, the researchers concluded that their “Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet” intervention might be an effective obesity treatment (12).

They suspected the significant weight reduction was caused by increased protein consumption (since keto allows for more protein than the Standard American Diet) and good fats such as MUFAs and PUFAs (13).

2. Manages blood sugar levels

The keto diet can help those with diabetes and those seeking to regulate their blood glucose levels (14). The same can be said for a Mediterranean version of keto, which keeps the low-carb part of the diet essential for blood sugar management.

The 2008 study on a “Spanish Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet” also discovered that the subjects’ fasting blood glucose levels improved in addition to considerable weight reduction. Glucose levels were reduced from 109.81 mg/dl to 93.33 mg/dl (15).

Olive oil, an essential fat source in the Mediterranean keto diet, is abundant in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which help manage blood sugar and reduce inflammation (16, 17).

Weight loss is another way that Mediterranean keto lowers blood sugar levels. In other words, decreasing weight can help you control or minimize your chance of developing diabetes (18).

3. Emphasizes eating clean

It’s worth mentioning that the keto Mediterranean diet places a premium on clean eating. It would help if you acquired all of your calories from high-quality whole foods like fish, shellfish, low-carb veggies, and olive oil.

Choosing natural foods over highly processed meals allows you to avoid sugar and additives (including carrageenan and carboxymethylcellulose), which promote inflammation, weight gain, obesity, hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes, cancer, and an increased risk of all-cause death (19).

Eating cleaner might be difficult, but you can start by taking small steps, such as reading food labels, avoiding those with added sugars, and substituting refined carbohydrates (such as bread and spaghetti) with salad greens.

4. Improves cholesterol levels

A keto Mediterranean food plan makes it easy to improve your cholesterol statistics.

One explanation is the presence of monounsaturated fats in olive oil, almonds, and avocados, which may increase HDL or good cholesterol (20). This diet’s reduced carbohydrate content also lowers triglyceride levels (21). High HDL and low triglyceride levels reduce your risk of heart disease.

It should be noted that some persons who follow a conventional keto diet may have an increase in their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as is the case with lean mass hyper-responders. Lean mass hyper-responders are slim and athletic people who go on carb-restricted diets and show an increase in LDL, an increase in HDL, and a drop in triglycerides. Carbohydrate-restricted diets, in particular, increase the size of LDL particles, which are not a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (22, 23).

5. Helps with cognition and brain health

According to research, both the keto and Mediterranean diets increase brain function. They give various cognitive advantages when combined due to the antioxidant action of ketones, micronutrients in unprocessed meals, and healthy fats.

A Mediterranean diet was connected to improved global cognition and language abilities in 18 longitudinal studies (24). Regarding the keto diet, multiple human studies have demonstrated that it can be an effective non-pharmacologic intervention for various stages of dementia and helpful in treating epilepsy (25).

While its mechanism is unknown, keto may help stabilize mood in people with anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorders (26, 27).

Mediterranean Keto Diet Food List

Here is a Mediterranean keto food list that includes everything you need to stay in ketosis:

• Proteins: in moderation, all types of fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, and red meat
• Fats in moderation: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, and dairy.
• Salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and zucchini are non-starchy veggies.
• Avocados, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, and cantaloupe are all low-carb fruits.
• Black pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic, and other herbs & spices
• Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios are examples of nuts and seeds.
• Sweeteners include stevia, monk fruit, and other keto-friendly options.

Sample Mediterranean Keto Meal Plan

Check out our meal plan below to start reaping the advantages of a keto Mediterranean diet. Feel free to modify any of these meals to suit your tastes:

Day 1

• Scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and black coffee for breakfast
• Lunch: lettuce wraps with fresh fish
• Chicken, cheese, and broccoli casserole for dinner

Day 2

• Avocados packed with tuna for breakfast
• Grilled chicken salad with cucumbers and tomatoes for lunch
• Baked tilapia with asparagus as a side dish for dinner

Day 3

• Salmon patties prepared with salmon, almond flour, mayo, and herbs for breakfast
• Lunch: stuffed bell peppers with ground beef
• Lamb chops with butter, garlic, and rosemary for dinner

Day 4

• Pork meatballs with blueberries on the side for breakfast
• Lunch consists of garlic butter, shrimp, and zucchini noodles.
• Dinner: fried calamari (almond flour-coated squid)

Day 5

• Almond flour pancakes for breakfast
• Salad of Brussels sprouts with walnuts and parmesan cheese for lunch
• Crab salad with crab meat, salad greens, feta cheese, and tomatoes for dinner

More Keto Recipes

Discover some of Eat Healthy is Good’s keto Mediterranean recipes below:

The Complete Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

The Bottom Line

If you’re currently on a keto diet and want to try the Mediterranean eating style, go ahead and combine the two. Weight loss, blood sugar management, improved cognitive function, and other benefits have been demonstrated in research.

Generally, fish and seafood should be your primary protein sources. Consume red meat (beef, hog, lamb, venison) and dairy products in moderation. Get your carbs from non-starchy vegetables, but don’t exceed your daily net carb restriction of 50 grams.

Need assistance calculating your carbohydrate, fat, and protein macros on a keto Mediterranean diet? Could you make use of our keto calculator? To stay in ketosis, follow the five-day example food plan and try our dishes above.

Join 260589 subscribers to build a healthy lifestyle, manage your weight, and get a better diet together

 

 

You'll get free eBooks, and we will show you how to create lasting, healthy eating habits weekly.

SUBSCRIBE!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Your privacy is important to us