Barbecued, stir-fried or roasted, there’s no doubt that Aussies love their meat.
Consuming on average nearly 100 kilograms of meat per person per year, Australians are among the top meat consumers worldwide.
But with statistics showing that most Australians suffer from a poor diet, and red meat production adding to greenhouse-gas emissions, finding a balance between taste preferences, environmental protection, and health benefits is becoming critical.
In a new study, researchers found that Aussies can have their health and eat meat too with a new version of the Mediterranean diet adapted for Australian palates.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of South Australia.
A typical Mediterranean diet includes extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrain breads, pastas and cereals, moderate consumption of fish and red wine, and low consumption of red meat, sweet and processed foods.
The Mediterranean diet is widely accepted as the world’s healthiest diet and is renowned for delivering improved cardiovascular and cognitive health.
But in Western cultures, the red meat restrictions of the diet could make it hard for people to stick to.
Incorporating 2-3 serves (250g) of fresh lean pork each week, the new Mediterranean-Pork (Med-Pork) diet delivers cognitive benefits, while also catering to Western tastes, and ensuring much lower greenhouse-gas emissions than beef production.
In the study, the team compared the cognitive effects of people aged 45-80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease following a Med-Pork or a low-fat diet (often prescribed to negate risk factors for cardiovascular disease).
They found that the Med-Pork intervention outperformed the low-fat diet, delivering higher cognitive processing speeds and emotional functioning, both of which are markers of good mental health.
The team says by adding pork to the Mediterranean diet, they are broadening the appeal of the diet, while also delivering improved cognitive function.
This bodes well for the aging population, where age-associated diseases, such as dementia, are on the rise.
The team says the Mediterranean diet with lean pork is an effective adaption of a successful eating plan.
The lead author of the study is UniSA researcher Dr Alexandra Wade.
The study is published in Nutrients.
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