What is the Mediterranean diet – and which celebrities love it? - Style

The Mediterranean diet was once again named the healthiest in the world for the seventh year in a row, according to annual rankings from US News & World Report.

It’s not exactly a diet – it’s an eating principle featuring foods typical in Greece, Italy and Spain. There are no strict rules on exactly what, when and how much to eat – instead, it focuses on the general cuisine.

A grilled salmon fillet and fresh vegetable salad. Photo: Shutterstock

A typical Mediterranean diet is:

• High in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes

• A moderate amount of lean protein from fish and, to a lesser extent, poultry and eggs

• A moderate amount of wine

• Low in saturated fats from red meat and dairy products

• Low in processed carbs and sugars

Research suggests the Mediterranean diet is linked to a longer, healthier life. Also, it means eating the foods in the Mediterranean diet can benefit your heart and brain, lower the risk of diabetes, and aid in weight loss, depending on your meal plan.

Food products representing the Mediterranean diet, which may improve overall health status. Photo: Shutterstock

Here are five celebrities who have spoken about following the diet, including John Goodman, Selena Gomez and Cameron Diaz.

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1. John Goodman

Actor John Goodman of the TV show Normal, Ohio accepts his People’s Choice Award for favourite male performer in a new television series” during the 27th Annual People’s Choice Awards in 2001, in Pasadena, California. Photo: AFP

John Goodman lost 90kg (200 pounds) while following the Mediterranean diet.

The Roseanne star worked with fitness guru Mackie Shilstone to help lose weight after he hit 180kg over a decade ago.

Shilstone told the New York Post that she’d gotten Goodman on a “Mediterranean-style eating plan” in 2015, when he’d lost 45kg.

“In the old days, I would take three months out, lose 60 or 70 pounds, and then reward myself with a six-pack or whatever and just go back to my old habits,” Goodman told ABC in 2017. “This time, I wanted to do it slowly. Move, exercise. I’m getting to the age where I can’t afford to sit still any more.”

He’s now cut drinking, and tries to take between 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day.

2. Selena Gomez

US actor Selena Gomez arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, US, in January 7. Photo: EPA-EFE

In 2021, Selena Gomez’s trainer, Amy Rosoff Davis, shared with Byrdie what she recommended Gomez ate while on tour.

“Last year on Selena’s Revival tour, I made sure the dressing room always had veggies and protein and brown rice or whole grains,” Davis said.

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“I made a lot of rice bowls with veggies, protein and avocado for Selena. It helped give her energy and stamina, which she needed to get through her shows. I also made healthy chicken salad with grapes and celery – it quenched her thirst and the protein filled her up.”

Back in 2010, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer told Ellen DeGeneres that she drinks olive oil to coat her throat before performing. Olive oil is another staple of the Mediterranean diet.

3. Penélope Cruz

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz arrives in September 2022 for the screening of the film En Los Margenes (On the Fringe) presented as part of the 79th Venice International Film Festival at Lido di Venezia in Venice, Italy. Photo: AFP

Penélope Cruz follows the Mediterranean diet because it’s close to the cuisine she enjoys in her home country, Spain.

“My family and friends are all there so that’s my place. I love Spanish food. My diet is the Mediterranean diet, which is good food. I eat well but I try to eat healthily,” Cruz said in an interview in 2011.

She elaborated in an interview with Hello! magazine, saying, “I try to avoid dairy and sugar, and I can’t eat gluten because I have a big intolerance. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and quality protein from free-range animals. I also drink gallons of water now, which is something I wasn’t doing [before]. I barely drink alcohol, and I quit smoking years ago. I don’t miss that in my life.”

4. Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz is a fan of the Mediterranean diet too. Photo: Tag Heuer

Cameron Diaz wrote about her diet in her books The Body Book and The Longevity Book.

In The Longevity Book, she wrote, “Good nutrition can extend life. What we eat affects how long we live and how we feel every day we are alive.”

The website reported that Diaz uses “protein + carbs + good fats + leafy greens” as a formula for her meals and that she enjoys “a Mediterranean-style diet” that emphasises “produce, whole grains, good fats and healthy proteins”.

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5. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones has spoken about her love of salads, eating them for almost every meal. Photo: Chopard

Catherine Zeta-Jones loves a Mediterranean-style salad.

Zeta-Jones shared her daily diet with Harper’s Bazaar in 2021.

“I have a salad every meal other than breakfast because I just adore it,” she said.

Her favourite consists of a mix of spinach, arugula, pine nuts, tomatoes, blue cheese, dried cranberries and a dressing made of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard.

In classic Mediterranean diet fashion, she also adds a light protein like chicken or “something light that doesn’t weigh me down too much”.

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What is the Mediterranean diet – and which celebrities love it? - Style
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