Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Blog

In the Winter of 2009, I was looking for step-by-step instructions for instituting a “diabetic Mediterranean diet.”  Why?  I am an internal medicine physician with many type 2 diabetic patients.  People with type 2 diabetes are prone to premature heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and death.  The traditional Mediterranean diet is associated with lower rates of those illnesses, along with increased lifespan.  So a combination “diabetic” and “Mediterranean” diet seems like a great idea.

“Diet” in this context refers to the usual food and drink of a person, not a weight-loss program.  Nevertheless, most people with type 2 diabetes are carrying excess weight.

Dietitians know “diabetic diet” and “Mediterranean diet” but can’t necessarily combine the two easily.  It’s a new concept within the medical literature.  I need educational resources for my patients now, not five years from now.

Do you know of a website, book, or other generally available resource devoted to adaptation of the Mediterranean diet for use by people with type 2 diabetes?

Searching “mediterranean and diabetes” books at Amazon.com got me 170 hits, but nothing pertinent. Googling “Mediterranean diet and diabetes” yielded 201,000 hits. I found nothing pertinent in the first 50 hits.

Since I couldn’t find any readily available resources devoted to a diabetic Mediterranean diet, I decided to investigate on my own whether such a program could and should be devised.  The potential benefits to my patients and others are enormous.

Hence, the birth of this blog.

Over the coming months, I will be reviewing the scientific literature that might support a diabetic Mediterranean diet, as well as getting input from dietitians, nutritionists, primary care physicians, endocrinologists, and people with type 2 diabetes.  I’ll report my musings, theories, and conclusions here.

Let’s figure this thing out together!

Steve Parker, M.D.

Updated November 2, 2009