We've heard it time and time again - the Mediterranean diet is great for our health. But despite the significant health benefits of this eating plan, a common deterrent is often the expected costs, especially when budgets are tight.
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But research from the University of South Australia shows that the Mediterranean diet is not only good for your health but also your weekly budget, saving a family of four $28 per week (or $1456 per year) compared to the typical Western diet.
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends that a balanced, healthy diet comprises five food groups: fruit, vegetables and legumes, breads and cereals, dairy foods, and meat (and alternatives).
Only eight per cent of Australians eat the recommended 375g of vegetables per day, with the average Australian consuming up to 35 per cent of their daily energy from foods high in salt, added sugars and unhealthy fat.
What's in a meal?
The Mediterranean Diet meal plan used in the study was developed to include the principles of the region's diet, including large amounts of extra virgin olive oil, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, moderate amounts of fish, poultry, dairy foods, and low amounts of red meat and processed food.
The Western Diet comparator meal plan was based on Australian dietary intake data from the most contemporary Australian Health Survey (AHS) in 2011-2012, which found less than four per cent of Australians met the recommendations for the number of servings of vegetables per day, and only one third met the fruit recommendations.
The UniSA study compared the nutrition profile and weekly costs of three food baskets based on the typical Australian western diet, the Mediterranean diet, and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE).
It found that the Mediterranean diet and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating met recommendations for food groups, macronutrient distribution and key micronutrients associated with good health, but the typical Australian diet significantly lacked fibre, zinc, potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and vitamin B6, and had double the recommended salt intake.
The Mediterranean diet cost $78 per week for a single person household, $135 for a household of two, $211 for a family of three, and $285 for a family of four.
The food basket costs used prices from Coles online, and were developed to meet recommended serving sizes of food groups, and to provide adequate macronutrient and micronutrient intake over a week. Four reference families ensured an array of different nutritional needs.
The study modelled data on four representative Australian households: household of four (two adults, two children, with a weekly income of $3670); household of three (one adult, two children, with a weekly income of $1835); household of two (elderly pensioners with a weekly income of $774); and a household of one (adult with a weekly income of $1835).
UniSA researcher and PhD candidate Ella Bracci said the research shows that a Mediterranean diet can be a viable and healthy option for cost-conscious families.
"Diet is one of the leading modifiable risks factors for chronic disease. Yet a significant number of Australians are still not consuming a balanced healthy diet," she said.
"Australians tend to eat a fair amount of food that's high in fat, salt, and sugar, which reflects the Western diet. Unfortunately, this is also contributing to increased rates of type two diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and osteoporosis.
Ella said global agencies are endorsing plant-based diets such as the Mediterranean diet as their preferred guide to healthy eating, but getting people to adopt them has been hard and a part of it is perceived cost.
She said the Mediterranean diet encourages eating fruits and veggies, whole grains, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, seeds and seafood, and there is a view that these foods are more expensive.
"This research shows how a Mediterranean diet can be a cost-effective option, letting people prioritise both their health and their hip pocket."
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UniSA Associate Professor Karen Murphy said eating a balanced healthy diet doesn't have to break the bank, but eating unhealthy food can damage your body.
"As with anything, shopping around, looking out for specials and mark-downs, purchasing in season, or stocking up on frozen, dried, and canned produce, can help reduce the costs of your weekly grocery shop. As can choosing home-brand or non-premium products.
"A $28 dollar saving may not seem like much a week, but over a year this is nearly $1500, which can make all the difference to your budget when times are tough."
The study, which also includes the recommended dietary intake of each type of food to meet your nutritional needs, can be found here.
Example meals for a Mediterranean diet
70-year-old Females
Breakfasts
- Omelet: 2x eggs with 70g tomato and mushroom, 10g fetta cheese, 100ml milk fried in EVOO with 2x slices of bread
- . Peanut butter on 2x slices of multigrain bread
- . 180g Greek yoghurt with honey, 1 banana
- . 3 weetabix with 1.25c milk, honey and 1 banana
Lunches
- 150g sardines on cruskits with 15g mayonnaise
- White bean soup served with 1 slice of bread drizzled with 1tb EVOO
- Grain flat bread with 0.25c passata sofrito sauce, 20g lean leg ham, 1.5c vegetables (0.5c mushrooms, 30g onion, 0.37c capsicum), 30g mozzarella cheese
Dinners
- Zucchini patties serves with 1.5c salad vegetables and 1tb EVOO
- 65g white fish served with roast veg (40g pumpkin and 120g broccoli)
- 1c whole meal pasta with 50g chicken breast fried in 2tb EVOO, 0.25c passata sofrito sauce with 0.75c steamed broccoli
Snacks
- 150g Greek yoghurt with honey
- Tea with 2x biscuits (i.e., yoyo)
- 30g mixed nuts
- 25g Swiss cheese or ricotta with multigrain crackers
- 40g hummus with cucumber and carrot sticks (~100g)
70-year-old males
Breakfasts
- Omelet: two eggs with 70g tomato and mushroom, 10g fetta cheese, 100ml milk fried in extra virgin olive oil with two slices of bread
- 4x Weetabix with 1.25 cups of milk, honey and one banana
Lunches
- 150g sardines on Cruskits with 15g mayonnaise
- Grain flat bread with a quarter of a cup of passata sofrito sauce, a quarter of a cup of butter beans, 1.5 cups vegetables (half a cup of mushrooms, mushrooms, 30g onion, and a third of a cup of capsicum), and 30g mozzarella cheese
Dinners
- Zucchini patties serves with 1.5 cups of salad vegetables and one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and half a cup of quinoa
- 80g trout or salmon with roast vegetables (40g pumpkin, 100g broccoli) roasted in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup wholemeal pasta with 50g chicken breast fried in two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and a quarter of a cup of passata sofrito
Snacks
- 120g Greek yoghurt, 10g pumpkin seeds, honey
- 30g Swiss cheese or ricotta with multigrain crackers
- three quarters of a cup of mashed butter beans with cucumber and carrot sticks (~60g)
