The Mediterranean Diet wins yet again! But are you following it? Find out here…

The Mediterranean Diet has once again triumphed in the prestigious US News Best Diets for 2023, winning the accolade of Best Overall Diet for the sixth successive year. It is the top ranked diet for internet searches and the most recommended nutritional pattern in the world.

But recent studies show that the greatest barriers to people taking up the diet are a lack of knowledge, awareness and understanding of what is actually a simple, delicious and highly-effective eating plan.

Leading international teacher, authority on nutrition and author of The Real Mediterranean Diet (Cambridge Academic, 2021), Dr Simon Poole of Cambridge, UK, has created an easy-to-use 20 question quiz to test how well you’re following the Mediterranean diet guidelines, and help you to lose weight and achieve the healthiest diet in the world.

Taking the test is your first step to a lifestyle change that can positively impact on your weight, sleep, energy, blood pressure and other key indicators of good health.

Take the quiz and calculate your score, and then evaluate that against the results below. This will give you a rough idea how Mediterranean your current diet is (the quiz also includes one question on exercise to reflect an active lifestyle), and provide a challenge to increase your score.

Score yourself 1 point or 0 points depending on your answer, and add these up for your final total.

Question 1
How many servings of vegetables do you eat each day? (1 serving = a cupful, approx. 100g. Includes medium salads which may weigh less than 100g)
5 or More = 1 point
4 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 2
How many different colours of vegetables do you eat in each main meal?
3 or More = 1 point
2 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 3
How many pieces/ servings of fruit do you eat each day? (1 serving = approx. 100g)
3 or More = 1 point
2 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 4
How many times a week do you eat different legumes or pulses such as lentils, chickpeas, peas and beans?
3 or More = 1 point
2 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 5
How many times a week do you eat wholegrains – wholegrain pasta, rice, bread etc?
3 or More = 1 point
2 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 6
Do you use extra virgin olive oil for all types of cooking and as your only oil?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 points

Question 7
How much extra virgin olive oil do you consume each day?
3 or More Tablespoons = 1 point
2 or Fewer Tablespoons = 0 points

Question 8
Do you regularly eat seafood/fish cooked (oven or pan) with extra virgin olive oil?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 points

Question 9
How many times a week do you eat a handful (approx. 30g) of unsalted, raw nuts (excluding peanuts)?
5 or More = 1 point
4 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 10
How many times a week do you eat sweets, commercial bakery products e.g. pastries, ice cream?
2 or Fewer = 1 point
3 or More = 0 points

Question 11
Do you consume no red meat, or occasionally, always prepared with extra virgin olive oil, in maximum portion size 120g (palm size), maximum frequency once per week?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 12
Do you eat processed meat for example sausages and bacon and processed convenience foods less than once per week?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 13
Do you eat unsweetened yoghurt and unprocessed cheese as your main intake of dairy rather than butter, cream and margarine?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 14
Do you eat “scratch” main meals i.e. home prepared using fresh ingredients more than 5 times per week?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 15
How many days a week do you add a variety of herbs and spices to cooking?
5 or More = 1 point
4 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 16
How many times do you prepare a sauce similar to “sofrito” each week? (olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes)
2 or More = 1 point
1 or Fewer = 0 points

Question 17
Do you consume two or more of the following regularly each week – high cocoa chocolate, raw honey or olives?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 18
Do you drink products with added sugars or sugar substitutes for examples pops and sodas?
No = 1 point
Yes = 0 point

Question 19
Do you drink no alcohol, or if you do it is always wine, in moderation (less than 250mls per day) with a meal rich in extra virgin olive oil?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

Question 20
Do you get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity?
Yes = 1 point
No = 0 point

You are doing really well. Keep up the good work. See what small additional changes you can make to perfect your Mediterranean Diet.

You are on the right track. There is room for improvement to make real gains. Focus on a few of the areas to improve your score

There is lots of work you can do. Concentrate on your vegetables and extra virgin olive oil to get some easy wins and work from there

The good news is that there is so much you can do to improve your diet. Use the quiz questions to improve your diet in a matter of days!

ISBN: 9781903500583

Author: Dr Simon Poole MBBS DRCOG FBMA MIANE

Publisher: Cambridge Academic (Shelford, Cambridge, United Kingdom, CB22 5EG)

Publish date: 23 June 2021

RRP: $24.95

The Real Mediterranean Diet: a practical guide to understanding and achieving the healthiest diet in the world is available on amazon.com and at other leading bookstores.

Andrew Young

Technical Editor

Cambridge Academic

E: andrew.young@cambridge-media.com

T: +44 1223 55 0800

You can also visit Dr Simon Poole’s website at www.drsimonpoole.com for more information on his books, speaking appearances and more.