Which is Healthier: Being a Vegetarian or Eating a Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean diet is consistently heralded as one of the most healthful eating styles. It’s heavy on produce, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and lean protein, and light on red meat, processed foods and refined sugars. But a new study finds that vegetarian diets may be just as good at keeping your heart healthy, according to a study published in the journal Circulation. For the study, a group of Italian researchers recruited 100 overweight but healthy adults with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk profiles. Half the group started on a Mediterranean diet, while the other started on a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which eliminates meat and fish but includes eggs and dairy. After three months, they switched. During and after both phases of the study, everyone had regular health screenings. Both diets, the researchers found, were good for people’s heart health — but in