We have heard about the Mediterranean diet for a long time. For many years, the menu of the peoples living around the Mediterranean Sea seemed to be an ideal combination of food and drink. After some time, however, it became clear that some changes would be very useful.
An even better Mediterranean diet?
However, the robust foundation of the Mediterranean dining room meant that it was not necessary to throw everything in the trash and claim that the road does not lead this way. The Mediterranean diet has undergone some modifications, but it is still valid and recommended by experts.
He comes on the scene Mediterranean diet version 3.0. This latest version focuses on something we may have overlooked a bit before. These are plants that are literally “charged” with life.
Dietary modification recommendations are based on not just one, but several different studies that have focused on the Mediterranean diet in the last few years. , or many other studies have given rise to a newer and better version of the popular snack. The very latest is the work that will be published in April 2026 in the journal .
The foods found in such a canteen are often considered exotic in our country. However, the diet also thinks about that. You can replace them with foods that are typical for the Czech Republic. Or you can also grow some Mediterranean crops here. Look.
From oil to the power of green plants
While version 1.0 revolved around olive oil and the second revolved around nuts and limiting red meat, the third version goes one step further. Research shows that it is no longer just about the composition of the menu.
Quantity is key polyphenolswhich the body regularly receives. These are substances with which plants protect themselves from the sun and pests, and in the human body they function as very effective cell protection.
Diet 3.0, often referred to as green mediterranean diettherefore significantly strengthens the role of green plants. The game includes leafy salads, herbs, but also less common sources, such as some types of algae or green tea. The goal is not to eat exotic species, but to systematically increase the supply of substances that have a strong antioxidant effect.
If you would choose vegetables and herbs from our beds, then you can rely on lettuce, bugle, arugula, spinachbut also cruciferous vegetables and herbs are mainly about St. John’s wort, marjoram, lemon balm, mint, motherwort and other species that grow quite commonly in our country.
The work with proteins is also a fundamental change. Meat is pushed to the absolute minimum and replaced by vegetable sources, which, in addition to proteins, also supply polyphenols.
According to studies, people who follow this “improved” variant of the Mediterranean diet also have a slower pace. It’s as if the body gets better quality fuel, which not only propels, but also protects.
Three pillars of longevity
So what makes the latest version of the Mediterranean diet so special? There are three things that we can fit into our diet tomorrow:
- Green tea as a ritual: Not just occasionally, but several cups a day regularly. It contains substances that help the body burn internal fat, the worst that settles around our organs.
- Nuts instead of sweets: A handful of walnuts a day is like balm for the brain. Version 3.0 highlights them as key to maintaining a sharp mind well into old age.
- Omission of industrial attractions: This is perhaps the most difficult, but the “troika” is uncompromising with sausages and semi-finished products. The closer the food is to the field or the tree, the better for us.
You might think that in January, the Mediterranean diet is hard to stick to in our latitudes. But that’s the magic of version 3.0. It is a matter of principle and not of specific foods, which may be more difficult to access in landlocked countries such as the Czech Republic.
Instead of the exotic, reach for our “superfoods”. Walnuts, beet-root or sauerkraut they are exactly the sources of polyphenols that the study talks about.
Add something deep green or deep red to your plate every day. It’s the easiest future investment you can make for yourself. Eat a varied diet, don’t skip carbohydrates or proteins, but devote a smaller portion of your plate to them than to vegetables.
