A photo of Mediterranean dishes / Courtesy of KOFRUM

In a world where slow aging has become the ultimate health goal, the Mediterranean diet is emerging as a game-changer. With its simple yet nourishing dishes — such as boiled beans drizzled with olive oil and topped with anchovies — this timeless way of eating offers a powerful antidote to the modern challenges of fast-paced lifestyles and diets overloaded with processed meats and saturated fats.

Experts suggest that achieving healthier living could be as simple as embracing the flavors of the Mediterranean.

As part of the ninth annual Week of Italian Cuisine, organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Seoul, Kim Hyung-mi, visiting professor of Food and Nutrition at Yonsei University and head researcher at meal delivery brand Medisola, explained the principles of slow aging and introduced personalized Mediterranean diet plans.

"These days, people talk about slow aging. Aging is natural. We can't stop aging. But you can control the speed of aging," she said during a seminar at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Monday.

"When you ask what the world's best diet is, it's the Mediterranean diet. Without a doubt, it's ranked at the top every year. You can consider it as the most scientifically balanced diet."

Professor Kim Hyung-mi, the head researcher at Medisola, speaks during a seminar for the institute's ninth annual Week of Italian Cuisine, held at High Street Italia in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of IIC Seoul

Science behind Mediterranean diet

Kim explained how dietary choices influence the rate at which we age.

"First and foremost, while many people consider food very important, the food ultimately provides nutrition to my body. And that nutrition itself creates health. So you can think of these three things as an essential trinity," she said.

"Remember that it's not about eating a lot, but rather to eat just the appropriate amount your body needs … The human body needs 40 different nutrients. And both deficiencies and excesses cause health problems, and these days, globally, we're in a situation where deficiencies and excesses coexist."

She emphasized that by the age a person stops growing in height, aging starts. And especially for women, the process accelerates around the age of 40 due to a decrease in estrogen, a slowdown in metabolism and muscle deterioration.

"Age and weight correlate as metabolism slows down. Growth hormone and sex hormones decrease. When fat tissue increases, this ultimately leads to inflammation. This then leads to things like insulin resistance," she said, suggesting that people should cut down about 300 calories of daily intake after reaching 40.

"Major women's health problems that occur after middle age are obesity and metabolic syndrome. Cancer prevention is important because many cancers stem from obesity. This is especially impactful for women, particularly with breast cancer."

Kim discovered the Mediterranean diet when the founder of Medisola, a former patient of hers, cured her allergic reaction after spending time in Mediterranean countries. This experience sparked her interest in the diet, leading her to research how to incorporate it into Korean eating habits.

"There's a lot of talk about Mediterranean food, but no one explained the nutritional significance behind it. So, I started studying it and found that they [people living in that region] eat fewer carbohydrates but stabilize blood sugar by consuming unrefined grains," she said..

She learned protein is especially important in this diet, which is eaten in appropriate amounts at every meal mainly through fish and seafood rather than red meat, which can increase risk of cancer. The fish- and seafood-centered diet results in a high omega-3 fatty acid intake and helps balance the ratios of omega-3 and omega-6, essential to preventing heart disease and other chronic diseases.

"The typical Mediterranean diet consists of about 40 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein and 40 percent fat. And this fat is very high quality. It's not like the white fat we find in meat but consumed from plant-based oils rich in omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 … (To fit the dietary pattern) in Korea, we set the ratio at 5:2:3," she said.

A photo of a Mediterranean-style dish, Pane fagioli e alici, made by chef Pietro Parisi / Courtesy of IIC Seoul

She explained that the daily calorie intake per meal should be set around 400 for women and 500 for men, emphasizing the importance of consuming salads and calcium-rich foods.

"Looking at the Mediterranean diet, it's better to understand it not just in terms of the importance of food itself, but in terms of how the nutritional components in the food enter our body and maintain our health," she noted.

Accessible diet

Italian chef Pietro Parisi, an advocate for environmental and slow food practices, emphasized that the Mediterranean diet, despite its nutritional perfection, is easily approachable in everyday life, anywhere in the world. He noted that embracing this diet is not just about eating but also a commitment to living a healthy life.

Italian chef Pietro Parisi speaks during his cooking show as part of a seminar for the ninth annual Week of Italian Cuisine. Courtesy of IIC Seoul

"The Mediterranean diet is not simply a way of eating — it's a way of life that UNESCO has designated as an intangible cultural heritage. This diet is characterized by low fat intake and high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil, with moderate consumption of dairy products," he said, during another seminar, Monday.

"And personally, when I talk about Mediterranean cuisine, I call it colorful cooking. I think the essence of the Mediterranean diet is the harmony created by colors like orange and colors of various ingredients."

During the seminar, he introduced a Mediterranean dish called pane fagioli e alici, made with ingredients easily found in supermarkets, such as beans, olive oil, and anchovies. In a bowl of boiled beans, he mixed bits of lemon peel, sliced onions, chopped oregano, smashed anchovies in olive oil, and croutons before serving the dish.

"The ingredients I've prepared today are not essential to make this dish. It's not about following a strict recipe. What's important is gathering ingredients that create harmony for Mediterranean cuisine — elements that form the system behind these dishes," he said.

"For example, if you don't have onions, it's perfectly fine to leave them out. The key is to use your creativity. While the flavors we aim for are delicate, the dishes themselves remain simple. You only need one main ingredient; in this case, our star is beans. All the other ingredients simply support and enhance the beans, acting as complementary players in the dish."

He emphasized the simplicity of the diet.

"The Mediterranean diet is incredibly simple and minimalist. However, when I say ‘simple,' it doesn't mean an ordinary or plain kind of simplicity," the chef said.

"The ingredients that define the Mediterranean diet can be found anywhere in the world. Beans, onions and nuts — these can all be found anywhere globally. Following a Mediterranean diet means cooking with these Mediterranean ingredients, and by following this diet, we can avoid many cancers and problems caused by poor eating habits."