The Magic of Olive Oil, Fish, and Other Healthy Fats

Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet. (Shutterstock)
Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet. (Shutterstock)
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The Magic of Olive Oil, Fish, and Other Healthy Fats

Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet. (Shutterstock)
Olive oil is the basis of the Mediterranean diet. (Shutterstock)

By Alice Callahan

The Mediterranean diet isn’t like other diets. To begin with, it’s more of a style of eating than a strict regimen. And adopting it doesn’t involve many of the sacrifices people associate with healthy eating.

Compared with other wholesome diets, for example, the Mediterranean diet is relatively high in fat. Federal health officials recommend that 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories come from fat — while that number can be around 30 to 40 percent in the Mediterranean diet.

Yet in clinical trials, people who followed the Mediterranean diet had lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those who followed a low-fat diet.

That’s probably because the Mediterranean diet emphasizes heart-healthy fats from sources like olive oil, fish, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. And it includes less saturated fat than the typical American diet, because it discourages butter and red and processed meats and includes only moderate amounts of cheese, yogurt, poultry and eggs.

Researchers believe that olive oil, the preferred fat source in the Mediterranean diet, may be one of the main contributors to its health benefits. It’s rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent damage to your cells and blood vessels.

In a 2022 study of more than 90,000 U.S. adults spanning 28 years, for instance, those who consumed at least half a tablespoon of olive oil each day were significantly less likely to die of cancer or cardiovascular, neurodegenerative or respiratory diseases than those who rarely or never consumed it.

Fish also features prominently in the Mediterranean diet, especially fatty varieties like salmon, tuna, anchovies and sardines. These are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve blood cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation and blood pressure. Most Mediterranean diet guidelines recommend at least two servings of fish per week.

But let’s not give olive oil and fish all of the credit. Whole grains, nuts, seeds and olives also contribute to the diet’s healthy fats. And though they’re not native to the Mediterranean region, avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats and are often included in modern versions of the diet.

How to cook with healthy fats

For each day of our Mediterranean diet series, we and our colleagues at NYT Cooking have picked a few recipes that embrace the ingredients we’re highlighting. This is not intended to be a meal plan for a day, but rather inspiration for how to include more of these healthful foods in your week.

For breakfast, you might smash some avocado onto whole-grain toast and top it with a drizzle of olive oil. In this recipe from Julia Moskin and Giles Russell, optional garnishes like fresh herbs, pickled red onions and pumpkin or sesame seeds take avocado toast to the next level.

Craig Claiborne’s classic tuna salad sandwich is a quick, budget-friendly lunch option — but if you’re looking for something more “intense and pronounced,” try Ali Slagle’s sardine salad on a whole-wheat bagel, over greens or between two slices of whole-grain toast. Anchovies are also a flavorful addition to salad dressing, as in David Tanis’s vibrant radicchio-anchovy salad.

For dinner, try Alison Roman’s slow-roasted citrus salmon with herb salad (ready in 35 minutes) or Mark Bittman’s grilled tuna with herbs and olives (ready in 20). And let’s not forget about tinned and jarred fish.

The New York Times



Florence Bans Check-in Keyboxes as Italy Acts against Overtourism

People pose for selfies in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
People pose for selfies in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Florence Bans Check-in Keyboxes as Italy Acts against Overtourism

People pose for selfies in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
People pose for selfies in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Florence's local government has ordered owners of holiday rental properties to remove self check-in keyboxes by February 25 in a move against over-tourism in the Italian Renaissance city.

Rental companies such as Airbnb increasingly use self check-in keyboxes to save time for property owners and holidaymakers, who no longer need to meet to hand over keys and complete check-in procedures.

However, critics say the boxes are ugly and argue that check-ins without a physical encounter between guest and renter pose a security risk.

"Next week we will go ... to check where the ban on keyboxes is not respected, and then we will remove them," Florence Mayor Sara Funaro told a local television channel on Wednesday.

Fines of up to 400 euros ($417.20) will be imposed on non-compliant owners, according to the city council's decision.

Other famed Italian tourist destinations such as Rome and Venice have also taken steps to rein in tourist numbers as locals protest against the lack of affordable accommodation and hoteliers say holiday lets are hitting their business.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has already issued a nationwide rule prohibiting check-ins without visual guest identification.

Massimo Torelli, spokesperson for the "Let's save Florence to live in it" campaign, said the group had been daubing the check-in boxes with a red cross.

They are "everywhere, on the bicycle racks and on the street-light poles ... Florence is dying of uncontrolled tourism," he said.

Torelli said he was pleased that city hall was finally taking action and he hoped the number of apartments dedicated to short-stay visitors would drop from 15,000 at present to 7,000-8,000, freeing up accommodation for local residents.