What Is The Atlantic Diet & What Are Its Benefits? I Asked An RD

It's no secret that following the Mediterranean Diet comes with many longevity benefits. US News & World Report has named it the healthiest diet for seven years straight—but a new eating plan might be coming for its throne.

Meet The Atlantic Diet: A spin on the Mediterranean diet that places a greater emphasis on protein-rich foods.

Compared to the Mediterranean diet, it incorporates more animal-based products like meat, seafood, and dairy, possibly making it easier to get a high fix of daily protein. 

“I find the Atlantic diet to be realistic and approachable for most individuals as it includes a wide variety of foods,” says Amy Shapiro, R.D., adding that, “Yes, you can eat bread.” This is a step in the right direction, leaving the ghost of zero-carb diet trends in the past. 

Plus, it’s backed by research. In a recent randomized clinical trial 2involving 231 families living in northwest Spain, researchers discovered significant benefits of the Atlantic dietary intervention. Notably, the families who followed the diet for six months had a reduced risk of developing metabolic syndrome, decreased likelihood of obesity and abdominal fat, and improved HDL cholesterol levels compared to those who did not. 

Moreover, participants who initially had metabolic syndrome showed a decreased occurrence of additional symptoms after following the Atlantic diet, indicating that this way of eating could be beneficial in slowing down the progression of metabolic disease.

Shapiro points out that the primary vegetables featured in the Atlantic diet, such as kale, cauliflower, and broccoli, are also rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants3 and fiber4. 

The study also estimated the carbon emissions of this diet and found no significant difference compared to the control diet. Researchers attribute this to the limited sample size and suggest that a larger group would be necessary to accurately measure any potential changes in carbon footprint.

While the Atlantic diet does have unique traits, it follows pretty back-to-basic nutrition principles. If you want to support health and longevity, science points to eating a diet rich in whole foods, limiting highly processed items when possible, getting enough protein, and consuming alcohol and sugar mindfully. 

Apart from the food you eat, lifestyle shifts like getting better sleep, exercising more, and reducing stress levels all contribute to a long, healthy life as well, and are not to be overlooked.

The Atlantic diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet in that it focuses more on whole and natural foods, and limits highly processed items.