What is the green Mediterranean diet high polyphenols?

November 22, 2025 •

2 min read

A 2022 study showed that the green Mediterranean diet significantly reduced visceral fat by 14%, twice as much as the traditional Mediterranean diet. This enhanced version, known as the green Mediterranean diet high polyphenols, builds on the classic eating pattern with specific plant-based, antioxidant-rich foods.

Quick Summary

An intensive plant-based eating plan, the green Mediterranean diet is high in polyphenols from specific additions like walnuts, green tea, and duckweed. It offers enhanced benefits for heart health, weight management, and brain function.

Key Points

Enhanced Plant-Based Diet: The green Mediterranean diet is an intensified version of the standard plan, emphasizing specific high-polyphenol plant foods and eliminating red meat.
Targeted Polyphenol Boost: Daily intake of Mankai duckweed, green tea, and walnuts is central to this diet, significantly increasing its polyphenol content and amplifying health effects.
Superior Visceral Fat Reduction: Clinical trials have shown this diet is twice as effective at reducing dangerous visceral fat as the traditional Mediterranean diet, a key benefit for metabolic health.
Supports Brain Health: The high polyphenol concentration protects against age-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline, offering neuroprotective advantages.
Amplified Cardiometabolic Benefits: The diet leads to greater improvements in LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation markers compared to the traditional Mediterranean approach.
Environmental and Ethical: By eliminating red meat, the diet is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly choice.

Understanding the Green Mediterranean Diet

The green Mediterranean diet is an advanced version of the traditional Mediterranean diet, significantly increasing intake of plant-based, polyphenol-rich foods and discouraging or eliminating red and processed meats. The 'green' in its name highlights its focus on leafy vegetables and specific high-polyphenol ingredients that offer health advantages. These unique components have been a focus of recent clinical trials.

The Power of Polyphenols

Polyphenols are plant-based compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, linked to protection against chronic diseases. The green Mediterranean diet maximizes polyphenol intake through daily consumption of Mankai (duckweed), green tea, and walnuts. These elements contribute to health benefits exceeding the traditional diet.

Key Ingredients and Dietary Focus

While retaining traditional staples like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil, the green version requires daily inclusion of specific items to boost polyphenol levels. Mandatory daily components include Mankai (duckweed), green tea, and walnuts. The diet permits limited poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy, while red and processed meats, highly processed foods, refined carbs, and sugary drinks should be avoided.

Comparison: Green Med vs. Traditional Med


Feature	Traditional Mediterranean Diet	Green Mediterranean Diet	Notes
Polyphenol Content	High	Significantly Higher	Enhanced by Mankai, green tea, and walnuts.
Protein Source	Plant-based (legumes, nuts), moderate fish/poultry, limited red meat.	Predominantly plant-based, daily Mankai shake; limited fish/poultry.	Greater emphasis on plant-based protein sources, especially Mankai.
Red Meat	Limited and infrequent.	Eliminated.	A key differentiator and environmental consideration.
Visceral Fat Reduction	Moderate (approx. 7% in trials).	Substantially higher (approx. 14% in trials).	Targeted visceral fat loss is a significant benefit.
Cardiometabolic Markers	Improved blood pressure, cholesterol.	Greater improvement in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.	The higher polyphenol load amplifies benefits.
Environmental Impact	Lower carbon footprint than Western diets.	Even lower carbon footprint due to minimal animal products.	A more sustainable dietary pattern.

Key Health Benefits

Studies show that the green Mediterranean diet high in polyphenols offers superior health results compared to the traditional version. It provides superior visceral fat reduction, enhanced cardiometabolic health, and may support cognitive and brain health. The diet also potentially improves the gut microbiome and supports longevity.

How to Adopt the Green Mediterranean Diet

Adopting this diet involves prioritizing plants and daily incorporating high-polyphenol foods. This means including items like a Mankai shake, green tea, and walnuts in your daily routine. Plant-based protein alternatives like lentils and chickpeas can be used if Mankai is unavailable. Making conscious, plant-focused, polyphenol-rich food choices is key. For more detailed information on research, refer to {Link: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33234670/}.

Conclusion

The green Mediterranean diet high polyphenols is an evidence-based improvement upon the traditional Mediterranean diet. By daily incorporating polyphenol-rich Mankai, walnuts, and green tea and eliminating red meats, it provides enhanced health benefits. Research highlights its effectiveness in reducing visceral fat, improving cardiometabolic markers, and protecting against brain aging. This approach is a scientifically supported way to maximize the benefits of a plant-forward diet for better health and well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main difference is the intentional addition of specific high-polyphenol foods like Mankai, walnuts, and green tea, coupled with the complete elimination of red and processed meats.

The diet's high polyphenol content comes from its focus on walnuts, 3-4 cups of green tea daily, and a shake made from Mankai (a protein-rich duckweed).

Yes, other plant-based foods like berries, spices (cloves, cinnamon), dark chocolate, and other nuts are also rich in polyphenols. Good protein substitutes for Mankai include lentils, chickpeas, and tofu.

Studies show that while total weight loss was similar to the traditional diet, the green version resulted in a significantly greater reduction of dangerous visceral (belly) fat.

Yes, research indicates that the green Mediterranean diet provides enhanced cardiometabolic benefits, including greater reductions in LDL cholesterol and blood pressure compared to the traditional version.

The high intake of polyphenols provides powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that protect brain cells. Studies show it is more protective against age-related brain atrophy than the traditional diet.

While generally safe and beneficial, it is more restrictive than the traditional diet, which may be a challenge for some. Additionally, sourcing specialty ingredients like Mankai can be difficult and costly for some individuals.