The Mediterranean diet burst into American consciousness in the mid 1970s when renowned physiologistĚýĚý˛ú±đ˛µ˛ą˛Ô as a heart-healthy way to eat. Since then, the primarily plant-based program has oscillated in popularity. Now, researchers are bringing it back because they believeĚýit could play a key role in curbing global warming—and keep you fit, with some important caveats.

“We analyzed how diets are changing in 100 countries around the world, the impacts of different food types on greenhouse gas emissions and land use, and the health impacts of different diets,” says Dr. David Tilman, author of a new study of the Mediterranean and similar pescatarian and vegetarian diets published in the journal Nature. “What we found is that alternative diets that have less empty calories and less meat are much healthier for you and have significant environmental advantages.”

Between 1961 and 2009, people began consuming more meat and empty calories—calories from solid fats and added sugars, Tilman and his colleagues found. The researchers speculated that diets in 2050 would contain fewer servings of fruits and vegetables but 60 percent more empty calories and 25 to 50 percent more animal protein than the current American diet.Ěý

That jump in animal protein consumption is the greatest cause for alarm. Raising livestock that contribute to global warming. Our current diet trajectory, researchers believe, will lead to an 80-percent increase in global greenhouse gas emissions from food production, as well as habitat destruction because of land clearing to make room for livestock. “Diets are changing and will add as much to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 as currently comes from all forms of transportation—all the cars, trucks, and planes on earth,” says Tilman. “That’s a pretty significant impact.”

The Mediterranean diet, which consists of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, and olive oil, could reduce a harmful dependency on animal protein. (Though it must be noted that some sustainability experts, like those at theĚý, believe current fishing practicesĚýĚýand pollute the environment, much like livestock farms. They recommend avoiding fish altogether, but if you do eat fish, they say to avoidĚý, likeĚý.)ĚýThere’s even evidence the diet may aid athletic performance, making it a no-brainer choice for environmentally conscious athletes.Ěý

The healthy, unsaturated fats—in the form of omega-3 fatty acids—in olive oil and fish has been shown to speed recovery by , and . There’s also that the Mediterranean diet may help increase power output, though it’s unclear what type of diet researchers compared it to.Ěý

So why haven’t athletes gotten behind this diet? They’re concerned about its supposedly low-carb reputation.

“Overall, the Mediterranean diet is a good, healthy diet,” says AnnaThalacker-Mercer, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Cornell University. “One of the issues that might come up is the level of carbohydrates.” The Mediterranean diet is is rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which can provide plenty of carbs, but most of these foods are eaten in portions that may be inadequate for endurance athletes—though recent research suggest athletes can perform well on far fewer carbs than most experts recommend.

“Athletes, especially, need a lot of complex carbohydrates,” says Elizabeth Ward, R.D. Carbs are the main source of fuel for our bodies: they convert into glycogen in our livers, which fuels working muscles. Generally, an athlete needs about . That’s 640 grams of carbs daily for a 160-pound athlete. For comparison, a single apple has about 25 grams of carbs.Ěý

There are a few simple ways to get the carbs you need while on the Mediterranean diet without eating 25 apples a day. Sweet potatoes are Med-diet approved. While many vegetables aren’t particularly high in carbs, sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse, withĚý and seven grams of fiber per diced cup. Whole wheat pasta and bread, typically served as side dishes in the Mediterranean diet, pack 37 grams of carbs per cup and , respectively.

Ward also notes that beans, yogurt, and eggs—other staples of the diet—are ideal for any performance athlete. “With dairy and beans, you’re getting both carbs and protein,” says Ward. “I like foods that do double duty.”

In the end, there’s no reason to worry that the Mediterranean diet could slow you down. Marketed mostly as a heart-healthy, weight-loss diet, the Mediterranean diet is also ideal for performance, with some extra higher-carb Med-diet acceptable foods thrown in. And, in the end, it could help save the planet.

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Fact: Most diets don’t work.

AĚýsurvey done by The Council on Size and Weight Discrimination found that 95 percent of folks who went on a diet in one to five years. This might be because success (and weight loss) depends soley on our own self-control. Or it might be the result of previous habits that hard-wire dieters and athletes to crave junk food—regardless of willpower.ĚýĚýĚý

New findings suggest the latter is to blame. AĚý in Frontiers of Psychology showed that feeding rats a diet of junk food reduced their appetite for healthier nourishment. Researchers speculated that the same thing could happen in humans, hard-wiring our brains to crave junk in a behavioral, reward-seeking sense. “It’s like you’ve just had ice cream for lunch, yet you still go and eat more when you hear the ice cream van come by,” said Margaret Morris, Ph.D., of UNSW in a press release.

It sounds almost Pavlovian—and it is. But the research has a flip-side, too. If we’re teaching our brains to want junk, can’t we instead train them to crave healthy food?Ěý

Here’s how it works. When you’re training for a race, it can be tempting to reward yourself after a hard training day with a high-calorie snack. This creates an association between the training and the reward that’s hard to shake—and before you know it, you’re off racing weight.Ěý

“If somebody is stressed, they might have a brownie,” says , director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA and professor at Tufts University. “Then the next time they’re stressed they have another brownie, and sure enough, every time they’re stressed they think about brownies. Our brain is naturally designed to make associations between A and B.”

The trick then is to train our brains to consider healthy food—not junk—as our reward.ĚýRoberts recently in Nutrition & Diabetes that, despite being very small, has been getting a lot press. The study was the fourth in a series focusing on the potential of the “iDiet” (not affiliated with a certain tech giant), a lifestyle approach to weight loss that replaces junk food with high-fiber, high-protein meals that tastes similar to what the dieters used to eat, effectively tricking and re-wiring the reward-seeking part of the brain and conditioning people to prefer healthier foods.

Thirteen overweight participants—eight on the iDiet and five in a control group that wasn’t—underwent MRI brain scans at the beginning and end of a six-month period. During each scan, researchers showed participants pictures of both traditional comfort foods like fried chicken and chocolate, and then healthier, low-calorie foods like salad and grilled chicken.Ěý

At the end-period scan, the researchers found that the reward and addiction centers of the participants’ brains had changed. When shown the healthier foods, the iDieters’ neurons fired away in their reward centers; when shown the unhealthy foods, their neural responsiveness was more muted. The researchers concluded that using the iDiet over six months essentially re-wired the participants’ brains to prefer the lower-calories foods.

“It was judged to be a pretty big effect,” says Roberts. “I was expecting this. We previously published that we had these significant changes in reports of cravings that the dieters gave us, but to see it at a brain level was totally cool.”

In essence, what Roberts proved was that attacking hunger through behavioral therapy—not willpower—will have a much more positive effect for dieters and athletes, and through re-wiring and building these healthy habits, people can keep the weight off or stay in performance shape.

So how does the iDiet work? .

“If somebody craves an ice cream sundae, what I’d do is I’d say fine, but here’s how I want you to have it: I want you to buy sugar-free ice cream and mix it with a high-fiber cereal,” Roberts says. It tastes good, but won’t spike your blood sugar (which triggers hunger) and it’s full of fiber that slows digestion and fills you up.Ěý

Yes, food swaps have been around for a long time to cut calories, but now we know that they can work with our brains to build better eating habits. Swapping out a sundae for one of Roberts’ recipes will fill your craving or reward needs. If you’re an athlete that’s trying to stay in performance shape, simple swaps could help you build better eating habits. For example, swap the sports drink—which can in it —for water or water and a sodium powder. Your brain will get used to it, and your waistline will thank you.

“Food cravings are really associations between a taste and a rush of calories that you get from that food,” Roberts says. “You still get the taste to enjoy, but you don’t get that dopamine frenzy. The ridiculous thing is, it’s not that hard. It’s surprisingly easy.”

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