Ep. 44: Longevity Secrets Revealed: Mediterranean Diet Surprises — with Dr. Artemis Morris
In this episode, Dr. Regina Druz sits down with naturopathic physician and olive oil expert Dr. Artemis Morris to uncover the untold secrets of the traditional Mediterranean diet — from wild edible plants and the ethnographic studies that revealed them, to a three-tier approach to selecting extra virgin olive oil for maximum cardiovascular benefit. Drawing on her Greek heritage, 25+ years of clinical practice, and research presented at Yale’s olive oil symposia, Dr. Morris explains why the Mediterranean diet is more than just food: it is culture, community, and medicine.
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Episode Chapters
[00:02] Welcome & Introduction of Dr. Artemis Morris
[02:07] Growing Up Mediterranean: How Heritage Shaped a Career in Naturopathic Medicine
[08:46] The Therapeutic Order: Naturopathic Medicine’s Foundation-First Approach
[13:33] Patient Engagement & the Hardest Part of Lifestyle Medicine
[16:24] Stress, Spirituality & the Emotional Dimension of Nutrition
[20:06] Food Insecurity & the Structural Barriers to Healthy Eating
[21:34] Secret #1 — Wild Edible Plants: The Untold Foundation of Mediterranean Longevity
[23:00] Ethnographic Studies: What People Actually Ate in 1950s Crete
[28:24] Horta — How to Prepare Wild Plants for Maximum Nutrient Benefit
[32:13] Olive Oil Deep Dive: Extra Virgin, Polyphenols & the Three-Tier System
[39:12] Anti-Inflammatory Diet vs. Mediterranean Diet: Is There a Difference?
[46:28] Practical Guide: How to Maximize Your Mediterranean Diet Pattern
[51:00] Closing Reflections & Key Takeaways
Transcript
[00:02] Welcome & Introduction of Dr. Artemis Morris
Dr. Regina Druz (00:02): Welcome to Own Your Heart Health. I’m Dr. Regina Druz, your holistic cardiologist. This week, we’ll dive into common heart health concerns, uncovering root causes, and unpacking scientific discoveries and controversies. The information provided does not constitute medical advice. Please contact your healthcare practitioner before making any changes that may impact your health.
Dr. Regina Druz (00:25): Hi everyone. So this is another exciting episode for me. I actually love to eat — I come from Eastern Europe and we didn’t necessarily have much, but when we did have food, there was usually a lot of it. Today I’m with a great colleague, Dr. Artemis Morris. She is from Artemis Wellness Center — a spectacular practice that puts nutritional foundation first. She is the co-author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet, and she comes, culturally and historically, from one of the most fascinating regions in the world when it comes to vascular disease, heart disease, stroke, and cancer: the Mediterranean. Welcome, Dr. Morris.
Dr. Artemis Morris (01:40): Thank you so much for having me, Dr. Druz. I’m a big fan and I love the work that you’re doing. I really appreciate that you’re here for all of us.
[02:07] Growing Up Mediterranean: How Heritage Shaped a Career in Naturopathic Medicine
Dr. Regina Druz (01:50): So I’m going to ask you the same question I ask every single guest: how did you grow up to be who you are today? Give us your arc — how you came to bring your knowledge and expertise to benefit patients.
Dr. Artemis Morris (02:07): Thank you. I grew up in a Mediterranean household. My mom is, as I call her, a direct import from the island of Crete in Greece. My father was born in the U.S., but his parents were from Crete as well. It wasn’t until later that I did an ethnographic study for a doctoral program at the University of Lancaster that I realized Crete is the origin of the Mediterranean diet — as defined by Dr. Ancel Keys in the Seven Countries Studies. We were immersed in the Mediterranean diet culturally. Growing up, we were given chamomile tea rather than antibiotics as first-line treatment. We had avgolemono soup. We now know chicken soup has real therapeutic function. Extra virgin olive oil was simply part of daily life. When I was pre-med in college, I studied biology and psychology. I once asked a top medical school whether they had nutrition courses. They laughed at me and said, ‘What does nutrition have to do with medicine?’ That made me realize I needed a school that included nutrition and herbal medicine. That is why I became a naturopathic physician and then an acupuncturist. I’ve now been in practice for over 25 years.
Dr. Artemis Morris (cont.): Artemis is the Greek goddess of nature and women’s health. I’m deeply passionate about helping people return to natural foods and natural medicines — whether as primary or complementary treatment. There is always a way to use nature, food, and medicine as a path to healing.
Dr. Regina Druz (05:20): It must feel very satisfying that people are increasingly warming up to the idea that foundational health is in our nutrition — not only in our food supply, but in how we eat, when we eat, and who we share our meals with. Food is not just energy; it’s our messaging system. I see patients in two broad camps: one believes nutritional approach alone will fix everything; the other views nutrition as one component among many. What are you seeing in practice?
Dr. Artemis Morris (06:55): It really comes down to how much work patients want to do — how much they want to be active participants in their own healthcare. Statistically, women are more likely to pursue integrative medicine. There’s a concept in naturopathic medicine called the therapeutic order that isn’t talked about enough. Naturopathic medicine does not reject drugs or surgery — that is all medicine, and we don’t want to exclude any medicine right for the right person at the right time. We simply start with the foundation and build from there.
[08:46] The Therapeutic Order: Naturopathic Medicine’s Foundation-First Approach
Dr. Regina Druz (08:46): What is the therapeutic order? It sounds like there’s intentional overlap with functional medicine — which did build on the shoulders of naturopathic medicine. What is the therapeutic order as you apply it with patients?
Dr. Artemis Morris (09:20): The therapeutic order looks like a pyramid. At the base is lifestyle medicine: diet, sleep, exercise, and structural balance. I also practice acupuncture and craniosacral therapy — keeping the body in physical alignment supports the nervous system. Higher up the pyramid, we look at nutrient deficiencies. For example, vitamin B12 deficiency is very common even in people eating meat, especially with GI issues. We address nutraceuticals and supplements. If, after addressing all foundational factors — mind-body medicine, stress, environmental triggers, toxins, SIBO — cholesterol and blood sugar are still not where they need to be, then pharmaceutical medications can be lifesavers. Emergency medicine, surgery — thank goodness for those. But we don’t start there. We start with the foundation and let the body heal itself, then bring in additional support if needed.
[13:33] Patient Engagement & the Hardest Part of Lifestyle Medicine
Dr. Regina Druz (13:33): I had a young patient where we dropped saturated fat intake and added a couple of targeted supplements, and we achieved nearly a 47% drop in LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (ApoB). He went to the Cleveland Clinic and they wrote, ‘Continue seeing your functional cardiologist.’ But patient participation is the major determinant of success. It takes daily incremental steps to change how you eat, to adjust timing, to improve sleep, manage stress, and exercise consistently. The hardest thing I see is helping patients make sustainable nutritional and lifestyle changes. Has that been your experience?
Dr. Artemis Morris (16:24): Absolutely. The lifestyle piece is the hardest. Stress and our belief systems — even the spiritual dimension — play a role we don’t discuss enough. In Chinese medicine, the heart is the seat of the spirit. I ask patients how their spirit is doing and what they’re doing to feed it. Every single patient or friend I’ve spoken to who has had a heart attack reports a preceding period of intense stress. Even I struggle with this as a busy mother.
[16:24] Stress, Spirituality & the Emotional Dimension of Nutrition
Dr. Regina Druz (17:54): The whole concept of nutrition often misses one of its most important components — the spiritual and emotional dimension. Yes, there is the physical: calories, energy. Yes, there is the chemical: messengers that signal cells. But there is also the relational dimension — our social structures, our belief systems, our sense of purpose. I used to practice in an inner-city cardiology clinic with a largely underserved population. Once, I told a patient with multiple sclerosis to try to include more anti-inflammatory foods. She said, ‘Doctor, do you see a grocery store?’ There wasn’t one within walking distance — only fast food. The structural barrier remains.
[20:06] Food Insecurity & the Structural Barriers to Healthy Eating
Dr. Artemis Morris (20:06): Food insecurity is very real. My mom grew up during World War II. The Mediterranean diet was found to be the healthiest in the world in the post-war period — a time when people literally had few resources. There was no white bread until World War II. People went to the butcher, to the farmer with beans. Bread was a harder whole grain variety, like paximadia. And yet that was among the healthiest eating patterns ever documented. The secret, which I discovered in my ethnographic study, is one that is barely talked about: wild edible plants.
[21:34] Secret #1 — Wild Edible Plants: The Untold Foundation of Mediterranean Longevity
Dr. Artemis Morris (21:34): There is a saying: you can’t put a Cretan or a goat in a field because all the greens will be gone. At Yale’s olive oil symposia, we’ve discussed how wild edible plants have higher antioxidant and polyphenol content than their cultivated counterparts — and they are free. The problem is that if these plants are not clean — if our soil is contaminated — then toxins enter the picture. Dandelion, for example, is growing right now in most lawns. I strongly encourage people: please do not spray your lawns. You have free food growing there. Dandelion, chicory, amaranth — these are traditionally part of the Mediterranean diet of Crete. Dr. Artemis Simopoulos has done research on this. There is a whole body of literature on wild edible plants and their health properties that is almost entirely absent from mainstream nutrition conversations.
Dr. Regina Druz (22:59): Fascinating. What is an ethnographic study, and what exactly did you find? Our westernized concept of the Mediterranean diet — olive oil, fish, nuts — doesn’t include wild plants at all. Even in Eastern Ukraine, we used wild plants, but it was simply called ‘our diet.’ I’ve always felt the Mediterranean diet is somehow more than the sum of its parts.
[23:00] Ethnographic Studies: What People Actually Ate in 1950s Crete
Dr. Artemis Morris (24:08): An ethnographic study is similar to what the Blue Zones project attempted to do. I went to Crete and interviewed people who were alive during the time Dr. Ancel Keys conducted his Seven Countries Study in the 1950s. I asked them: what did you actually eat? What was your folk medicine like? The Seven Countries Study documented the pattern — high fat from olive oil, vegetables, legumes — but the actual diet included wild edible plants that were never captured in the epidemiological data. If you go to Crete today and speak with people who were alive in the 1950s, every single one will mention wild plants. Spirituality, community, and connection to the land were also inseparable from the diet. One participant had type 2 diabetes. He said he was going to eat a certain wild lettuce — agrio amaro — and the traditional dandelion and radicchio. When he returned, he had not taken his medication, and his blood sugar had normalized. That’s not a double-blind controlled trial, but it is powerful ethnographic information. That finding sent me on a deep literature search, and I have since presented at the Yale Olive Oil Symposium and the Mediterranean Diet Round Table on wild edible plants.
[28:24] Horta — How to Prepare Wild Plants for Maximum Nutrient Benefit
Dr. Regina Druz (28:24): In Ukraine we also ate beet greens and dandelion greens. If someone goes to a supermarket and sees chicory root or dandelion greens for sale, should they buy them? Is it the same as wild-foraged?
Dr. Artemis Morris (28:59): Great question. Beet greens are very high in potassium, which can help normalize blood pressure. And yes, organic dandelion greens or chicory from a supermarket are absolutely worth getting. Wild amaranth, if you can find it, is another excellent option — it has been used traditionally as a blood purifier. My father had type 2 diabetes, and my mother cooked him dandelion greens nearly every night — sometimes foraged from the yard in spring, more often from the store. But how they are prepared matters enormously. The traditional preparation is called horta — H-O-R-T-A. You boil the greens, then dress them with olive oil and lemon juice. And here is a critical step that is almost always left out: you drink the juice. That olive oil and lemon juice concentrate at the bottom of the bowl — that is where the minerals concentrate. You get the olive oil polyphenols, you get the lemon juice for alkalinization. This is another largely unknown secret of the Mediterranean diet — one that emerges directly from ethnographic research.
[32:13] Olive Oil Deep Dive: Extra Virgin, Polyphenols & the Three-Tier System
Dr. Regina Druz (31:44): I personally love olive oil — I could drink it raw. I often tell patients to add a shot glass to their morning protein shake. Studies showing cardiovascular benefit from olive oil used quite high amounts — around three tablespoons per day, not a light drizzle on a salad. Can you walk us through how to choose olive oil?
Dr. Artemis Morris (33:13): The Mediterranean diet pattern is: more vegetables, seasonal fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, grass-fed meat in moderation, organic dairy in moderation, legumes, and extra virgin olive oil as the primary source of fat. You simply cannot claim to follow a Mediterranean diet without extra virgin olive oil as your main fat source. Aim for at least two to four tablespoons per day. Regarding quality: you must taste the oil. Cold-pressed on a label means nothing — all olive oil is cold-pressed. What you want is ‘extra virgin,’ which preserves the highest polyphenol content. Polyphenols are responsible for the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties. Research suggests polyphenols in high-quality extra virgin olive oil may act similarly to natural GLP-1 agonists, improving insulin resistance and supporting metabolic health. Always check for harvest date and traceability.
Dr. Artemis Morris (cont.): My recommendation is to keep three tiers of extra virgin olive oil. Tier 1 — your premium, high-polyphenol nutraceutical oil: use this for drizzling on finished dishes, on vegetables, and in your morning shake. Brands like Laconic are one example. Tier 2 — a high-quality everyday extra virgin: use this for marinades, sauces, and daily cooking. Tier 3 — a solid everyday extra virgin: use this for higher-heat cooking such as sautéing or even frying. Extra virgin olive oil is actually heat-stable — it retains its antioxidant properties better than many other oils when heated. That ‘don’t cook with olive oil’ claim is a myth. This three-tier approach is also economical: you use your premium bottle sparingly on the things where quality matters most.
Dr. Regina Druz (38:23): So you’re stratifying by polyphenol content and application — highest quality for raw or finishing applications, stepping down for cooking. Three-tier olive oil. I love that framework.
[39:12] Anti-Inflammatory Diet vs. Mediterranean Diet: Is There a Difference?
Dr. Regina Druz (39:12): What is the actual difference between an anti-inflammatory diet and a Mediterranean diet? We use these terms almost interchangeably.
Dr. Artemis Morris (39:51): As a co-author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Dummies — now in its third edition — I can tell you: when I reviewed the evidence on anti-inflammatory diets, the Mediterranean diet consistently emerged as the most scientifically supported. Here is the simple answer: it’s about eating patterns, not individual foods. The Mediterranean diet pattern is an anti-inflammatory diet pattern. Every major anti-inflammatory diet book you’ll read — every Blue Zone eating guide — has the same underlying pattern: mostly plant-based, with high-quality fats, lean proteins, minimal processed foods, and strong cultural and social dimensions around eating. The difference between Mediterranean and ‘anti-inflammatory’ is largely semantic. The deeper issue is personalization. Some patients cannot tolerate high-fiber legumes because their gut microbiome is disrupted. Some are gluten-sensitive. And here is a secret from my ethnographic research: the traditional Mediterranean diet is effectively vegan 180 days per year, because of religious fasting practices. That’s another piece the westernized version completely omits.
Dr. Regina Druz (43:45): So the pattern is the foundation, and personalization is the key variable. At Holistic Heart Centers, we look at blood biomarkers, genetic markers, and digital biomarkers like heart rate variability (HRV) and shifts in body composition and insulin sensitivity. Do you have a quick practical guide — a self-check for someone wondering whether they’re eating consistently with an anti-inflammatory or Mediterranean pattern?
[46:28] Practical Guide: How to Maximize Your Mediterranean Diet Pattern
Dr. Artemis Morris (46:28): Here are the non-negotiables. First and most important: eat plenty of vegetables. There is no compromise here — kids, adults, everyone eat your vegetables. Second: use extra virgin olive oil as your primary fat. Olive oil amplifies the nutrient value of everything you eat alongside it. One study showed that lycopene from tomatoes has significantly higher bioavailability when combined with olive oil. So even those two things alone — more vegetables, more olive oil — have been shown in studies to improve metabolic function, shift visceral fat (particularly in women long-term), and even stabilize arterial plaque, as demonstrated in the PREDIMED trial. Third: protein should come primarily from beans, nuts, seeds, and wild-caught fish three days per week. Grass-fed meat in moderation — in traditional Crete, meat might be consumed once or twice a week. Fourth: fermented dairy in moderation if tolerated — yogurt in particular has been shown to support longevity by promoting a healthy gut microbiome. Fifth: use natural sweeteners when you want something sweet, keep processed sweets rare, and when you do have sweets, make them whole-food based.
Dr. Regina Druz (50:25): This is really good. I want to make sure our listeners can access Dr. Morris’s book, Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Dummies, now in its third edition, and her curated list of recommended extra virgin olive oils. This conversation has made me realize how important it is to go back and speak with people who actually live in these regions — because nutrition is not an isolated science of ingredients and proportions. It is culture, geography, and identity. Often it is the simple things that drive the major differences. The 80-20 rule applies here: 20 percent of interventions drive 80 percent of the results. And you’ve named just a few that are profound.
[51:00] Closing Reflections & Key Takeaways
Dr. Artemis Morris (51:56): And if you’re not spraying your lawn, you could literally start picking dandelion greens from your own yard.
Dr. Regina Druz (52:00): I think I’ll start at the supermarket — but I will wash them carefully! I do trust the supermarket a bit more than my lawn care company, despite their claims of non-toxic treatment. I will absolutely go foraging with you someday. I used to forage for mushrooms as a child in Ukraine — that was a real pastime. And I have yet to make it to Crete, but the closest I came was visiting Santorini and Athens for my 50th birthday. The moment I walked through Santorini and saw the fresh fish and the Santorini tomatoes growing in volcanic ash, I said: I could live here forever. Thank you, Dr. Morris, for bringing a piece of the Mediterranean into this conversation.
Dr. Artemis Morris (53:10): You’re invited. We’ll figure out a wild foraging trip together.
Dr. Regina Druz (53:14): Take care, everybody. Thank you for tuning in to Own Your Heart Health with Dr. Regina Druz. This podcast is powered by Holistic Heart Centers. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. To learn more about our services, visit holisticheartcenters.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel. The link is in the show notes. See you next week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes the Mediterranean diet one of the most heart-protective eating patterns in the world?
The Mediterranean diet has been studied more extensively than virtually any other eating pattern for cardiovascular disease, and the evidence is compelling. Large trials such as PREDIMED have shown it reduces major cardiovascular events — heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular-related death — by approximately 30% compared to a low-fat control diet. The protection comes from multiple overlapping mechanisms: high polyphenol intake from extra virgin olive oil, which reduces oxidative stress and stabilizes arterial plaque; abundant dietary fiber from vegetables and legumes, which lowers LDL cholesterol and feeds beneficial gut bacteria; omega-3 fatty acids from wild-caught fish, which reduce inflammation and arrhythmia risk; and a dietary pattern that blunts insulin spikes and reduces visceral fat over time. Importantly, it is the pattern — not any single food — that drives the benefit. The social and cultural dimensions of eating also contribute in ways that calorie-counting alone cannot replicate. For anyone concerned about heart disease, hypertension, or metabolic syndrome, this is one of the most evidence-backed nutritional foundations available.
What are wild edible plants, and why does Dr. Morris say they are a ‘secret weapon’ of the Mediterranean diet?
Wild edible plants are uncultivated, naturally growing greens such as dandelion, chicory, amaranth, and wild lettuce that were historically gathered from fields and yards rather than grown commercially. Dr. Morris’s ethnographic research in Crete — interviewing people who lived through the 1950s when Dr. Ancel Keys conducted his landmark Seven Countries Study — revealed that wild plants were a cornerstone of the daily diet, yet they are almost entirely absent from modern descriptions of the Mediterranean diet. Research shows that wild plants contain significantly higher concentrations of antioxidants, polyphenols, and minerals than their commercially cultivated counterparts. One participant in Dr. Morris’s study reversed type 2 diabetes markers using wild lettuce and dandelion greens without medication. Practically, you can find organic dandelion greens, chicory, and amaranth at many grocery stores. The traditional preparation — called horta — is to boil the greens, dress with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, and, critically, drink the resulting juice, where the minerals concentrate. If you do not spray your lawn with herbicides, dandelion greens in spring are safe to harvest and prepare at home.
How do I choose a high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and how much should I use daily?
Extra virgin (EV) is the highest grade of olive oil and the only grade shown to carry significant cardiovascular benefit. Key things to look for: (1) The label must say ‘extra virgin’ — ‘cold-pressed’ is not a meaningful distinction since all producers use cold pressing. (2) Look for a harvest date, not just a best-by date; fresher oil has more polyphenols. (3) Traceability matters — QR codes linking to the origin farm and polyphenol content are increasingly available on high-quality brands. (4) Taste it: high-quality extra virgin olive oil should be slightly peppery and bitter at the back of the throat — that is the polyphenols. A flat, neutral taste often indicates low polyphenol content. Regarding quantity: studies showing cardiovascular benefit — including the PREDIMED trial — used approximately two to four tablespoons per day as the minimum. Dr. Morris recommends a three-tier approach: a premium high-polyphenol oil for drizzling and finishing dishes; a solid everyday extra virgin for marinades and sauces; and a third bottle for higher-heat cooking. Extra virgin olive oil is heat-stable and retains antioxidant properties better than many refined oils at cooking temperatures, making it suitable for sautéing and even light frying.
What is the therapeutic order in naturopathic medicine, and how does it differ from conventional care?
The therapeutic order is a framework used in naturopathic medicine that prioritizes interventions from the least invasive and most foundational to the most invasive and symptomatic. It is often depicted as a pyramid. At the base are lifestyle interventions: diet, sleep, exercise, stress management, and structural alignment such as acupuncture or craniosacral therapy. Above that is identification and correction of nutrient deficiencies and microbiome imbalances. Higher still are targeted nutraceuticals and nutritional supplements. Only after these foundational measures have been tried does the framework move to pharmaceutical drugs and, if necessary, surgical intervention. This does not mean drugs or surgery are wrong — naturopathic medicine explicitly acknowledges their role, particularly in acute or emergency situations. The difference from conventional medicine is the starting point: conventional care often begins symptom management before foundational causes are addressed, while naturopathic care reverses that sequence. The result is that many patients can achieve meaningful improvement in chronic conditions — including blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure — through dietary and lifestyle intervention alone, and those who do need medications may require lower doses.
Is the anti-inflammatory diet different from the Mediterranean diet, and which one should I follow?
In practice, the Mediterranean diet and anti-inflammatory diet are largely the same thing with different branding. The Mediterranean diet is the most rigorously studied anti-inflammatory eating pattern in the world. Both emphasize an abundance of vegetables, high-quality fats from extra virgin olive oil and fatty fish, legumes, whole grains, moderate amounts of high-quality protein, and minimal processed foods and refined sugars. For most people, the practical answer is: adopt the Mediterranean diet pattern as your foundation. It has the strongest evidence base for cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cognitive aging, and overall longevity. Personalize within that pattern as needed — if you cannot tolerate high-fiber legumes, substitute other plant proteins; if you’re gluten-sensitive, choose whole grains that work for you. A clinician — whether naturopathic, functional, or integrative — can help you identify where personalization is needed based on your biomarkers, genetic makeup, and gut health.
Show Notes & Resources
Guest: Dr. Artemis Morris, ND, LAc
Dr. Artemis Morris is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist with over 25 years of clinical practice. She is the founder of Artemis Wellness Center and co-author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Dummies (3rd edition). Dr. Morris conducted ethnographic research on the traditional Mediterranean diet of Crete through a doctoral program at the University of Lancaster, focusing on wild edible plants and their role in metabolic health. She is a longtime faculty presenter at the Yale Olive Oil Symposium, a member of the Women in Olive Oil international network, and has conducted pilot research on cardiovascular markers and olive oil quality. Dr. Morris also holds expertise in craniosacral therapy and mind-body medicine.
Website: artemiswellnesscenter.com
Book: Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Dummies, 3rd edition — available on Amazon and major book retailers.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Dummies, 3rd Edition — Dr. Artemis Morris (co-author)
The Truth in Your Kitchen — David Newman (extra virgin olive oil quality guide)
PREDIMED Trial — landmark Mediterranean diet cardiovascular outcomes trial
Seven Countries Study — Dr. Ancel Keys (1950s foundational Mediterranean diet research)
Wild Edible Plants of Crete — research by Dr. Artemis Simopoulos
Yale Olive Oil Symposium — annual research conference on extra virgin olive oil
Therapeutic Order — naturopathic medicine pyramid framework (available from Dr. Morris on request)
Key Terms Referenced in This Episode
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): The highest grade of olive oil, produced without heat or chemical processing. Contains the highest concentration of polyphenols — plant compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties.
Polyphenols: Bioactive plant compounds found in olive oil, wild plants, berries, and vegetables. They act as antioxidants, reduce systemic inflammation, and have been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk.
Horta: A traditional Greek preparation of wild or cultivated bitter greens — typically boiled then dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. The juice that collects at the bottom is consumed for its concentrated mineral content.
Wild Edible Plants: Uncultivated, naturally occurring plants (dandelion, chicory, amaranth, wild lettuce) traditionally harvested from fields and yards in Mediterranean regions. Research shows they have higher antioxidant content than commercially grown counterparts.
Ethnographic Study: A qualitative research method that studies people and cultures in their natural environment, often through interviews and direct observation. Dr. Morris used this approach to interview Cretans who lived during the 1950s Mediterranean diet study period.
Therapeutic Order: A naturopathic medicine framework that organizes clinical interventions from most foundational (diet, lifestyle) to most invasive (drugs, surgery), prioritizing the body’s innate ability to heal.
GLP-1 Agonists: A class of medications (e.g., semaglutide) that mimic the glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone to improve blood sugar regulation and reduce appetite. High-polyphenol olive oil may produce some similar effects naturally.
PREDIMED Trial: A large randomized controlled trial demonstrating that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil or nuts reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events by approximately 30%.
ApoB (Apolipoprotein B): A protein that carries LDL cholesterol particles in the blood. Elevated ApoB is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular disease risk.
HRV (Heart Rate Variability): The variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. Higher HRV generally reflects better autonomic nervous system function and stress resilience — used as a digital biomarker for cardiovascular and metabolic health.
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): A condition where bacteria abnormally colonize the small intestine, causing bloating, malabsorption, and often poor tolerance of fiber-rich foods such as legumes.
Paximadia: A traditional Cretan twice-baked hard bread made from whole grains, similar to a rusk. A dietary staple before industrialized white bread became widely available.
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Medical Disclaimer
The information in this podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The discussions reflect the clinical experiences and opinions of the physicians involved. These treatments are not FDA-approved for all applications discussed. Please consult your licensed healthcare practitioner before making any changes to your health regimen.
