You Don’t Have to Live on the Coast to Eat Like the Mediterranean
By Chris Baggott, Tyner Pond Farm

The Mediterranean diet gets a lot of attention. For years now, it’s been held up as the model of heart-healthy eating: good fats, lean protein, plenty of vegetables. The kind of food that supports long life and lower disease risk.

I don’t have a problem with that—at least not in theory. But I do think we need to be more honest about what the Mediterranean diet really is. And what it isn’t.

The way it’s often presented in the media—especially here in the U.S.—paints a narrow picture. They emphasize fish, olive oil, and maybe a little red wine, while downplaying or ignoring the full range of foods that traditional Mediterranean people actually ate.

Here’s the part that rarely gets mentioned: for most of the region, fish wasn’t the main protein source. It was meat. Grazing animals—goats, sheep, and cattle—played a central role in the diet. People ate them. They drank their milk. They made cheese, butter, and broth. These animals lived on rocky hillsides, scrubland, and pasture—not in feedlots. Their fat carried omega-3s, CLA, and fat-soluble vitamins. Their organs were prized. And nothing was wasted.

So yes, the Mediterranean diet was high in omega-3s. But it didn’t come just from fish. It came from the land—from animals that foraged widely on diverse vegetation and contributed to local food systems that were built on care, not convenience.

Today, we’re told that omega-3s only come from fish, or maybe supplements. But properly managed grassfed beef contains meaningful levels too. A 3-ounce serving of grassfed beef can contain four to five times more omega-3s than grain-fed beef, along with CLA, which has anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits. Add in pastured eggs and raw dairy, and you’re well on your way to meeting those needs—without ever opening a pill bottle.

There’s also a lot of talk about fat. Most people associate the Mediterranean diet with olive oil, which makes sense. But let’s be clear: traditional Mediterranean kitchens also used animal fats. Lard, tallow, butter—these were part of everyday life. What they didn’t use were seed oils. No canola. No soybean. No corn oil. Just real fat, from known sources.

So here’s the question: is the Mediterranean diet about a specific region, or is it about a way of eating that prioritizes real food, raised close to home, without industrial shortcuts?

Because if it’s the latter, then you don’t need to live on the Aegean coast to follow it. You can do it right here in the Midwest.

At Tyner Pond Farm, we raise 100% grassfed beef using daily rotations on pasture. Our animals are never fed grain, never given antibiotics, and never confined. The result is beef with a healthy fat profile and real nutritional value. We also partner with local farms raising pork, goat, and raw dairy using the same principles. It’s the same kind of food that supported Mediterranean communities for generations—only it’s adapted to the land and climate we’re working with here.

If you want to eat for longevity, for inflammation, for clarity, for strength—you can do that by eating food that’s raised with intention. Leafy greens, pasture-raised meats, traditional fats, and a system that respects the land it comes from.

You don’t need imported fish or olive oil to eat like the Mediterranean.
You just need real food, from farmers who care.