Last updated: 2026-06-09.
Our editorial standards
Official Mediterranean Diet publishes nutrition, cooking, and lifestyle content about the Mediterranean diet and related regional traditions. We hold every piece to these standards:
- Health claims cite real sources. When we say a food is “associated with” lower cardiovascular risk or any other health outcome, that claim links to a peer-reviewed study, a government agency (NIH, USDA, CDC), or a respected institution (Harvard T.H. Chan, Mayo Clinic). We never write “cures,” “treats,” or “prevents” — we write what the research actually shows.
- Recipes are tested. Every recipe in our archive has been cooked at least twice with real ingredients before publishing. Measurements are given in both weight and volume so they translate cleanly to any kitchen.
- Numbers do not drift. Our writing process includes an automated guardrail that compares numeric claims between drafts — if a percentage, study sample size, or dollar figure shifts between editing passes, the change is rejected automatically.
- Regional honesty. “Mediterranean diet” is shorthand for many overlapping traditions (Greek, Italian, Spanish, Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish, etc.). We name the specific tradition when describing a dish. We don’t homogenize all of them into a single stereotype.
- Affiliate disclosure. Some posts contain affiliate links (Amazon Associates, Thrive Market, others). If you buy something through these links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We never recommend products we wouldn’t use ourselves.
How AI is used in our content
Yes, we use AI as a writing assistant. We’re transparent about it because we think transparency is the right call — and because Google’s quality guidelines explicitly reward clear AI disclosure over content that hides its origins.
Here is how our process works:
- DRAFT pass — A 1-trillion-parameter language model (Kimi K2, served via Ollama Cloud) writes a first draft from a research-grounded outline. The model never invents numbers or studies; it works only from sources we provide.
- HUMANIZER pass — A line edit that strips AI-tells (clichés like “delve,” “in today’s landscape,” “robust”) and adds rhythm. This pass is forbidden from changing any number, claim, or hedge.
- HOOK pass — An editing pass that strengthens the opening and ensures the reader has a reason to keep reading. Same rule: facts cannot change.
- SAFETY pass — A separate model evaluates the finished piece against three criteria: are all claims grounded? Does it follow our safety rules (no medical advice, no miracle claims)? Is the hook honest? It returns one of: PASS / REVISE / REJECT.
- Editorial gate — Even after the four AI passes, every piece goes through deterministic quality checks (voice score, fact-check, SEO completeness, plagiarism scan, hook quality). Pieces below threshold are held as drafts for human review before publishing.
This is not “AI slop.” It’s a thoughtful editorial process where the AI does the typing and the structure prevents it from drifting off-source. The result is content that’s better — more carefully fact-checked, more honest about uncertainty, more thoroughly cited — than most of what’s published on diet blogs by humans alone.
Corrections policy
If you find a factual error in any of our content, please contact us. Confirmed errors are corrected within 48 hours and the post is updated with a “Last corrected” note at the bottom. We don’t memory-hole mistakes.
Not medical advice
Nothing on Official Mediterranean Diet is medical advice. If you have a chronic condition, are pregnant, are taking medication that interacts with diet (warfarin and vitamin K, MAOIs and aged cheese, etc.), or are planning major dietary changes, please talk to a doctor or registered dietitian first. We are a journalism site, not a clinic.