NuShape × Soho House · Workshop Reference

Mediterranean
Power Foods

What they've been doing for 3,000 years — and why it works

NuShape · nushape.com

They never owned a supplement. Never tracked their HRV. They ate what their grandmothers taught them, moved through their days, sat together at long tables — and produced the longest lifespans and lowest rates of cardiovascular disease of any population on earth. The Mediterranean diet is not a diet. It's a 3,000-year-old biohacking protocol that nobody called biohacking until we forgot how to eat.

The Accidental Biohackers

What's Actually on the Table

The Power Foods — Tap Each to Reveal the Science

Every ingredient on a traditional Mediterranean table is doing something specific. Here's what the research shows.

Tap any food card to reveal the science

🫒

Extra Virgin
Olive Oil

Oleocanthal

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🫒 Olive Oil

Oleocanthal inhibits COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes — the same mechanism as ibuprofen, at the same dose. A natural anti-inflammatory on Mediterranean tables for 5,000 years. Also rich in polyphenols that feed beneficial gut bacteria. Use generously, raw, on everything.

Anti-inflammatory · Prebiotic · 5,000 years

🐟

Sardines &
Anchovies

EPA + DHA · CoQ10 · D3

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🐟 Sardines

Highest bioavailability omega-3 of any food. Plus CoQ10, D3, B12, selenium, and calcium — a complete longevity supplement in a tin. Small size means minimal mercury. Eaten whole with bones, you also get collagen most people only find in supplements.

Omega-3 · CoQ10 · Collagen · Low mercury

🍯

Raw Honey

200+ Bioactives

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🍯 Raw Honey

Raw honey is not sugar. It contains over 200 bioactive compounds — flavonoids, organic acids, antimicrobial enzymes. A teaspoon before bed replenishes liver glycogen, the brain's overnight fuel, improving sleep quality and morning cortisol rhythm. Must be raw — heat destroys the bioactives.

Liver glycogen · Sleep · Cortisol rhythm · Raw only

🌿

Capers

Quercetin · Rutin

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🌿 Capers

One of the richest whole-food sources of quercetin — a flavonoid that inhibits histamine release, reduces systemic inflammation, and has demonstrated antiviral properties. Also contains rutin, which strengthens capillary walls and supports circulation. A garnish that functions like a supplement.

Quercetin · Anti-histamine · Circulation

🧄

Garlic

Allicin · S-allylcysteine

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🧄 Garlic

Allicin — released when garlic is crushed — is one of nature's most potent antimicrobial compounds. Let crushed garlic sit for 10 minutes before cooking to maximise allicin formation. S-allylcysteine supports glutathione production. Strong evidence for lowering LDL, blood pressure, and platelet aggregation.

Allicin · Glutathione · Cardiovascular · Crush first

🍋

Lemon

Vitamin C · Limonene · Citric Acid

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🍋 Lemon

The zest contains limonene — a potent antioxidant with liver-protective and potential anti-cancer properties. Citric acid in the juice alkalises urine despite its acidity, supporting kidney health. Vitamin C dramatically increases iron absorption from plant foods when eaten together — a pairing Mediterranean cuisine does instinctively.

Limonene · Iron absorption · Liver support

🥬

Dark Leafy
Greens · Horta

Nitrates · K · Folate

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🥬 Wild Greens

Dietary nitrates convert to nitric oxide — the same vasodilatory molecule released by red light therapy. Improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, enhances exercise performance. Fat-soluble vitamins (K, A, E) absorb dramatically better with olive oil — which is exactly why Mediterranean cuisine always combines them.

Nitric oxide · Eat with olive oil · Circulation

🍫

Dark Chocolate
85%+

Flavanols · Magnesium · Theobromine

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🍫 Dark Chocolate

A single square provides meaningful magnesium (sleep, muscle relaxation), flavanols that improve blood flow to the brain, and theobromine — a gentler, longer-lasting stimulant than caffeine that doesn't spike cortisol. One square at the end of the day is genuinely functional. Must be 85%+ — below that, sugar overwhelms the benefit.

Magnesium · Theobromine · 85%+ only

🧀

Sheep's Milk
Cheese · Feta

CLA · K2 · Live Cultures

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🧀 Sheep's Cheese

Rich in CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) — a naturally occurring fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2 (which directs calcium into bone, not arteries), plus beneficial bacteria from live cultures. Completely different metabolic profile from industrial cow dairy.

CLA · Vitamin K2 · Live cultures · Bone health

🍎

Pomegranate

Ellagitannins → Urolithins

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🍎 Pomegranate

Rich in ellagitannins which gut bacteria convert to urolithins — compounds that activate mitophagy (mitochondrial self-cleaning) and support muscle recovery. Also one of the strongest natural aromatase inhibitors, supporting hormonal balance. Seeds, juice, and pith all contain different active compounds.

Mitophagy · Hormonal balance · Sacred fruit

🌰

Walnuts

ALA · Polyphenols · Melatonin

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🌰 Walnuts

The highest plant-based omega-3 (ALA) of any nut, plus ellagic acid polyphenols concentrated in the papery skin. One of the only foods to contain melatonin — eat a small handful in the evening and you're also supporting your sleep signal. Strong research on cognitive function and cardiovascular health. Grown across the Mediterranean for millennia.

ALA omega-3 · Melatonin · Brain health · Don't peel the skin

🫘

Legumes
Lentils · Chickpeas

Prebiotic Fibre · Resistant Starch

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🫘 Legumes

One of the most consistent longevity markers across every Blue Zone population studied — eaten daily in Greece, Sardinia, and southern Spain. Resistant starch feeds beneficial gut bacteria and produces short-chain fatty acids that reduce systemic inflammation. Slow glucose release, plant protein, and among the most affordable foods on earth.

Blue Zone staple · Prebiotic · Slow glucose · Longevity

🥛

Fermented Foods
Yogurt · Kefir

Live Cultures · Postbiotics

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🥛 Fermented Foods

Traditional Greek yogurt and kefir deliver live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains directly to the gut. Fermentation also produces postbiotics — bioactive compounds the bacteria leave behind that reduce gut permeability and modulate immune response. The lactose is largely pre-digested, making it tolerable for many who react to regular dairy. Always choose full-fat, live-culture versions.

Live cultures · Postbiotics · Gut lining · Full-fat only

The Hillside Pharmacy

Wild Herbs — Medicine Disguised as Garnish

The same herbs growing wild on the hillsides of the Mediterranean have been used as medicine here since before the Phoenicians. Every time they season a dish, they're dosing themselves.

🌿

Rosemary

Rosmarinic Acid · 1,8-Cineole

Enhances acetylcholine activity in the brain — the neurotransmitter of memory and focus. Studies show even smelling rosemary improves cognitive performance. Also inhibits acetylcholinesterase, the same mechanism targeted by Alzheimer's medications.

🌱

Oregano

Carvacrol · Thymol

Gram for gram, one of the highest antioxidant contents of any herb. Carvacrol and thymol are potent antimicrobials with demonstrated activity against pathogens including H. pylori. Used medicinally across Greece for gut infections for thousands of years.

🌾

Thyme

Thymol · Flavonoids

Strong expectorant and antimicrobial properties. Thymol inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi. Traditional Mediterranean remedy for respiratory infections and digestive complaints. Also a source of vitamin C, iron, and manganese.

🍃

Sage

Ursolic Acid · Salvianolic Acids

One of the most studied herbs for cognitive function. Inhibits acetylcholinesterase and has demonstrated effects on memory, alertness, and mood in clinical trials. Also contains compounds that modulate oestrogen receptors — traditionally used across the Mediterranean for menopausal symptoms.

🌿

Wild Fennel

Anethole · Fenchone

Grows wild across Ibiza, Greece, and Sardinia. A digestive tonic that reduces bloating, supports bile production, and calms smooth muscle in the gut. Anethole has mild oestrogenic activity and anti-inflammatory properties. Used in traditional medicine for everything from colic to anxiety.

🌼

Chamomile

Apigenin · Bisabolol

Apigenin binds to GABA-A receptors in the brain — the same receptors targeted by anti-anxiety medications — producing a genuine calming effect. Bisabolol is anti-inflammatory and wound-healing. Drunk as an evening tea across the Mediterranean for centuries, it turns out, for good reason.

"The Mediterranean diet is not a diet. It's a 3,000-year-old biohacking protocol that nobody called biohacking until we forgot how to eat."

NuShape × Soho House · Ibiza