While the Mediterranean diet, considered the world’s best eating plan, helps keep you fit and healthy, it is a well-known way to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and many other chronic conditions.

However, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine, there is a new way you can drive away all of these diseases if you are a vegetarian. According to scientists, African cuisine—packed with vegetables, legumes, ancient grains, and fermented foods - could be equally protective. Experts say this highly nutritious diet is severely under-represented in research, but now scientists say it could ward off heart issues, type 2 diabetes, and cancers.

According to the research conducted by experts from Radboud University and Medical Centre and KCMC University in Tanzania, shifting to a diet typical of what is eaten in the East African country of Tanzania for just two weeks can dramatically reduce inflammation in your body.

Scientists believe the African diet also lowers the proteins in the blood linked to dangerous health conditions that fell among participants. "Previous research has focused on other traditional diets, such as the Japanese or Mediterranean diet,” said Dr. Quirijn de Mast, an associate professor in global health at Radboud University in Nijmegen.

"However, there is just as much to learn from traditional African diets, especially now, as lifestyles in many African regions are rapidly changing and lifestyle diseases are increasing,” he added. African cuisine includes plenty of black tea, boiled cassava, and millet porridge for breakfast; maize or rice with beans for lunch; and fish and fresh seasonal vegetables for dinner. They also have lots of whole grains and fermented foods, which are eaten in all meals. Africans are also fond of Mbege - a traditional fermented banana drink mostly had after dinner.

In the study, men who ate these for two weeks had their immune systems better, blood proteins related to inflammation down, and metabolism regulated. Researchers said those who switched to a Western diet had increased levels of inflammatory proteins in their blood, and their immune cells responded less effectively to pathogens.

"Our study highlights the benefits of traditional [African] food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body. At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be. It typically consists of processed and high-calorie foods, such as French fries and white bread, with excessive salt, refined sugars, and saturated fats,” said Dr. De Mast.

"Inflammation is at the root of many chronic conditions, which makes this study highly relevant for Western countries as well," he added. Researchers also wrote that plant-based diets and fermented foods "are increasingly recognised for their beneficial immune and metabolic effects."

While foods vary by region across the African continent, a few common ingredients that are considered super healthy include:

Beet greens, collard greens, turnip greens, kale, spinach, watercress, mustard greens and cassava leaves

Asparagus, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, garlic, onions, pepper

Bananas, blackberries, blueberries, avocado, figs, guava, lemons, mangoes, oranges, plums and watermelon

Cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams

Amaranth, barley, couscous, maize, corn, millet, rice, sorghum, teff and wild rice

Black-eyed peas, broad beans, butter beans, chickpeas, cowpeas, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans and pigeon peas

Sesame seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, coconuts, peanuts, groundnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

Cider vinegar, bay leaf, cinnamon, cilantro, cloves, dill, ginger, mustard

Catfish, cod, crayfish, dried fish, mackerel, mussels, oysters, prawns, trout, sardines, shrimp and tuna

Chicken, eggs, beef, lamb and turkey

Coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, peanut oil and sesame oil

Buttermilk, yogurt, almond milk, rice milk and soymilk

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