What Can The Mediterranean Diet Do For You?

by Lisa P | More from this Blogger

29 Mar 2008 04:37 PM

We keep hearing about the Mediterranean Diet but nobody tell us exactly what it is. We keep hearing about what it can do for those of us with heart disease, diabetes and arthritis and yet, where are the instructions? We're told the Mediterranean Diet leads to a longer life. What we aren't told is how to get started on the Mediterranean Diet.

In the 1950s, Ancel Keys, a nutritionist, began what was called the Seven Countries which linked the eating patterns of Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Finland, Netherlands, Japan and the United States. The study found that those who followed a more Mediterranean pattern of eating had less risk of heart attack and, generally speaking, lived longer.

The key to the Mediterranean pattern of eating is that it controls the low-grade inflammation that underlies so many disease processes. Its antioxidant effects are indisputable.

The thing is, this isn't a diet with specific instructions. It doesn't guarantee weight loss, although many people experience significant weight loss when they change their diet. The key to the Mediterranean diet is that it is a pattern of eating as opposed to a specific diet. The key to the Mediterranean diet is that it is mainly a vegetarian diet. Following are the key ingredients involved in transforming your pattern of eating into a Mediterranean pattern.

The Mediterranean Diet

1) Stay away fro refined foods and aim for more unprocessed foods like: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans.

2) Cheese isn't restricted but cheese and yogurt should be consumed in small amounts.

3) Fish and poultry are the primary proteins and should be eaten in small to moderate amounts.

4) Try to replace the fats currently in your diet with olive oil. Instead of bread and butter, try dipping bread into a seasoned olive oil and use olive oil when cooking.

5) Drink wine, especially reds, in small to moderate amounts with meals.

6) Red meat shouldn't be used as a main course but more of a seasoning for sauces.

7) Skip the pastries and sweets and choose fresh fruit for dessert.

Related Blogs:

Body-for-Life Foods

Body-for-Life Workouts

Body-for-Life and Weight Loss

Learn more about Lisa P

Lisa used to be a freelance writer and Community Manager for Families.com, but she has finally made the jump to novelist.

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