Healthy Weight Loss Mediterranean Diet
It is a well known fact that people who live around the Mediterranean region tend to live longer and have less overweight related diseases than people in the developed countries except perhaps, Japan.
Not very long ago, the Mediterranean climate was thought to be the reason why people live longer and are healthier in the region. Now it has become rather clear that while the weather of the Mediterranean area may be pleasant and refreshing, it is the diet of the people in the Mediterranean that account for their longer lives.
The Mediterranean diet is not a designed easy weight loss diet plan like the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet or The Zone Diet. It is the healthy dietary habits and food source of the Mediterranean people which they are eating everyday.
Many food sources that are part of a Mediterranean diet are high in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are important compounds found in certain types of food that mopped up dangerous free radicals. Free radicals are produced when the body burns oxygen to produce energy.
The accumulation of these free radicals in the body accelerates the ageing process. Cellular tissues such as skin and muscles wear out and lose their elasticity. Human organs function with less efficiency. Studies have also shown that free radicals clog up arteries which may result in a stroke, high blood pressure and even heart attack. Free radicals are also blamed for other dangerous medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
The types of fruits and vegetables that form the Mediterranean diet include richly colored leafy green vegetables which are high in anti-oxidants which are excellent free radical destroyers. Scientists have also found that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risks of certain types of cancers.
The Mediterranean diet includes very little animal fat or saturated fat. Since there is a direct link between the consumption of saturated fat and colorectal cancers, heart diseases and strokes, the risks of getting these diseases are reduced. The main fat source in the food of the Mediterranean people is the olive oil. Not only that the olive oil is a healthy fat source, it had been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
It is concluded on a firm basis that the Mediterranean diet has played a very important role in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease amongst the people of the countries around the Mediterranean region.
There is strong evidence to suggest that eliminating certain items from a diet, like processed salts can lower the risk of hypertension and high blood pressure. There are also evidence that a diet which is rich in fiber and low in animal can help to reduce the risk of hypertension and high blood pressure.
A person who eats like the Mediterranean people will get tremendous health benefits. Not only will the person live longer, because of the moderate carbohydrate, low fat high fiber Mediterranean diet, weight loss and weight control comes naturally with this healthy diet.
If you want to go on a healthy weight loss diet, then the Mediterranean diet will be indeed a good option.
Related Questions:
What is a Mediterranean diet?
I heard people with the Mediterranean diet live more? Why is this? Please explain, thanks.
Answer
Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option
The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan combining elements of Mediterranean-style cooking. Here’s how to adopt the Mediterranean diet.
By Mayo Clinic staff
If you’re looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you. The Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine — among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Most healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limit unhealthy fats. While these parts of a healthy diet remain tried-and-true, subtle variations or differences in proportions of certain foods may make a difference in your risk of heart disease.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet is thought to reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, a 2007 study conducted in the United States found that both men and women who consumed a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of death from both heart disease and cancer.
Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:
■Getting plenty of exercise and eating your meals with family and friends
■Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
■Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
■Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
■Eating small portions of nuts
■Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some
■Consuming very little red meat
■Eating fish or shellfish at least twice a week
Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains
The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the “bad” cholesterol that’s more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.
Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat (approximately 80 percent of their calories come from fat), but tree nuts, including walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazel nuts, are low in saturated fat. Nuts are high in calories, so they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid honey-roasted or heavily salted nuts.
Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet there. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten without butter or margarines, which contain saturated or trans fats.
Healthy fats
The focus of the Mediterranean diet isn’t to limit total fat consumption, but to make wise choices about the types of fat you eat.
The Mediterranean diet is similar to the American Heart Association’s Step I diet, but it contains less cholesterol and has more fats. However, the fats are healthy — including monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats, which contain the beneficial linolenic acid (a type of omega-3 fatty acid). These fat sources include canola oil and nuts, particularly walnuts. Fish — another source of omega-3 fatty acids — is eaten on a regular basis in the Mediterranean diet. Omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides and may improve the health of your blood vessels. The Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids), both of which contribute to heart disease.
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