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The Mediterranean Diet is the name that has evolved to symbolize the healthy foods eaten by those people whose countries surround the Mediterranean Sea. Their diets are higher in vegetables, legumes (beans and peas), fruits, nuts and whole grain cereals. The main fat used is olive oil and there is less use of highly saturated fats like butter and lard. Instead of beef and poultry as the main animal protein, they eat mostly fish with soem dairy, although much of the dairy is in form of cultured products lie cheeses and yoghurt. the lower intake of poultry and red meats is coupled with a moderate consumption of wine (mostly with meals).
For thousands of years, residents of the Mediterranean coastal region have enjoyed this kind of delicious diet -- high in plant foods and monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) -- while getting plenty of regular physical activity. They don’t think of their eating habits as a diet plan; it's simply their way of life. And it's a way of life that apparently leads to long, healthy lives virtually free of chronic disease.
For thousands of years, residents of the Mediterranean coastal region have enjoyed this kind of delicious diet -- high in plant foods and monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) -- while getting plenty of regular physical activity. They don’t think of their eating habits as a diet plan; it's simply their way of life. And it's a way of life that apparently leads to long, healthy lives virtually free of chronic disease.
For the past 50
years, scientists have studied the eating patterns characteristic of
the Mediterranean diet -- and they continue to find additional health
benefits. Recently, a large study published in journal BMJ showed that healthy people who followed a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Further, a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed
that a restricted-calorie Mediterranean diet (as well as a low-carb
diet) could be even more effective for weight loss than a low-fat diet,
while also offering other health benefits.
"Research
continues to demonstrate that being physically active and eating a
nutritious diet of primarily whole foods that are filling and satisfying
can enable people to control weight, lower blood pressure [and]
cholesterol levels, reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease [and]
Alzheimer’s disease, and basically protect against chronic diseases,"
says cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, creator of the South Beach Diet,
based on the Mediterranean diet model.
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