What is the 'Mediterranean Diet'?
You may have heard something about the Mediterranean diet recently.
It's been featured in the media, and a number of people are trying
it as part of an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle. But just
what is the Mediterranean diet?
At its most basic, the Mediterranean diet is a nutritional model
that's based on traditional eating practices in a number of countries
around the Mediterranean. There's no one specific diet since each
of these countries has its own food traditions, and even regions
within a country can have very different menus. However, there
are some consistencies between countries in this area. Most people
in Mediterranean countries traditionally eat a diet high in fruits,
vegetables, whole cereal grains, beans and legumes, seeds and nuts.
They tend to use olive oil as their most important fat, and focus
on unsaturated fats in general. They eat only moderate amounts
of poultry, fish, and dairy foods, and little red meat. Eggs are
eaten only infrequently, and wine is consumed, but only moderately.
Studies have found that people who eat this kind of diet also
have something else in common. They enjoy unusually good health,
if their healthy eating is also accompanied by regular exercise
and other healthy practices. Despite the fact that Mediterranean
peoples eat a moderate to high amount of fat, they suffer from
less heart disease, have lower incidences of diabetes, and have
lower blood pressure than the average American. Since we associate
high fat diets with being unhealthy, this has confused a lot of
people. Shouldn't people in the Mediterranean have a higher incidence
of heart disease? Reliance on monounsaturated fats, particularly
olive oil, is generally cited as the reason for this excellent
health. This oil has also been indicated in the prevention of ulcers,
and it can be used to treat them. Red wine, another major part
of the Mediterranean diet, is known to contain powerful antioxidants,
which could be a factor in reducing cell damage.
What's surprising is that this knowledge has been around since
the mid-1940s. Information on the Mediterranean diet was first
published in 1945 by Ancel Keys, while he was stationed in Italy.
Despite this, this healthy eating plan didn't get much attention
until the 1990s. Now, people are beginning to realize that adjusting
their diets to more closely match that of traditional Mediterranean
countries could be a big boost to their overall health.
Some people have criticized this eating plan, stating that it's
not just diet that keeps people in countries around the Mediterranean
Sea healthy. That's certainly true. Without a good exercise plan
and a healthy outlook on life, the way you eat can't repair your
body by itself. However, this diet is definitely a factor. In a
study of 22,000 people living in Greece, those who ate most traditionally
had better health. They were less likely to die of cancer or heart
disease than people who didn't stick to traditional foods. They
were also twenty-five percent less likely to die over the course
of the study than others. This suggests a longer lifespan for people
who choose this particular way of eating. That means that it's
not just genetics that leads people living in this area to live
longer than other people in Europe. The way they eat plays a big
part in their health and life expectancy.
One notable conclusion from the above study is that individually,
components of the Mediterranean diet weren't as effective as all
of them in concert. Olive oil by itself, or consumption of fish
by itself didn't provide the kind of heart and cancer protection
that a traditional diet can offer. It's the interaction of all
the ingredients in the Mediterranean diet that makes it so effective.
A varied diet, using a moderate amount of "good" fats,
and low reliance on animal products helps give people living in
the Mediterranean area their excellent health, and it could help
you, too.
You can start out adjusting your diet by choosing a greater variety
of vegetables, choosing whole grains, and making olive oil your
major source of fat. Drink wine and eat cheese, but only in moderation.
Red meat should be treated in much the same way. Look for lean
cuts of red meat and poultry, and try eating a larger proportion
of fish. Substitute olive oil for butter when cooking, and try
foods like avocado to provide interest where you would use mayonnaise
or cream. You can change your diet to a healthier one without sacrificing
taste, as long as you stay creative.
The Mediterranean diet has been benefiting people who eat it traditionally
for hundreds of years. There's no reason that we can't change the
way we eat to reflect this healthier way of living, and enjoy the
great traditional foods of Mediterranean countries. This style
of diet not only helps us resist heart disease and other ailments,
but tastes great too. If you're thinking about a healthier way
of eating, try a Mediterranean style diet today.
© 2008 www.healthymediterraneans.com All Rights reserved
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