The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is different. Instead of focusing on what you can't have, it focuses on what you can have -- the very best, freshest, healthiest foods."
Basic Ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet:
Fresh, healthy food
The staples of the Mediterranean diet include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, seafood, yogurt, olive oil, and small amounts of wine. Food should be eaten in season and locally grown, and Mediterrean dieters avoid processed food.
Portion control
The Mediterranean diet focuses on small portions of high-quality food. "When food tastes delicious, a little is enough because your senses have been satisfied," And healthy fats like olive oil and nuts, which are staples of the Mediterranean diet, keep you feeling fuller longer than diets that restrict fat or forbid it altogether.
Healthy fats
Unlike most diets, the Mediterranean diet doesn't cut fat consumption across the board. Rather than limiting total fat intake, the Mediterranean diet makes wise choices about the type of fats that are used. On the menu are the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, nuts, and avocados; and polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, and trout); and fat from plant sources, like flaxseed. Limiting processed and packaged foods keeps the diet extremely low in unhealthy trans fats, which have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Olive oil
The Mediterranean people use olive oil in almost everything they eat, including pastas, breads, vegetables, salads, fish, and even cakes and pastries. It's the principal fat in the Mediterranean diet, replacing other fats and oils, including butter and margarine. What's so healthy about olive oil? Researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia found that oleocanthal, a compound in olive oil, may reduce inflammation, which could help prevent conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and autoimmune diseases, as well as certain cancers.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Found in abundance in the Mediterranean diet, omega-3 fatty acids are bursting with health benefits. Fatty acids have been shown to reduce the incidence of heart attacks, blood clots, hypertension, and strokes; and may prevent certain forms of cancer and lower the risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
More vegetables, less meat
A diet higher in plant foods and lower in animal products has been linked to decreased incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. The traditional Mediterranean diet is practically vegetarian, with lots of fish and very little meat. As for vegetables, Mediterranean people feast on tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, capers, spinach, eggplant, mushrooms, white beans, lentils, and chick peas, according to Stutman.
Wine
Many Mediterranean people drink a glass or two of wine each night with dinner. But portions are small, generally about three ounces (a third of a small wine glass or two shot glasses). When taken in small amounts, wine has been linked to lower rates of heart disease, likely due to the presence of antioxidants like transresveratrol and oligomeric proanthocyanidin (OPC), which keep blood circulation healthy and prevent blood clots from forming.
Whole grains
Whole grain foods like bread, pasta, potatoes, polenta, rice, and couscous are a key part of the Mediterranean diet. In their natural state, grains are full of cancer and heart disease-fighting fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. But stripping the grain's outer layers to make white flour and white rice eliminates these benefits, reducing the healthy whole grain to little more than empty calories. Whole grains provide energy and calories with little fat, and because they're slow to digest (thanks to their high-fiber content), they help you feel fuller longer.
One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,found that men who increased their intake of whole grains experienced less middle-aged weight gain than other men. And in a 14-year study of over 34,000 people, Canadian researchers found that those who reported eating the most brown rice, dark breads, popcorn, whole grain cereal, and other whole grains (about three servings per day) were 23% less likely to develop gum disease than those who ate less than one daily serving. Filling up on whole grains helps your body metabolize glucose more efficiently, which lowers inflammation.
Fruit for dessert
Forget gooey pastries and sickly sweet treats: For Mediterranean people, fresh fruit is the typical daily dessert. Taking advantage of fruit's natural sweetness has double benefits. First, what you gain: the fiber and nutrients in fruits like apples, grapes, and oranges. What you lose: the added sugar, calories, chemicals, and unhealthy fats in sweet, processed desserts.
And there's good news if you're pressed for time: Fruit that's been cut and stored ahead of time may be just as nutritious as freshly cut fruit, researchers from Spain and the U.S. report. Researchers sliced pineapples, mangoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, strawberries, and kiwi fruit, then packaged and chilled it. Nine days later, they measured the antioxidant levels of each of the fruits, including vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolics, and found no significant difference in nutrient quality between the cut fruits and fruits that had been stored whole.
Health benefits
Research supports the health boosting qualities of the Mediterranean diet. In a 12-year study of close to 2,500 people, researchers found those who followed the Mediterranean diet had a significant decrease in body weight, blood pressure, blood fats, and blood sugar and insulin levels -- health benefits that contribute to a longer life expectancy than that of people who follow a Western diet. Eating the Mediterranean way may also protect the brain. In a 4-year study, researchers from Columbia University Medical Center found that subjects who followed the diet had up to 40% less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who followed a typical Western way of eating.
Potential pitfalls
The only downside to this diet is that people often consume too many total fat calories. Even though these fats are "healthy fats," any fat eaten in excess will cause you to pack on weight.
Walk this way
"In addition to eating healthy meals, Mediterranean people spend a great deal of time walking. "They walk to work and to visit friends, and take leisurely strolls through their cities and countrysides, staying in shape with little or no thought to aerobic activity. Walking just comes naturally." When you can, include exercise in your day by meeting a friend for a stroll instead of coffee, or walking to the store instead of jumping in the car.
Whole-life approach
"The Mediterranean diet is more than just a diet -- it's a lifestyle. "Finding fulfillment in exercise, the outdoors, and nurturing relationships -- all part of living Mediterranean style -- will help prevent you falling back into unhealthy habits. It's the most pleasurable way of eating and living.