Mediterranean Diet - What is it good for?
The Mediterranean diet is exactly what the word says: consuming Mediterranean food.
This diet was derived from the results of research done by the Harvard Medical School to the eating habits of countries along the Mediterranean borders.
The study pointed to low rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease throughout the region as proof of their argument. Their findings reported that heart diseases and obesity was not the result of consuming carbohydrates and fats, but rather that the RIGHT fats and carbohydrates should be the base for a healthy diet.
That means there actually is no such thing as the 'Mediterranean' diet - it's only a digest of the eating patterns of people in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Although there were many differences in actual specifics, all diets were based on the same proportions of calories and food groups, and all included olive oil as their main source of fat.
As a matter of fact, their diets contained 10% more than the recommendations made by the USDA - 40% rather than the 30% recommended for most healthy Americans. Still, the evidence was impossible to deny or disprove. Therefore, it must have been the KIND of carbohydrates and fats that make the difference.
The Mediterranean diet consists of the following guidelines:
- 60% of the total carbodydrate intake comes from grains, fruits and vegetables.
Included are pasta (made with whole grain, not refined white flour), whole rice, whole grain breads, polenta, fresh vegetables and fruits and cereals - Sparing use of fish, poultry and red meat.
In the Mediterranean diet the average adult consumes about 15 ounces of red meat and poultry per week. The bulk of their meat protein intake consists of another 5-15 ounces of fish per week.
Now, compare that to the typical American diet where we easily take a 1 pound steak for dinner one night, a 1/2 pound chicken breast the next, and on and on. - Olive Oil
Although olive oil is not exactly a miracle oil, it is, however, mono-unsaturated - a good fat. Mono-unsaturated fats help lower cholesterol rather than raising it, and are healthy ways to add fats to your diet (and yes, even though we think of fat as a dirty word, your body does need some, or it can't use many of the vitamins you feed it!)
Mediterraneans also use other healthy oils. - Activity.
The other important component of the Mediterranean lifestyle. The typical Mediterranean day includes strolling rather than driving, physical activity in the home and recreation or in the fields. Physical activity is vital when you want to lose weight and to preserve your new weight once you reach it.
The weight loss secret with the Mediterranean diet is to base your meals on healthy carbohydrates - leafy green vegetables, brightly colored vegetables, whole grains and meals. To use poultry and meat sparingly - no more than 3-6 ounces per day.
To obtain dietary fat from fish oil or from vegetable sources.
To speed up your metabolism by exercising regularly.
The Mediterranean diet isn't a weight loss regimen. It's a lifestyle, a way of eating that will help you reach your goal weight and stay there when you get there.
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