Why Is The Mediterranean Diet So Popular?
As I have been living in Italy for the last thirty years, I can vouch for the great qualities of the Mediterranean diet. It is well known that the incidence of heart disease is less in Mediterranean countries than in the USA. The same is true for cancer rates. There is a possibility that this diet may play a part in slowing Alzheimer's disease. It has been studied and researched all over the world.
The Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Greece and southern Italy have always had a long dietary tradition of good food based on natural healthy ingredients. This now forms the basis of the Mediterranean Diet which has become famous all over the world. Why is it so famous? Partly because many scientific bodies, such as Harvard University, have carried out extensive research which shows that this diet is effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks and lowering cancer rates as well.
Many people seek to lose weight by means of surgical operations. If that is the road you would like to take, then the Mediterranean Diet is not really suitable for you. The diet is easy to follow and encourages you to make simple delicious meals.
This diet is versatile. You do not have to follow complicated meal plans and recipes. Once you have learnt how to prepare a small number of dishes, you vary and adapt these to make lots of tasty meals. Once you have the great ingredients, it really is quite simple.
The basis of the Mediterranean Diet is that it has lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, legumes, bread and other cereals. Olive oil is an important ingredient too as indeed is red wine which is allowed in moderate quantities. Essentially, animal products consumption such as re meat is limited while fish is preferred to chicken and other white meats. Most dishes are served warm and there is very little raw food as such. This diet has lots of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and fibre and there is a reduced intake of saturated fats.
More on red wine as lots of people ask about this. Red wine is recommended at meal times because it contains lots of plant elements such as phytonutrients which are essential for good health. In addition, red wine has flavanoids which are a powerful antioxidant which is a great help in reversing the process of ageing. A less enjoyable alternative (perhaps) is to drink grape juice - it has almost all the same elements as red wine.
What about cholesterol - will a Mediterranean diet really lower it ? There is quite a lot of research which has been done on this and demonstrates that bad cholestrol can be reduced if you follow this diet. That is also why you should always reduce your intake of saturated fats because they are very bad for cholesterol. This is the reason you will never see full-fat dairy and large quantities of red meat in this diet ! Virgin olive oil is also a staple in this diet as it has been shown to lower blood pressure and also reduce blood sugar.
There are many food outlets now which supply all the ingredients you will need to follow the Mediterranean Diet. Delis and restaurants specializing in this type of food are now in many locations. In the link below, you will find that there are tons of tasty recipes which can be easily prepared.
The Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Greece and southern Italy have always had a long dietary tradition of good food based on natural healthy ingredients. This now forms the basis of the Mediterranean Diet which has become famous all over the world. Why is it so famous? Partly because many scientific bodies, such as Harvard University, have carried out extensive research which shows that this diet is effective in reducing the risk of heart attacks and lowering cancer rates as well.
Many people seek to lose weight by means of surgical operations. If that is the road you would like to take, then the Mediterranean Diet is not really suitable for you. The diet is easy to follow and encourages you to make simple delicious meals.
This diet is versatile. You do not have to follow complicated meal plans and recipes. Once you have learnt how to prepare a small number of dishes, you vary and adapt these to make lots of tasty meals. Once you have the great ingredients, it really is quite simple.
The basis of the Mediterranean Diet is that it has lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, legumes, bread and other cereals. Olive oil is an important ingredient too as indeed is red wine which is allowed in moderate quantities. Essentially, animal products consumption such as re meat is limited while fish is preferred to chicken and other white meats. Most dishes are served warm and there is very little raw food as such. This diet has lots of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and fibre and there is a reduced intake of saturated fats.
More on red wine as lots of people ask about this. Red wine is recommended at meal times because it contains lots of plant elements such as phytonutrients which are essential for good health. In addition, red wine has flavanoids which are a powerful antioxidant which is a great help in reversing the process of ageing. A less enjoyable alternative (perhaps) is to drink grape juice - it has almost all the same elements as red wine.
What about cholesterol - will a Mediterranean diet really lower it ? There is quite a lot of research which has been done on this and demonstrates that bad cholestrol can be reduced if you follow this diet. That is also why you should always reduce your intake of saturated fats because they are very bad for cholesterol. This is the reason you will never see full-fat dairy and large quantities of red meat in this diet ! Virgin olive oil is also a staple in this diet as it has been shown to lower blood pressure and also reduce blood sugar.
There are many food outlets now which supply all the ingredients you will need to follow the Mediterranean Diet. Delis and restaurants specializing in this type of food are now in many locations. In the link below, you will find that there are tons of tasty recipes which can be easily prepared.
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