Mediterranean Diet And Foods Plan

A Mediterranean diet is considered the latest trend in the healthy food diets around the world; this is because of its rigid compliance with the recommendations of the American Heart Association. Researchers have found that a Mediterranean style diet reduces the incidence of heart diseases in the citizens of this particular region as opposed to those in Americans, by a large margin. The Mediterranean diet food depends mainly on foods from plant origins, like vegetables, legumes, beans, and fruits.



 Although there are 16 countries and regions overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, and they all have different cuisines and food habits, they also have some common features that they all share. All of these countries consume carbohydrates such as pasta and bread constantly in every meal. Different kinds of vegetables and beans also constitute a regular dish in their meals, either served cooked or as a salad. Steamed and grilled fish and lobsters are also consumed on regular basis. Lean meat and pork are occasionally consumed people living in the Mediterranean region.



 Researchers have also found that people of this region consume dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt several times a week. Researchers have discovered that yoghurt, especially Greek yoghurt, contains some yeast and bacterial types that are of great use to the human body. They can reduce colon cancer and facilitate digestion, thereby enabling the body to perform at its most efficient. The largely rural people of the region are known to perform handy work all the time. This allows their bodies to burn a lot of calories and consume the carbohydrates that they eat.

 These are the main points of the Mediterranean diet plan. A more detailed explanation can be found in the Mediterranean diet pyramid. This pyramid explains the food habits of the citizens of the region. At the base of the pyramid, vegetables, beans, and fruits along with pasta and bread sit as the pillars of Mediterranean meals. Above that comes olive oil as a source of unsaturated fat and garlic as a cardio protector and a potent anti oxidant. In the next step, all the dairy products are consumed regularly every week, fish and chicken are also consumed every week but less often. Meat is the last step of that pyramid and it is consumed several times per month. The entire pyramid also stresses on regular exercise and moderate to low consumption of wine. Both of these items help to maintain a balanced body with regular bowel movements and a healthy heart.

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