Posted by 8 Reasons Why Mediterranean Diet Is Great For Your Health
The Mediterranean Diet is one of the most popular diets in the world. There are many reasons why it’s great for your health! Here are 8 reasons why in this article.
Introduction
The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest eating plans in the world. It can help you lower your risk of heart disease, reduce your blood pressure, and reduce your cholesterol levels as well as helping you lose weight and feel better overall.
This diet can also improve your mood and help prevent depression, so it’s not just about looking good but feeling good too! Here are eight reasons why this style of eating can be great for your health.
1) The Mediterranean Diet Plan Lets You Live Longer
The Mediterranean Diet has been linked to a longer life, as well as several other health benefits such as lower rates of heart disease and cancer. The diet is known for emphasizing plant based foods such as fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains while limiting red meat and sweets.
Nutrients found in olive oil are also thought to protect against heart disease by helping maintain healthy cholesterol levels. While it’s too soon to tell if you’ll live longer just because you started following a Mediterranean diet, you can be sure your food choices will be making your life better in other ways!
Check out Mediterranean Diet books from Amazon here
2) It Improves Heart Health
Like many diets, a Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables. But it differs in that it is largely plant based, with an emphasis on olive oil. According to Dr. Donald Hensrud of The Mayo Clinic, there’s some research suggesting that a plant-based diet can improve heart health.
One study showed a reduction in cardiac risk factors among people who followed a Mediterranean diet; another showed that switching to a traditional Mediterranean diet improved some cardio-metabolic risk factors in patients with Type 2 diabetes who were obese or overweight (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism).
Also important: Olive oil (the primary fat used in cooking), is good for your heart because it contains Polyphenols and antioxidants which reduce inflammation.
3) This Diet Lowers Your Cholesterol
It helps to lower bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol, making it great for overall heart health. The diet is also said to help lower inflammation in your body. This can prevent conditions like arthritis and even certain types of cancer because they’re related to chronic inflammation. The secret is a food group called olive oil polyphenols.
4) Lowers the Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Most Med dieters report that they’ve lost weight because they eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein. They have smaller appetites and are less likely to overeat. Also, when you’re on a diet that includes a lot of fiber rich foods, like fruits, veggies and legumes.
You feel full longer after meals, which may help prevent overeating at later meals. In one study of people with type 2 diabetes in Italy who followed a Med diet for two years, 15% were able to stop using insulin without complications related to low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
Another study found similar results: People following a Mediterranean diet had twice as much improvement in Glycemic control compared with those on an American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet.
5) This Diet Helps You Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Studies show that when people switch to a Mediterranean diet, they lose more weight than those who follow low-fat diets. This may be because switching to a Mediterranean diet reduces calories and is less restrictive, making it easier to stick with.
On average, women lost five pounds and men lost about six pounds in studies comparing low-fat diets with a Mediterranean diet. Research also shows that people on a Mediterranean diet lose more belly fat than those on low-fat diets and people who eat olive oil daily tend to have healthier cholesterol levels.
6) You Get More Vitamins and Minerals In Your Diet
One of many reasons why is it so healthy to eat a Mediterranean diet is because of all of its fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re eating unprocessed food, like what you find in a Mediterranean diet, then you are getting more vitamins and minerals than if you were eating processed foods.
Processed foods don’t have as much nutrients as their natural counterparts. Also, when you cook your own meals from scratch, instead of eating out at restaurants or ordering takeout, you can control how much salt and fat goes into your meal. That way, you can make sure that there isn’t too much sodium or saturated fat in your meal, two things that could cause high blood pressure and other health problems down the road.
7) This Diet Reduces Inflammation In Your Body
Inflammation is responsible for many diseases, from cancer to diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The components of a Mediterranean diet are known to reduce inflammation by as much as 30%. The benefits of such a diet are far reaching and include: preventing obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. It also reduces insulin resistance, memory loss and breast cancer risk.
Check out Mediterranean Diet books from Amazon here
8) This Diet Helps Reduce Stress Levels
What’s more, stress can make you fat, both in terms of body weight and waist size. A great benefit of following a Mediterranean diet is that it has proven to reduce many of the negative side effects associated with chronic stress (such as constipation and high blood pressure).
In fact, when researchers looked at people who were given three different types of diets, each for six months,low-fat; low glycemic index; Mediterranean. They found that only those following a Mediterranean diet saw improvements in their levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker used to assess inflammation in someone’s body.
Snacks For Mediterranean Diet
Eat a handful of nuts or seeds for protein. 1 oz. for women, 1.5 oz. for men. 3 – 4 times per week, eat whole fruit instead of drinking juice or flavored coffee drinks (just water if you must) and watch sugar intake if you’re not fasting on Mediterranean diet days.
Having fruit every day is fine though as long as it’s no more than one piece per day, like an apple or orange in place of other snacks because they are dense in nutrients and have fewer calories and sugar than anything else offered in snack foods section at your grocery store near checkout aisle and they will keep hunger pangs away longer than almost any other food that can be found there so eat an apple a day to stay fit!
Breakfast For Mediterranean Diet
A hearty breakfast is important. According to a study in Obesity Research, dieters who ate eggs for breakfast lost 65% more weight than those who had a bagel. Start your day with two scrambled eggs, two slices of whole wheat toast and a glass of low-fat milk. Or go vegetarian with one cup of cooked oatmeal topped with one tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/2 cup of sliced banana.
A protein shake made with low-fat milk is another option that takes just seconds to prepare, but be sure to choose one without added sugar. If you have time for lunch, eat it within an hour after waking up; otherwise, wait until noon before eating again.
Mediterranean Diet Conclusion
This diet is an excellent option for those who are hoping to live longer, and it’s a great choice for those who want to reduce their risk of many chronic health conditions. This diet has shown itself to be effective in reducing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. It can also lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol levels.
The diet doesn’t have many of the restrictions that other diets do, making it more appealing to most people. There are some variations of Mediterranean diets that make it possible for individuals with food allergies or sensitivities (such as gluten intolerance) to still get benefits from following a plan similar to what is recommended here.
