What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating rather than a formal diet plan. Includes foods eaten in Greece, Spain, southern Italy, and France, and other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating foods such as fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and high-fiber breads, and olive oil. Meat, cheese and sweets are very limited. Recommended foods are rich in monounsaturated fats, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.
The Mediterranean diet is like other heart-healthy diets in that it is recommended to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber grains. But in the Mediterranean diet, an average of 35% to 40% of calories can come from fat. Most of the other heart-healthy guidelines recommend getting less than 35% of your calories from fat. The fats allowed in the Mediterranean diet are mainly from unsaturated oils, such as fish oil, olive oil and certain nut or seed oils (such as canola, soybean or flaxseed oil) and dried fruits ( walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds). These types of oils can have a protective effect on the heart.
What are the benefits?
A Mediterranean-style diet can help reduce your risk of certain diseases, improve your mood, and increase your energy levels. It can also help you keep your heart and brain healthy.
The benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet reinforce the benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, high-fiber breads, whole grains, and healthy fats.
For the heart and body, a Mediterranean-style diet can:
- Prevent heart disease.
- Reduce your risk of having a heart attack.
- Lower cholesterol
- Prevent type 2 diabetes.
- Prevent metabolic syndrome.
For your brain, a Mediterranean-style diet can help prevent:
- The stroke.
- Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
- The Depression.
- Parkinson’s disease.
How can you introduce the Mediterranean diet into your eating plan?
There are some simple steps you can take to eat more of the healthy foods that make up the Mediterranean diet. First, check what is included on the menu. Next, see what Mediterranean-type foods you can add to your meal plan.
Included in the menu
The traditional Mediterranean diet proposes:
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day, such as grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, figs, olives, spinach, eggplants, beans, lentils, and chickpeas.
- Eat a variety of whole foods each day, such as oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat bread, pasta, and couscous.
- Choose healthy (unsaturated) fats, such as nuts, olive oil, and certain nut or seed oils, such as canola, soy, and flaxseed oil. About 35% to 40% of your daily calories can come from fat, mainly unsaturated fat.
- Limit unhealthy (saturated) fats, such as butter, palm oil, and coconut oil.
- And limit the fats found in animal products, such as meat and dairy products made with whole milk.
- Eat primarily vegetarian meals that include whole grains, beans, lentils, and vegetables.
- Eat fish at least 2 times a week, such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, river trout, herring, or sardines.
- Eat moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products, such as milk, cheese, or yogurt.
- Eat moderate amounts of birds and eggs.
- Limit red meat to just a few times a month in very small amounts. For example, a serving of meat equals 3 ounces (85 g). This is about the size of a deck of playing cards.
- Limit sweets and desserts to just a few times a week. This includes beverages sweetened with sugar, such as sodas.
