Why you should be adopting a Mediterranean diet today

Mediterranean diet got pretty famous right after a 1950s study by Canadian physiologist named Ancel Keys. The study found that even low income groups like southern Italy and Greece had healthier people than the USA and Finland. The succeeding studies indicated that Mediterranean diet was indeed one of the healthiest diets in the world. The whole lifestyle facilitates having a strong immunity naturally, maintaining a healthy weight, and living longer. The answer lies in having lots of fruits and vegetables and the occasional meat to stay healthy.

Some of the healthiest foods that form a part of the Mediterranean diet include berries, oranges, and melons. Berries are considered to be a super food. This is in addition to greens like Spinach and Kale. For healthy fats, the diet uses nuts like almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and seeds. They also have their share of legumes, grains, and their seafood is always fresh. For milk, they use the goat milk and probiotic yogurt for dairy products. To top it all, everything is cooked in olive oil, which also happens to be their biggest contribution to the world. For drinks, they stick to red whine, which has resveratrol (which helps keep your heart healthy).

Some of the things, which are visibly different in Mediterranean diet compared to the good old European diet are pasta, pizza, and processed meats. In addition to their diet, the most important thing that keeps the people in the Mediterranean happy is their lifestyle. The Mediterranean lifestyle is based on being happy and physically active. They mostly have big meals together in which the whole family dines together. Studies have shown that eating with the whole family is associated with lower stress levels, lesser chances of having an anxiety attack, and lesser chances of depression.

The Mediterranean diet mix

A major portion of their diet has whole grains like Bran, which is supposed to fiber rich besides being rich in minerals and anti-oxidants. Refined grains on the other hand have their germ and bran removed, leaving behind only carb rich contents. The second most important component of their diet is legumes. Legumes are fiber rich and promote healthy bowel movement helping you lost weight, besides keeping your heart in good health by maintaining blood sugar levels. And finally, the fruits and vegetables consumed in Mediterranean diet is a lot more than consumed by Americans. The diet typically consists of at least 7-10 servings a day. This helps maintain immunity as fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.

To supplement all this, they always catch fresh sea food instead of eating processed meat. This together with nuts and seeds is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which helps brain and heart. And when everything is cooked in Olive oil, it reduces bodily inflammation, improves metabolism, decreases the risk of cardiac arrest, and improves blood pressure. Besides, the type of dairy they use is always grass fed, which leaves no room for chemicals to enter their body. They also consume healthy probiotic yogurt, which helps maintain gut health. And finally, for their drinks, they prefer to consume red wine instead of hard liquor or sweetened drinks.

Why you should be adopting a Mediterranean style of diet today by FactDr