Reasons To Eat According To The Mediterranean Diet.
As its name suggests, the Mediterranean Diet is a dietary plan based on the culinary customs of the Mediterranean. It focuses heavily on grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts, with reduced quantities of red meats, poultry, eggs and sweets. It also favors olive oil over shortening, butter and margarine.
Following the Mediterranean Diet may offer several health benefits.
Heart Health
Following the Mediterranean Diet may reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It limits many of the saturated fats found in the standard American diet, such as those derived from pork, beef, eggs, whole milk dairy products and dark-meat poultry. This may reduce “bad” cholesterol in your bloodstream that can contribute to arterial blockages and promote heart disease. The Mediterranean diet’s focus on grains and produce provides a wealth of dietary fiber, which may also help reduce “bad” cholesterol.
Reduced Cancer Risk
Because the Mediterranean Diet encourages you to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, it supplies a wealth of antioxidant vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin A and zinc, found in these foods. Antioxidants may prevent free radical molecules in your body from receiving necessary oxygen to attach to and damage healthy bone, organ and muscle tissue cells. This may prevent the formation and spread of cancer cells, according to Phyllis Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.”
Obesity Prevention
The structure and food choices of the Mediterranean Diet may help prevent weight gain and obesity. Instead of focusing on refined grains, which are common in the United States, the Mediterranean Diet focuses on whole-grain breads and rice. This may reduce the amount of glucose that your body stores as fat. Saturated fats, which this diet discourages, are linked to weight gain, according to the “Journal of the Obesity Society.”
Diabetes Prevention and Management
The Mediterranean Diet may provide benefits for diabetics, as well as those with a family history of diabetes, according to the June 2008 issue of “British Medical Journal.” Because the whole grains in the Mediterranean Diet have a less drastic effect on blood glucose than white-flour products, they may help prevent the diabetes-related symptoms of blood sugar spikes, such as fainting, headaches and fatigue. The dietary fiber in Mediterranean Diet foods may also help control blood glucose levels, which may help you prevent or manage diabetes.
