Ever thought about trying out the Mediterranean diet but not sure what it is and whether it truly is the healthiest option for your current health state? If you want to know more about this eating style, you’ve come to the right place! This is a quick overview of one of the most popular dietary patterns.
What Is a Mediterranean Diet?
The term Mediterranean diet became known via nutrition researcher Ancel Keys who promoted it in his 1975 book
How to eat well and stay well the Mediterranean way. It is based on the diet which was typical for the healthiest population groups in the Seven Countries Study: Greece, Italy and Croatia. Since then, research results have confirmed many of its benefits and the diet has become popular in practically all media publications. Although there are no strict rules for it, the Mediterranean Diet mainly focuses on meals high in vegetables, whole grains, fruits, beans, seeds, nuts, blue fish and olive oil, and especially as unrefined as possible.
The main idea is to eat:
- A lot of healthy fats (mainly olive oil), fruits, and vegetables preferably freshly prepared and unrefined.
- Protein sources are seafoo, beans, poultry, and eggs.
- Moderate levels of dairy products, preferably locally prepared.
- More spices and herbs and reduced amounts of salt.
Just small amounts of red meat. way.
Paired with increased physical activity, the Mediterranean Diet should be part of a healthy
Lifestyle.
Health Benefits
The Mediterranean diet is packed with nutritional benefits. There is enough research that shows the positive effects of this dietary pattern.
Not only can it keep the body healthy and strong, but it also improves the nutrient absorption rate and reduce the risk of
muscle weakness by around
70%.
Here is what research has to say.
Based on reports from
AHA Journals, the diet can effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular illnesses and overall mortality rates. In fact, in one
clinical trial of almost 26,000 women who stuck to this diet managed to reduce their chances of developing heart problems by a staggering 28%.
But that’s not all. According to the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Mediterranean-style dietary pattern can offer a lot more. Based on the statistics from over 11,000 women and 6,000 men, those who consumed the Mediterranean diet reduced the total mortality rate by 7%.
Other
research showed similar results. It seems that the dietary pattern effectively reduced inflammation and blood sugar levels in volunteers. Those who supplemented the diet with nuts or extra virgin olive oil even reduced the risk of stroke-induced death by about 30%.
Further
studies showed more amazing results. The diet also proved effective in decreasing the possibility of a metabolic syndrome. In one year, the prevalence rate was decreased by 6.7% and later on by 13.7%. That’s a lot coming from a single style of eating.
