The Mediterranean Diet
Most people, at some point in their life, pick up a few pounds. Some people have battled with weight almost their entire lives. Losing weight doesn’t get easier with age. Losing weight as you get older actually becomes harder. That’s because as we age, our metabolism slows down. If you’re thinking about losing weight, ask yourself the following questions:
When you look in the mirror, are you unhappy? Would you like to drop some unwanted pounds? Would you like to forget about a “diet” and have an eating plan that you can stick to for life? Would you like to be able to lose weight and do something good for your heart at the same time? Would you like to do something that’s proven to work and is simple?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, then the Mediterranean diet may be right for you. The Mediterranean diet gets its name because the foods you eat on the Mediterranean diet are the same foods that the people who live along the Mediterranean eat. These people are exceptionally healthy, live long lives, and don’t suffer from obesity. Researchers attribute these factors to the foods they eat.
The Mediterranean diet is very heart healthy. Not only does it help to tackle one of the major health concerns of the Western world, obesity, it also helps to fight against another major one, heart disease. When it comes to ease of implementation, the Mediterranean diet is very simple to follow.
When you are on the Mediterranean diet, you are going to eliminate all processed foods. This means that you are going to be using raw fruits and vegetables for all of your meals. You’re also going to avoid foods that are high in fat or saturated fat.
This means that you will drink 2%, 1%, or skim milk instead of whole milk. You can have fat free yogurt and reduced fat cheese. You need to completely avoid trans fats and partially hydrogenated oil.
The Mediterranean diet also relies heavily on fish as the protein. Skinless chicken or turkey can be consumed once a week. Red meats, because of their high fat content, should be limited to only a few times a month.
You will be able to have pasta and bread while on the Mediterranean diet. It is best if you eat whole grain or wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. You should also avoid butter on your bread because of the fats. Instead, you can dip it in a small amount of olive oil.
When preparing your food, cooking with butter should be very limited. On the Mediterranean diet, you should prepare food with olive or canola oil. These have healthy fats in them. They should still be used sparingly, because they are high in calories.
Another aspect to the Mediterranean diet is that you should drink a glass of red wine with your dinner each day. It’s been shown that red wine, in moderation, is good for the heart and has anti-oxidant properties. If you don’t drink wine, it’s okay. You can substitute 100% pure grape juice for the wine. The grape juice has the same anti-oxidant properties.
The Mediterranean diet also requires you to eat several small meals throughout the day. This has been shown to help people lose weight. It will help you to feel full all day, so you won’t have cravings.
If the Mediterranean diet sounds right for you, you should consult your doctor. Once your doctor gives you the okay, you can quickly and easily implement this eating plan. Because it’s not really a “diet” in the traditional sense, but a healthy way to eat, you will be able to stick with it for life.