BENEFITS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

According to nutritionists, the Mediterranean diet is the most balanced diet for long term physical and mental health. The Mediterranean diet promotes foods that are the Greek staples, such as, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, seeds and herbs. Additionally, it promotes moderate consumption of dairy products, poultry, fish and other seafood, and even less sweets and red meat. Red wine is another favorite of this diet. But it’s not just about the food! It’s also also maintaining good physical health in combination with eating fresh, local and seasonal foods.

This popular diet was recognized in 1993, but the eating habits of the Mediterranean people have been studied since the 1960s, when scientists concluded that people from those areas had the lowest rate of chronic diseases in the world! The famous Mediterranean diet pyramid scheme, summarizes the variety of foods consumed by people living around the region based on the frequency of their consumption per day, week and month, instead of measuring portions and ingredients by grams and calorie intake as other diets often do.

Presently, with Western influence, the Mediterranean people have adopted a more different style of eating, leading to various problems and diseases over the years. Due to fast food and faster lifestyles, the Mediterranean diet that nurtured generations of people is more necessary than ever. Thousands of studies have concluded that by following the Mediterranean diet, chances of developing diseases related to nutrition are significantly reduced. Diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular problems, various types of cancers and problems leading to strokes have less chances of being developed.

Why You Should Be on The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet offers countless benefits because it focuses on the frequency of consumption of a variety of groups of foods. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans and nuts are rich in fibers, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, therefore should be consumed daily to strengthen our immune system.

Moderate consumption of dairy, poultry and seafood offer great benefits to our bones, vision, heart and nervous system while rare consumption of red meat offers the exact amount of proteins and iron that our bodies need, without worrying about the dangers from the saturated fatty acids that come along from its daily consumption, as in western eating habits. Red wine helps the cardiovascular system and keeps the good cholesterol in check.

1. Healthy Lifestyle & Longevity

It helps maintain a healthy lifestyle and longevity. Aside from the fruits, nuts, vegetables and legumes, the Mediterranean diet promotes consumption of olive oil in great amounts. Some people even drink a tablespoon of olive oil daily! You may want to read about the benefits of extra virgin olive oil as well.

2. Easy to Follow

It’s one of the easiest diets to follow. You are not restrained by specific foods that can’t be obtained locally. You are not restrained by never eating animal products ever again. Balance, moderation and variety is the essential philosophy of the Mediterranean diet.

3. The Perfect Weight

Some say that the Mediterranean diet is not suitable for weight loss. That’s not true. If planned properly and followed long-term with moderate consumption, there will be no need for weight loss in the first place.

4. Sustainable & Green

The Mediterranean diet is sustainable for the planet and its people. Eat fresh, seasonal and local. Get to know your local grocer, farmer, and butcher.

Mediterranean Diet Misconceptions

Fish are packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids and their consumption is encouraged weekly or at least bi-weekly. But exotic fish and seafood have no place in the Mediterranean Diet. Of course eating various seafood has its own benefits, providing us essential nutrients but they were never meant for daily consumption, as we often see.

The Mediterranean diet is an organized eating pattern based on balance, moderation and variety. The real Mediterranean diet is mostly a plant based diet, which includes frequent consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, moderate consumption of seafood, poultry and dairy and rare consumption of red meat. People used to eat red meat as a form of celebration, they did not include it in their everyday life either. Daily consumption of any animal products is linked to heart and other diseases. Various methods of cultivation, harvesting, processing, preparation and delivery may affect the chemical composition as well as the nutritional value of exotic seafood.

Want to get more tips on how to include the Mediterranean diet in your lifestyle? Read our article about the Mediterranean diet.

Mediterranean Diet is Good for the Environment

The Mediterranean Diet promotes fresh, local and seasonal foods and ingredients which means good for the economy, people, society, and the planet. When you buy local, you cut down on overall waste that contributes to pollution.

The cost of food waste, mass production and the delivery of imported foods are ruining our environment. According to Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations (FAO), approximately one third of our global human food production goes to waste. So if you buy locally sourced foods, then you are helping with this problem!

The Mediterranean Diet is Budget-friendly

People have lived long healthy lives on fresh vegetables and fruits, herbs, bread and olive oil, nuts and seeds and moderate consumption of animal products for generations and generations following the Mediterranean diet. Nowadays, we have organic foods on supermarket shelves, but not everyone in the world can afford that. It’s worth checking our local farmer’s market. We don’t need complex recipes either. In fact, check out these 6 Must-Try Mediterranean Diet recipes.

Focus on local and seasonal foods instead of processed packaged deals and exotic foods from the edge of the world and you’ll notice the difference, both in your wallet and your overall health. Don’t fall into the trap of extremely cheap food deals though, you’ll only be slowly killing yourself and your own family. Did you know that healthcare for excess weight and obesity, costs around $2 trillion dollars globally per year?

So let’s all try together and do some good for this planet and its people finally, by choosing to follow the Mediterranean diet properly and make sure we get all the benefits it offers!

Have a look at our shop for extra virgin olive oil as an essential component of the Mediterranean diet and more!