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|Live Longer and Healthier with the Mediterranean Diet|
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan that reduces heart disease and type 2 diabetes risks. Learn how to change your unhealthy American Style diet to a heart healthy Mediterranean Style diet from the nutrition and health experts at Muscle Mag Fitness without having to pack up and leave the country.
The Mediterranean diet comes from countries like Italy and Greece. It's high in foods that provide health benefits like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil. It also includes low amounts of meat, dairy and saturated fats, trans fatty acids and moderate alcohol consumption.
Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:
Fruits, vegetables and grains
The traditional diet among some Mediterranean countries includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. This eating pattern has been associated with a lower level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation — a change in LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) that makes it more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.
Grains in the Mediterranean region typically contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet there. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten without butter or margarines, which contain saturated fat or trans fats.
The Mediterranean diet is similar to the American Heart Association's Step I diet, but it contains less cholesterol and has more fats that contain the beneficial linolenic acid (a type of omega-3 fatty acids). These fat sources include olive oil, canola oil and nuts, particularly walnuts. Fish — another source of omega-3 fatty acids — is eaten on a regular basis in the Mediterranean diet. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides and may provide an anti-inflammatory effect helping to stabilize the blood vessel lining. The Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (trans fatty acids), both of which contribute to heart disease.
Choosing oils and fats
Olive oil. All types of olive oil provide monounsaturated fat, but "extra-virgin" or "virgin" oil are the least processed forms, and so contain the highest levels of the protective plant compounds that provide antioxidant effects.
Nuts. Nuts are high in fat — up to 80 percent of their calories — but tree nuts, including walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazel nuts, are low in saturated fat. Walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts are high in calories, so they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid honey-roasted or heavily salted nuts.
Studies show that light intake of alcohol (preferably red wine) is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, even when they follow a diet high in saturated fat. Red wine has an aspirin-like effect, reducing the blood's ability to clot, and also contains antioxidants, and studies show it may also lower blood sugar and be an aid to those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
The Mediterranean diet typically includes some red wine, but this should be consumed only in moderation. This means no more than one 5-ounce glass of wine daily for women (or men over age 65), and no more than two 5-ounce glasses of wine daily for men under age 65. Any more than this increases the risk of health problems, including increased risk of certain types of cancer.
Benefits of the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean eating style significantly reduces the risk of further heart disease in individuals who had already had a heart attack. Studies also show that the Mediterranean diet reduced metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that puts people at a much higher risk for heart disease and type 2 , including its complications. later in life like obesity, fat buildup in the arteries, high blood pressure, obesity, and glucose or blood sugar intolerance.
People on the Mediterranean diet had significant decreases in metabolic syndrome symptoms and risk factors and improvements in good cholesterol compared to those who weren't on the diet. There was also evidence that the healthier eaters suffered less from the inflammation of cells that may contribute to the risk of disease.
ImplementationYou can successfully incorporate the Mediterranean diet into your life by being an informed consumer and a smart shopper. Choose plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, limit intake of red meat, eat fish — not fried or laden with butter or heavy sauces — at least once a week, don't be afraid of healthy fats such as olive oil, nuts and canola oil (but use these in moderation because of their high calorie content), and reduce or eliminate saturated fat and trans fatty acids (also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils) from your diet. Read food labels to see what you're really buying. Here are some specific steps you can take:
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