Mediterranean Diet

Taking a look at the chronic disease rate (cancer, heart disease, etc.) of the people living near the Mediterranean Sea and the fact they have a longer life span than other more industrial areas. It is easy to see why this is a popular diet.

The diets focus is on eating plant based foods. These foods include grains (as pasta), fruits, nuts, vegetables and legumes. The diet also calls for use of olive oil as a nonsaturated fat that does not raise cholesterol levels as saturated fat oils. Olive oil is also a strong antioxidant.

Red meat and other meats are consumed far less that other cultures. The main focus of a dish is often a vegetable and the meat portion of a meal is more the side dish. The results of less disease and longer and more active lifespan can be a convincing reason to adopt these eating habits.

The following items are also considered as part of the Mediterranean Diet.

•  Eat yogurt and cheese daily in moderate amounts.
•  Red meat is eaten about once a month only.
•  Saturated fat should be kept to less than 7% of total calories and total dietary fat should be about 25 to 35 percent of your energy.
•  Drink one to two glasses of wine daily with your meals.
•  Avoid deserts with high fat content and eat a lot of fresh fruits.
•  Avoid processed foods.

Most of you food should be as fresh as possible, avoid foods that may be shipped from far away as they may spend as much as 10, 20 or even more than 30 days in transit and loose potency. Processed foods should be kept to an absolute minimum. As with most diets physical activity and exercise is an important part.