The Mediterranean Diet is one that is rich in heart healthy fats, lean meats, fruit and vegetables. The modern version of the diet is an adaptation of the one enjoyed by people residing in Greece and the Greek Island of Crete. Cretan people have less incidences of cancer and heart disease than we do in United States. The diet is considered highly beneficial because it promotes a healthy lifestyle and helps heart attack sufferers reduce heart disease.
Structure
When compared to the American Food Pyramid, the Mediterranean diet Pyramid includes weekly consumption cold water fish like sardine and salmon plus at least nine servings of vegetables per day. Olive oils,whole grains, fruit, beans, vegetables are encouraged as part of daily consumption. Poultry, eggs, nuts, cheese and yogurt are limited to weekly inclusion. Red meat, saturated and hydrogenated fats are left with little room for consumption
Wine Consumption
Greek people people often enjoy red wine with meals and the Mediterranean Diet allots for that. Red wine is rich in anti-oxidants like Reveratrol, a compound shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the human body. These anti-inflammatory effects have been shown to slow the progression of cells mutated by cancer and heart disease. Drinking moderate amounts of red wine per day is best to reap the benefits. That means one drink per day for women and two drinks for men.
Weight Management
People in the Mediterranean are historically more active than their American counterparts. Fishing, working, house-work, walking and family time are all prominent aspects of the active Mediterranean lifestyle. Being active and consuming a diet high in complex carbohydrates and low in saturated fats can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Cardiovascular Results
Diets rich low in cholesterol from saturated fats and high in activity are also beneficial to heart health. The Mediterranean diet is lowest in fat with less than 25 to 35 percent of total energy allocated to fat consumption. In comparison, the American diet recommends that 30 percent of your total calories be allocated to fat. The physical activity recommendations of the diet increases HDL in most people as does the moderate consumption of red wine.
Anti-Cancer Results
The anti-inflammatory effects of the Mediterranean diet also extends to cancer reduction. A diet high in unrefined foods has been shown to reduce tumor growth especially in cancers of the upper digestive tract. The high antioxidant load of so many fruit, vegetables and long chained fatty acids are effective in lowering both cancer risk and progression.
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