The popularity of the Mediterranean diet has occasioned a variety of similar weight-loss plans based on the same premise --- to eat as people do in southern Europe. According to the Mayo Clinic, the practice in that region is not necessarily to avoid bread and pasta, but to make sure they are whole-grain varieties. The region's natives limit red meat and stress the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. The result can be better health and happier dieters. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet regimen.
Rules
Most Mediterranean-style diets limit red meat to a few times a month and eggs to no more than four a week. Replace meat with fish and poultry, and butter and margarine with olive or other heart-healthy oils, such as canola, the Mayo Clinic instructs. The bulk of each meal --- totaling roughly 10 servings a day --- should consist of plant-based foods such as grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Herbs, spices and moderate amounts of wine are allowed. The wine lover's diet, one version of the Mediterranean diet, forbids any processed foods, the eDiet website reports. According to the Medical News Today website, the original Mediterranean diet allows up to 35 percent of your daily calories to come from fat, but only 8 percent should come from saturated fats.
Lifestyle Adjustment
Southern European diets are about how you eat, Mireille Guiliano, author of "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure," told "USA Today" in 2005: Gobbling down food as you rush to your next appointment is against the rules. Savor your meals while dining with family or friends. Dr. Tedd Goldfinger, who developed the wine lover's diet as an easy way for Americans to follow the Mediterranean path, explained to eDiet that you will not only eat less this way, but if you follow the food guidelines, you will also eat better.
Recommended Foods
Fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids. Most Mediterranean-style diets recommend salmon, tuna, mackerel and trout. Choose natural peanut butter over processed varieties that contain hydrogenated fat, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Recommended nuts include almonds, walnuts and cashews, the Mayo Clinic reports. Confine desserts to fresh fruit choices.
Benefits
According to the Mayo Clinic, the Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risks of heart disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. It also lowers LDL, the "bad" cholesterol.
Warning
The Mayo Clinic warns that although most Mediterranean-style diets allow for, and sometimes even encourage, the consumption of wine, you should not start drinking if it was never your habit before. Although wine has shown beneficial properties for fighting pulmonary disease and cognitive degeneration and providing antioxidants, according to Goldfinger, the alcohol content represents a portion of its health benefits. Limit wine consumption to 5 ounces a day if you are a woman and 10 oz. a day for men, and avoid it entirely if you have any history of heart or liver disease.
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