Real Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is not exactly a diet, but rather an eating style that is believed to lower your chances of developing heart disease. The diet emphasizes foods from plant sources and limiting foods that come from animal sources. The diet also emphasizes relaxation and exercise as important aspects of heart health.

History

The Mediterranean diet is modeled after the diet and lifestyle habits of the people who inhabited the Mediterranean region, specifically Crete, in the 1960s. The people in these areas had low incidences of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, and also had a long life expectancy. According to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake, the rate of heart disease in Crete was 90 percent lower than that of Americans.

Focus on Plants

Plant-based foods provide the basis of the Mediterranean diet. When following a Mediterranean diet, you should aim to consume seven to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You should also frequently consume whole grains, legumes and nuts. "Nutrition and You" notes that 60 percent of calories in a Mediterranean diet are supplied by plant-based foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole-grains should be consumed every day, fish and poultry should be consumed weekly and other meat should only be consumed a couple of times per month.

Healthy Fats

The Mediterranean diet does not make suggestions on how much fat you should eat, but rather the types of fat you should eat. The diet eliminates saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats. These types of fat can contribute to the development of heart disease. The primary source of fat on the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, which is rich in monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat helps to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. According to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake, more than 75 percent of the fat in the diet of Mediterraneans was from olives and olive oil. The Mediterranean diet also encourages intake of fats from nuts, seeds, vegetable oils and fatty fish, such as salmon, trout, herring and mackerel. Fish is a regular component of the Mediterranean diet.

Wine

A real Mediterranean diet includes the regular consumption of wine. When following a Mediterranean diet, women are allowed to consume 5 ounces of wine per day and men are allowed to consume no more than 10 ounces of wine per day. MayoClinic.com notes that consuming over these amounts may contribute to health problems and increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Considerations

In addition to focusing on the right types of foods, the Mediterranean diet places a large emphasis on physical activity. The Mediterranean residents were very active and because of this, were able to stay lean without a strict focus on portion control. The Mediterranean diet suggests that you incorporate daily physical activity into any healthy eating plan.