The new year has just begun but there are already those who are looking forward to spring and the summer costume test. What then is the best diet to follow to lose weight in the short term? The answer is simple: the Mediterranean diet. It is based on the traditional way of eating of the 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Greece, Italy, Croatia, Lebanon, Turkey and Monaco. The bottom line is that, according to years of research and evidence, eating mostly plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, incorporating whole grains, beans, nuts, seafood, lean poultry, and unsaturated fats from extra virgin olive oil is really good for general well-being.
People from many different cultures around the world already embrace this way of eating. They simply use different varieties of produce, seafood, herbs and spices. After all, what matters is that many nutrient-dense foods are consumed on a regular basis. The Mediterranean diet focuses on quality rather than a single nutrient or food group. It is a simple but effective approach: numerous studies have shown that this dietary model reduces the risk of certain chronic health conditionssuch as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, while promoting a longer lifespan and a better quality of life.
As Health.usnews.com reports, the nutritional value and health benefits of the Mediterranean diet were first documented in the Seven Countries Study seminar, which investigated the relationship between diet and heart disease among 13,000 men living in Greece, Italy, Japan, Finland, the former Yugoslavia, the Netherlands and the United States from 1958 to 1999. The study showed that the type of fat (saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) is much more important for cardiovascular health than total fat intake . Even up to 40 percent of total calories from fat can be heart-friendly, since most of the fats consumed are unsaturated, while saturated fats are limited.
There is no “one” Mediterranean diet. The Greeks eat differently from the Italians, who eat differently from the French and the Spanish. But they share many of the same principles. Working with the Harvard School of Public Health and the World Health Organization, Oldways, a nonprofit food think tank in Boston, developed a consumer-friendly Mediterranean diet pyramid that offers guidelines on how to fill your plate – and perhaps the glass of wine – the Mediterranean way.
This type of low-fat eating pattern leaves little room for saturated fat, to the added sugars and sodium that flood the standard American diet. People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer lives, report a better quality of life and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.