Why the Mediterranean Diet is so Good for You
There are many different diets out there, and it can be impossible to select the right one. Everyone says that their diet is the best one, and they all claim to have the best research and the best results. There are new diets cropping up all the time, and it doesn’t look like these fad diets are going to slow down any time soon. The best way to pick a diet is to look at who has done the research on it. If you come across a website that is promoting a certain diet, and it just talks about “studies show that…” or “the latest research proves…” then you may not be able to trust the information you are reading. You have the right to know who did the research, and where the studies came from. The legitimate diets will always give you this information.
The Mediterranean Diet has been around for a while, but researchers in Spain recently discovered that the foods eaten while on this diet can have even more positive benefits than previously believed. The study appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. This study linked the Mediterranean Diet to anti inflammatory and clot reducing properties, and they also found that it helps to protect the body’s cells from damage. The research also proved that this diet reduced the risk of heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure. The Mediterranean Diet has also been linked to a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
The mediterranean diet consists of an eating plan that is high in fruits and vegetables, unrefined whole grains and olive oil. Dieters are allowed to have moderate amounts of dairy products, fish, red wine, eggs and poultry as well, but the majority of the food eaten must be taken from the first list. There aren’t too many diets out there that let you drink alcohol, but then, most diets we hear about were created in North America, and this diet is obviously from Mediterranean countries, where wine is much more a part of the culture than it is here in America. Every couple of weeks or so, we hear about another good thing that red wine can do for us when we drink it in moderation, so this diet will be healthy for you on many different levels.
I would highly recommend the Mediterranean Diet over a lot of the more American diets, because even with all of our research and studies, we are still the fattest country in the world, so obviously something is not working! We are always hearing about how European countries are so much healthier than our country, and how losing weight is not an issue in certain parts of Europe. If more people are dieting now than ever before in America, yet we are still getting fatter, the problem has to be the diets! If we can change some of our eating habits and adopt some eating plans from Europe, we might just become a thinner, healthier country!
