The Mediterranean diet is exactly what the name suggests -- the diet of those lucky people who live around the Mediterranean. High in flavor and nutrition, it might seem to many to be more feast than diet. The Mediterranean diet promotes healthy weight, produces clear skin and protects healthy hearts. It is a style of eating that can easily become a lifelong habit because it is satisfying, with seemingly endless variety.
The Mediterranean style of cooking and eating is heavy on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and pasta, legumes and nuts. It includes a few weekly servings of seafood, especially fish high in omega-3 fatty acids such as tuna and salmon, clams, and shrimp. Normally, these are not battered and fried. Poultry may be served several times a week, while red meat is only served a few times a month. Food is seasoned with herbs and spices rather than relying on much salt.
The diet includes lots of olive oil and canola oil. Small servings of yogurt and cheese are common and important parts of this healthy diet. Sweets are limited to small servings at special occasions, and fresh fruit is often served in place of dessert. Rather than eating bread slathered in butter or margarine, diners dip it into olive oil. The trade-off is a five-ounce glass of red wine daily, if you desire.
The Mediterranean diet usually includes three full meals a day and two light snacks. Since this style of eating places more emphasis on what can be eaten than on what must be avoided, it's an easy diet to maintain for life. This diet includes plenty of filling complex carbohydrates and slow-burning fats such as olive oil and nuts, so it is satisfying.
Part of the Mediterranean experience goes beyond food, however. Like all diets and healthy living plans, this one emphasizes an active lifestyle that includes daily physical exercise. It also stresses eating meals as a social event, sharing the pleasure of a meal and a glass of wine with others. Portion size still matters, but with frequent meals and snacks, controlling the amount eaten at one sitting is much easier than you might expect. Full daily menus and recipes are available at a number of online sites.
The Mediterranean diet includes elements from several different cultures that help protect your heart and offer such a wide variety of flavors you might not believe you're following a diet plan. |
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Learn how to plan a Mediterranean diet menu or meal plan and take advantage of our recipes for a Mediterranean diet. |
Easy recipes for Mediterranean diet followers. |
