The Mediterranean Diet

Keep Your Heart Healthy While Losing Weight

Apr 30, 2009 Maryrose Roque

Try the Mediterranean diet. You can lose weight and keep your heart healthy without compromising your dining experience.

Dieting can be an unappealing thought because it is usually associated with deprivation or having to endure the taste of flat-tasting dishes. If you are one of these individuals who would like to lose weight without having too many restrictions in your diet, you can try the Mediterranean Diet. It focuses on making healthy food choices and eating in moderation rather than restricting the consumption of certain food groups.

What Do You Have To Give Up?

In the Mediterranean, the diet consists of mostly whole grains, breads, fish and anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables. Their fat consumption consists of good fats found in nuts, olive oil and canola oil. Although the consumption of meat is not restricted, it is consumed in small amounts. The meals they also come with some red wine which is consumed in moderation.

Why Is It Good?

Aside from allowing you to enjoy your meal, the Mediterranean Diet can also help you prevent the occurrence of heart diseases and cancer. Since the consumption of fish is encouraged by this diet, you take in a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower the amount of triglycerides in your body and keep your blood vessels healthy. And, because it encourages you to load up on fruits and vegetables that are rich in anti-oxidants, it can also help you prevent cancer.

What Should You Eat?

• Fruits and vegetables. People who follow the Mediterranean Diet consume around 9 servings of vegetables and fruits in a day.
• Bread and whole grains. This is the source of carbohydrates for this diet. Of course, in order to lose weight, the bread should not be eaten with butter or margarine. Instead, it is dipped in olive oil.
• Olive oil and canola oil. Only monounsaturated fats are used for cooking.
• Fish. This is eaten regularly as a source of protein. The consumption of meat is done sparingly.
• Nuts. A small portion of nuts is also part of the diet. This can be another protein source and is also great for snacking. Try putting almonds in your diet as it has been proven to help in speeding up weight loss.
• Wine. This is consumed in moderation. It can be a great way to end lunch or dinner as it has been shown to stop people from craving for sweets.

The Disclaimer

No diet is perfect. For the Mediterranean Diet, you should always make sure that you do not consume a lot of olive oil or canola oil. Although it is filled with good fats, it does not mean that it will not make you fat if you eat too much.

The copyright of the article The Mediterranean Diet in Weight Loss is owned by Maryrose Roque. Permission to republish The Mediterranean Diet in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid

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Comments

Jun 14, 2009 10:49 PM

Guest :

Quite an informative post, keeping some good habits in eating and exercise can keep a doctor mile away or we can say a phone away. Also the immediate solution to the health problem can help you reclaim your health. Because of the unpredicted causes of diseases, it has become necessary for everyone to be in the constant contact with doctors. Many medical companies now provide the eConsultation facilities to cure the disease before it occurrence. Companies like Elite health helps people to be in the immediate contact with the doctors with any medium to address your health problems, and quickly stabilizing your body. They also provide helps like dieticians who regularly supervise your diet so as to make your life a better thing to be.

Jun 23, 2009 3:14 PM

Guest :

Too restictive a diet. I feel so weak after being on a diet like this for just a couple of days that I can barely stand up. That's the biggest problem with diets. They make you feel like you're going to pass out within two days.

2 Comments