Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Garden of Eden and The Mediterranean Diet

By Ted Parsons


The Mediterranean diet is a traditional diet that is followed by the people of the Mediterranean region. Generally, this diet focuses on consuming large amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil, and breads. Oily fish like sardines, mackerel, tuna, and salmon are generally preferred in moderate amounts by the people of the Mediterranean region. It is suggested to avoid excessive use of saturated fats like butter, sweets and red meat.

You will find that people who follow the Mediterranean cuisines generally maintain an ideal body weight. There is rarely any person from the Mediterranean who is fat. Their weight loss secret lies in the well-balanced, healthy and nutritious whole foods they consume. People from the Mediterranean usually prefer the use of monounsaturated healthy fat like olive oil, which is considered best oil for consumption in the world. Olive oil is excessively used for cooking purposes, frying fish and salad dressings.

It has been proven that this diet can help lower your body's weight. Although this diet is rich in fat, it has helped people lose their weight because it only allows the consumption of monounsaturated healthy fats. Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat, which enhances the levels of good cholesterol in your body, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, among other things. It is also high in antioxidants, which helps aging and against cancer.

Fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta, legumes, beans, grains, potatoes, couscous and bulgur wheat are some of the foods that are included in a daily diet by the people of the Mediterranean region. The diet pyramid followed by the Mediterranean residents is a helpful tool for understanding the basics of this whole foods diet plan.

You are also encouraged to include a daily consumption dairy products in your diet. This helps you maintain your ideal weight and keep you healthy by including plenty of calcium and Vitamin D, both of which are important in the fight against cancer. Unsaturated fats are strictly prohibited by the people of the Mediterranean region; everything is healthy fats from fish, oils and nuts/seeds.

The typical American diet is rich in red meat, deep-fried foods, processed fats and starch. Corn oil is also consumed excessively, which is a saturated unhealthy fat. Corn oil has an ability to fatten livestock. Red meat, which is restricted in the Mediterranean diet, is lavishly consumed by the Americans. On the flip side, you won't see fat people in the Mediterranean region because all they eat are fruits, veggies and healthy fats. If you don't believe the science, take a trip and check it out for yourself, because at the end of the day you can either live a long, healthy life or you can continue being a sick, overweight statistic.




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