What is the Mediterranean diet that you so often hear about? How can it benefit you if you are trying to lose weight? It is not attached to any particular "diet guru" but rather, it is the traditional cuisine of countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, notably southern Italy and Greece. It consists of a wide variety of plant-based foods -- fruits, vegetables, whole grains -- as well as fish. Olive oil and red wine in moderation are also a part of the tradition.
There are so many diet trends, but in the past few years, this particular diet continues to prevail in popularity. It is widely endorsed by health organizations and health professionals and it has gotten much attention for its health benefits as well as a sensible and safe way to lose weight.
What can you expect from the Mediterranean diet? What evidence is there that it works? You can quickly do a Google search and find a great deal of information including scientific studies that confirm its many health benefits, notably reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
When you choose this style of eating, you are going to be incorporating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These will replace the unhealthy processed foods and fast foods that are heavy on calories, fat, salt and refined carbohydrates.
You will also eliminate dairy and keep red meat to a minimum, thus reducing the amount of artery-clogging saturated fat in the diet that contributes to cardiovascular disease. Fish, a healthy replacement for red meat, is part of the traditional diet, along with small amounts of poultry. This will ensure that you are getting adequate protein. You will also be consuming olive oil sparingly. It consists primarily of monounsaturated fat rather than saturated fat. Yes, red wine is allowed, but do be sparing as this is not a license to drink to excess nor to add other alcoholic beverages to the diet.
The diet is ideal if you don't want to cope with the rules of restrictive diets that curtail certain food groups -- complex carbohydrates for instance. These diets do little to help you develop long-term dietary changes that will enable you to keep the weight off permanently. So instead consider losing the weight gradually by making these important and healthy changes in your diet.
You will find the Mediterranean diet quite palatable and satisfying, as it is abundant in vegetables and fruits which, being high in fiber and water content yet low in calories, will fill you up. The fiber will also keep your digestive system moving smoothly. You will also benefit from the tremendous variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are naturally occurring in these delicious plant-based foods.
When you have tried just about everything else and you have seen little progress by following the advice of one "diet guru" after another, do know that there is much tradition and science confirming the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet. You can also find many resources -- including recipes and meal plans -- both online and offline to help you get started.
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