![]() Foods & Weight Loss Effectiveness. The Promise. Delicious food that's stood the test of time and helps keep you healthy for years to come. That's at the heart of the traditional Mediterranean diet. There’s no single Mediterranean diet plan, but in general, you'd be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, beans and nuts, healthy grains, fish, olive oil, small amounts of meat and dairy, and red wine. This lifestyle also encourages daily exercise, sharing meals with others, and enjoying it all. What You Can Eat and What You Can't. ![]() Mediterranean diet recipes. Experiment with eating the Mediterranean way with these recipes. By Mayo Clinic Staff. The Mediterranean diet is an eating plan based on the way that people in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea eat. It is a heart-healthy way. MyPlate replaced the food pyramid. It comes from the U.S. The beauty of MyPlate is in using a plate icon to. ![]() You’ll eat mostly plant- based foods, including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, whole- grain bread, beans, nuts, and seeds. You can have yogurt, cheese, poultry, and eggs in small portions. You should eat fish and seafood at least twice a week. You’ll use olive oil a lot while cooking. Reach for herbs and spices to add flavor. Red wine gets a thumbs- up, in moderation (one glass for women, one to two for men). But water is your go- to drink. Dessert is usually fruit. Eating this diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains, can lower your risk for certain health problems. In this video, see the. SOURCES: Oldways Preservation Trust: “Mediterranean Diet Pyramid,” “Med Diet and Health,” “The Eating Pattern of The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid,” “To. A Mediterranean Sample Menu For 1 Week. This is a sample menu for one week on the Mediterranean diet. Feel free to adjust the portions and food choices based on your. The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings. Learn about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, foods that are part of the meal plan, and diseases that the diet is supposed to prevent. Sweets and red meats are OK occasionally. Level of Effort: Low to Medium. It's a tasty diet and good for you, though you may have a learning curve at first. Limitations: Few. The Mediterranean diet allows plenty of variety and experimentation. Cooking and shopping: Simplify by planning your meals in advance; keeping pantry staples like olive oil, canned tomatoes, whole grains, pasta, and tuna on hand; and shopping for fresh produce and seafood a few times a week. You can easily grill or broil many Mediterranean diet foods. Snacks can be quick and easy, too: Grab a clementine or a handful of nuts, or dip whole wheat pita chips into hummus. Packaged foods or meals: None. The diet emphasizes fresh foods. In- person meetings: No. Exercise: Being active every day is part of the lifestyle. Does It Allow for Dietary Restrictions or Preferences? Vegetarians and vegans: Sticking with fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds is a snap for vegetarians. If you're vegan, you'd need to skip the dairy products. Low- sodium diet: You’ll rely on herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt, which helps if you’re looking for a low- sodium diet. Low- fat diet: The Mediterranean diet doesn’t qualify as a low- fat diet. But it is low in saturated fat and is well within the American Heart Association’s guidelines. Gluten- free: If you're avoiding gluten, you can choose grains without gluten. What Else You Should Know. If you’re looking for a long- term lifestyle change, this can be a fun and realistic way to do it. You can be creative, approach your food in a new way, and enjoy the foods you like in moderation. Costs: None beyond your shopping. Support: There are many books and online articles about the Mediterranean diet, but no official groups. What Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, Says: Does It Work? There’s no question about it. Years of research have shown that the Mediterranean Diet is one of the healthiest around. For weight loss, stick with it more than 6 months (preferably forever), get regular exercise, and watch your portions. Is It Good for Certain Conditions? This diet scores big for heart health and longevity. Studies suggest it may make you less likely to get heart disease, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, help you manage diabetes, and help you avoid certain cancers and chronic diseases. The Final Word. Research continues to show the Mediterranean Diet, based on healthy foods and physical activity, is the best prescription for a long, healthy life. It is an excellent, enjoyable diet plan that is easy to follow, and flexible. Even if you don’t follow the diet faithfully, simply eating more of the foods on the plan, dining more leisurely, and being more active are superb health goals. Mediterranean diet meal plan and shopping list. The Mediterranean Diet recently made front page news after it was ranked the 3rd most popular diet of 2. Huffington Post. This is most likely due to the stunning results of a five- year Spanish study, published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine last year. Why all the excitement? We’ve known about the heart- healthy Mediterranean Diet for years. But this study was the first major randomized clinical trial (the gold standard of scientific research proving cause and effect) that used meaningful endpoints, including heart attack, stroke and death. These showed the dramatic benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. How to plan your Mediterranean diet meal plan and shopping list. RELATED: RECOMMENDED PLANS FOR YOUThe Mediterranean Diet has long been celebrated as the gold standard of healthy diets. A single definition of the Mediterranean diet is difficult because there are more than the 1. Mediterranean Sea. But there are general food patterns that unify the diets of the region. So, in a nutshell (yes, nuts are a component of the world’s healthiest diet!), here’s how to create a meal plan in order to reap the incredible health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet: 1. Make extra virgin olive oil your main fat. Hippocrates called olive oil “the great therapeutic” and Homer referred to it as “liquid gold.” Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) stands apart from all other types of fat for several reasons.– It provides the highest percentage of oleic acid, the extremely cardioprotective monounsaturated fatty acid.– It is packed with powerful plant antioxidants called “polyphenols,” known to soothe inflammation and curb oxidative stress.– It is also an excellent food source of vitamin E, a major dietary antioxidant vitamin. To take advantage of “liquid gold,” keep a small opaque herb- infused bottle of EVOO on your kitchen counter, and use it in all types of cooking. Coat vegetables or fish generously before roasting or grilling. Dress salads with an easy olive oil Vinaigrette. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes, bean soups, grains, and steamed vegetables to enhance their flavor. Eat greens and colourful vegetables at every lunch and dinner. Fresh, colorful vegetables (think dark green spinach; juicy red tomatoes; or crunchy, bright orange bell peppers) keep our arteries healthy and clean. Head for your green grocer and buy veggies fresh and often—a spectrum of healthy colors is nature’s medicine chest. Vegetables are chock full of myriad polyphenols (the major disease battling phytochemical). Here are a few simple ideas to help you harness the power of plants.– Eat a dark green salad at lunch and dinner when eating in or out (remember to dress simply with EVOO and vinegar or fresh lemon juice).– Toss your favorite prewashed, bagged, and prechopped vegetables on a sheet of tin foil, drizzle with EVOO, and roast at 4. Eat fruit (and lots of it!)Eating a variety of different types of fruit every day is great for your heart: aim to “mix ’n’ match” for the most nutritional benefits. Try Mediterranean- style fruits such as figs or pomegranate; vitamin C- rich fruit like kiwi; and don’t forget the other fruits such as apples or bananas. Start your day with berries at breakfast, and end it with fruit for dessert. Add figs or dried fruits to your lunchtime salad (think cranberries, apricots, or currants) for a delicious touch that provides a feast of antioxidants. And if you just can’t go to bed without a little something sweet, try some dried figs. Eat lentils or other legumes every day. Lentils are an age- old part of the culinary culture of the Mediterranean diet. These nutrition giants are loaded with the heart healthiest of ingredients, including fiber, antioxidants, plant protein, vitamins, minerals, and iron — and all this for just pennies on the dollar. To get more legumes into your day, snack on fresh raw veggies dipped in hummus; sprinkle a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas or kidney beans into your salad, eat legume- based soups such as lentil, split pea, black bean, pasta e fagioli, or minestrone, or snack on edamame (delectable baby soybeans) available as an appetizer at Japanese restaurants or frozen at your local supermarket. Eat fish, often. It’s called the “Eskimo factor.” As early as 1. Greenland Eskimos had virtually no heart disease. The Eskimos’ diet was low in fruits, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates, but loaded with oily seafood such as whale and seal meat. This provided the Eskimos with a huge daily dose of fish oil (about 1. Fish oil is a centerpiece of the Mediterranean Diet and is rich in the superbly heart- healthy marine omega- 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Choose fish over red meat to replicate the Eskimo factor for yourself! Go to your local fish monger and be sure to buy really fresh fish (don’t be shy about asking to smell the fish—and if it has a fishy smell, stay away!). I buy fresh fish in bulk and cut it into individual servings, wrap in wax paper, label, and freeze. If you eat out, frequent a steak house, where you can almost always find salmon or a tuna steak on the menu. Just be sure to order it grilled and simply dressed with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Consider a can of water- packed albacore tuna served over your greens for lunch with olive oil vinaigrette. Eat walnuts. Walnuts have sustained humans since the dawn of civilization—and they’re key to the Mediterranean diet because they are a top source of ALA (alpha- linolenic acid). ALA is the omega- 3 fatty acid derived from plants, which our bodies need (in addition to the other omega- 3 that comes from salmon and other fish). Here are a few ideas for getting walnuts into your day.– Keep a bag of shelled walnuts on your kitchen counter for a quick and healthy snack. Sprinkle crushed walnuts on a fat- free Greek yogurt with a little honey for a nutritious and satisfying dessert.– Sprinkle walnuts on your green salads.– Or try candied walnuts —just bake with a little brown sugar for a sweet treat. Eat whole grains such as oatmeal. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fresh and natural foods over those that are processed and refined. Grains contain three botanically defined parts – the bran, the endosperm, and the germ—and by eating natural whole grains you’re getting all three parts, which packs a powerful nutritional punch.– Aim for a minimum of three servings of whole grains a day.– Snack on popcorn (yes, it’s a whole grain!).– Season with a few sprays of olive oil and a touch of parmesan cheese or brown sugar — depending on if you crave salty or sweet.– Make oatmeal your breakfast of choice on most days of the week.– Cook up a large batch of the steel cut version, which is highest in beta- glucan, and reheat daily servings for a heart- disease- prevention breakfast in minutes. Choose 1. 00% percent whole grain bagels, breads, and muffins for your sandwiches. Drink red wine with dinner. Red wine, another key part of the Mediterranean Diet, is known to reduce the risk of heart attack due to its cache of powerful antioxidant polyphenols. Be sure to pick red wine over white: it has ten times more polyphenol content. One caveat: moderation is the magic word, meaning a little is good, and a lot is not better. Wine is beneficial for your health only in moderation. Enjoy one glass a night with dinner and let your heart reap the benefits. Dark chocolate is the new guilt- free super food! The scientific evidence is stacking up. There is a clear link between daily consumption of deep, dark chocolate with phenomenal health benefits, especially on your heart and blood vessels. Cap off your day with a nightly cup of steaming, decadent homemade hot chocolate (mix 2 heaping spoonfuls of dark chocolate natural unsweetened cocoa powder, a touch of sweetener or sugar substitute, and soy milk and microwave). Remember, to satisfy your chocolate craving and fortify your heart disease defense strategy simultaneously, think real cocoa rather than solid chocolate bars. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder has the highest concentration of flavanols of all chocolate products, plus is low in sugar, fat and calories. Be physically active—EXERCISE! The Mediterranean lifestyle is an active lifestyle—regular physical activity reduces your risk for heart disease. It’s important to make an effort, every day, to get off the couch and get those sneakers on! Exercise is the best medicine for promoting healing, improving your joie de vivre, and especially for releasing harmful plaque- promoting stress. Start slow and make walking (or any other exercise you love) a priority in your life, just like keeping your appointments. So which of these components are most important? Actually, there’s no winner; scientists concur that the whole Mediterranean package confers the health benefits. And remember, eating like a Mediterranean is as much lifestyle as it is a diet. Imagine yourself sitting down to a leisurely meal of delicious fresh and artfully prepared food, slowly savoring the joy of your Mediterranean meal—a far cry from mindlessly gobbling down your food behind your steering wheel or in front of the TV. I urge you to enjoy a long and healthy life by following the spectacularly delicious and easy- to- follow Mediterranean lifestyle—now scientifically proven to be the world’s healthiest (and tastiest) diet! Shopping List. 10 Point Mediterranean lifestyle key component checklist: DAILY food #1: Extra virgin olive oil (minimum one tablespoon per day)DAILY food #2: Omega- 3 fat (short chain plant version, “ALA”—flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil—minimum once per day)DAILY food #3: Legumes (beans, peas or lentils; minimum once/day)DAILY food #4: Vegetables (green, orange or purple in color, minimum two meals/day)DAILY food #5: Whole grains (oatmeal, 1.
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