WHAT IS A MEDITERRANEAN DIET? AND HOW TO SUSTAIN IT?
Classically speaking, the Mediterranean diet is based on food culture including local ingredients adapted from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, which includes France, Spain, Greece and Italy.
This diet has no strict rules or regulations however it encourages consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and heart healthy fats. On the other hand, it restricts the intake of processed foods, added sugars and refined grains.
The reason this type of diet has gained huge popularity is because, it has been linked to a long list of health benefits. Numerous scientific evidences back up their ability to aid in weight loss, prevent heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes and even premature death.
There are three basic principals in order to sustain a Mediterranean diet, this includes categorizing your pantry into the following:
Eat: Food must not be compromised in terms of quality or quantity. You must eat in order to satisfy hunger and also keep you well satiated and functional throughout the day. Your food choices matter most. When advocating one to eat satisfactorily, what you choose to eat also equally matters. You must include the diverse range of healthy and nutritious ingredients nature has to offer and keep variating your meals and working with exciting combinations of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes pulses, nuts and oilseeds, extra virgin olive oil and sea food.
Eat in Moderation: This list is simple. It includes the dairy and flesh food category. Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt all these products need to consumed moderately. An important thing to remember here, is that eat in moderation does not mean eliminate. These foods are also a very important part of the diet and provides essential nutrients like proteins, calcium and probiotics that confer multiple health benefits and also disease fighting ability to the body.
Eat Rarely: When practising a Mediterranean diet, it is equally important to not cross the line of limitation. Though not completely eliminated from the diet, these foods can be consumed once in a while, very rarely. It includes red meat, sugar- sweetened beverages, added sugars, processed meat and refined grains, refined oils and highly processed foods.
It is not at all difficult to sustain a Mediterranean diet as it includes foods from all food groups and it is easier to plan dishes for all meals throughout the day. One can plan an array of salads, soups, beverages, main meals and desserts with the different choices of ingredients mentioned above.
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