For centuries people across the Mediterranean have enjoyed
fitness and health through easy living and a diet of rich, sumptuous
foods. What's more, the rates of heart disease, obesity and other
diet-related illnesses remain extremely low in the Mediterranean and
continue to rise in other parts of the world. Fortunately you can
enjoy the healthy lifestyle of the Mediterranean by simply applying the 5
simple elements of the Mediterranean Diet menu plan to your life today.
1. Eat real food
Many diets focus on the quantity of fats, carbs or sugars but ignore the quality of the food you eat. Our body gets the right signals from real, natural foods. When we're full, our body tell us to stop eating. But artificial and processed foods are chock full of empty calories that we stuff ourselves with before we realize we've had enough. And the result is something none of us want -- extra fat on our bodies.
2. Choose the right fats
As long as we eat enough of the right fats, our body will burn only what it needs and store very little extra. But ironically, a low- or no-fat diet causes our metabolism to grind to a crawl and hold on to every ounce of fat it can get. Worse still, the fats we store are often saturated fats and hydrogenated oils which do little more than clog our arteries. The heart-healthy fats and oils found in foods like olives, fish and nuts which are part of many Mediterranean Diet meals actually help regulate cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Slow down
One important factor in fitness and weight-loss which is often overlooked is the way we eat our food. Rushed and on-the-go eating places stress on our metabolism and pushes our bodies into fat-storage mode. The Mediterranean Diet encourages us to take our time and enjoy a meal with others. This leisurely and social way of eating helps us keep our portions reasonable yet satisfying and lets our bodies efficiently process what we eat.
4. Drink wine
Scientists are only now beginning to discover something the people of the Mediterranean have known for centuries -- that a little bit of wine can be good for you. In addition to reducing stress and improving digestion, we now know that a glass of wine a day with Mediterranean Diet meals can help regulate cholesterol and lower the risk of heart attacks by as much as 50%.
5. Walk a little
While exercise is an important component to health and overall fitness, there's no need to overdo it. Most high-intensity workout routines fail because most of us can't realistically fit them into our lives. Adding a moderate level of simple activity to the other four components of the Mediterranean Diet menu plan is enough to give us a healthy lifestyle that's both fun and easy to maintain.
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Many diets focus on the quantity of fats, carbs or sugars but ignore the quality of the food you eat. Our body gets the right signals from real, natural foods. When we're full, our body tell us to stop eating. But artificial and processed foods are chock full of empty calories that we stuff ourselves with before we realize we've had enough. And the result is something none of us want -- extra fat on our bodies.
2. Choose the right fats
As long as we eat enough of the right fats, our body will burn only what it needs and store very little extra. But ironically, a low- or no-fat diet causes our metabolism to grind to a crawl and hold on to every ounce of fat it can get. Worse still, the fats we store are often saturated fats and hydrogenated oils which do little more than clog our arteries. The heart-healthy fats and oils found in foods like olives, fish and nuts which are part of many Mediterranean Diet meals actually help regulate cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.
3. Slow down
One important factor in fitness and weight-loss which is often overlooked is the way we eat our food. Rushed and on-the-go eating places stress on our metabolism and pushes our bodies into fat-storage mode. The Mediterranean Diet encourages us to take our time and enjoy a meal with others. This leisurely and social way of eating helps us keep our portions reasonable yet satisfying and lets our bodies efficiently process what we eat.
4. Drink wine
Scientists are only now beginning to discover something the people of the Mediterranean have known for centuries -- that a little bit of wine can be good for you. In addition to reducing stress and improving digestion, we now know that a glass of wine a day with Mediterranean Diet meals can help regulate cholesterol and lower the risk of heart attacks by as much as 50%.
5. Walk a little
While exercise is an important component to health and overall fitness, there's no need to overdo it. Most high-intensity workout routines fail because most of us can't realistically fit them into our lives. Adding a moderate level of simple activity to the other four components of the Mediterranean Diet menu plan is enough to give us a healthy lifestyle that's both fun and easy to maintain.