I had recently heard something about a “Mediterranean Diet” and how the people living in the countries have a higher life expectancy due to a better diet. After I did some research I found that there was some truth to this.
There is no exact “Mediterranean Diet” because there are many countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, all differing in what they eat but they do have some healthy similarities according to the American Heart Association:
• high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
• olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
• dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten
• eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
• wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts
The Mediterranean-style diets follow closely to our dietary recommendations. “More than half the fat calories in a Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil). Monounsaturated fat doesn't raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.” (American Heart Association) This means that the risk of heart attack or heart disease is lower resulting in a lower mortality rate.
"Mediterranean Diet." American Heart. 2007. American Heart Association. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4644.
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6 comments:
The Mediterean Diet sounds interesting. You should add recipes that contain most concepts of diet into it. It would make people understand it a liitle more. Include culture into this segment of your blog. What countries use this as their diet and which do not? More detail on this subject would be great. Have fun cooking. I enjoyed reading about this diet. Also include as to why they eat this way? Great job! -S
I agree with Sandy: give us more in the Mediterranean Diet. Why is it so popular? How about some recipes? I need some more descriptions to really take in what you're highlighting here...
From Marjorie,
Hi Erin,
Your research on the Mediterranean Diet was a wonderful idea, because nowadays obesity is of great concern. I understand those people live longer. To support this diet, you could include some facts, and some recipes. So far I know it is a good one.
Every time I hear the latest diet fad it makes me laugh, just as you pointed out the Mediterranean is a large and quite diverse area and their suggestions for healthy living fall in line with our own. Healthy eating habits are relatively standard when you bring it down to the bare essentials, yet you see these fad diets pop up every other day. I find it kind of funny that we live in a world where we have unlimited resources yet very few people know how to eat correctly. This simply makes me want to jump into the dieting industry apparently there is a ton of money to be made off of individuals who are looking for a simple way to lose 100lbs in a week while maintaining their 7 daily trips to McDonald’s on the schedule.
This sounds like a very interesting style of dieting. I wonder why it hasn't become more popular here in the U.S. with all the other diets people try. I think I will look at the website you provided and look more into this diet.
Wow that is interesting I thought all the new diets are saying bread is bad for you and all that. What types of food do they steer clear of and what countries in the Mediterean follow this diet. By the way are you going to be cooking anything for Thanksgiving. I am cooking a green bean casserole tomorrow. Let us know.
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