What is the Mediterranean diet?

The hottest thing today!

No matter what, any hardcore dieter today will tell you that the Mediterranean diet is the hottest thing you can try. This diet is a lot less restrictive than other diet plans and what’s interesting is that this diet actually encourages wine consumption, too.

A lot of people today believe that the Mediterranean diet is the perfect diet if you want to achieve a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure low and reduce the risk of heart disease. Well, is it really so? And will it work for you?

What are you allowed to eat?

In case you were wondering, here’s what the Mediterranean diet looks like:

• There’s A LOT of fresh fruits and vegetables
• a huge amount of vegetarian dishes traditionally prepared with fresh produce (no frozen, no canned…)
• a lot of fish
• very little beef or pork
• some poultry

Well, this really does sound very healthy, doesn’t it? The fact is, they do have fruits and vegetables in season all year round. As you might know, this is not the case in Northern Europe and much of the USA. Also, keep in mind that the true Mediterranean diet can be very, very expensive!

Olive oil

Another thing that bugs me when it comes to Mediterranean diet is that olive oil is considered to be the ultimate source of phenolic compounds, known to help reduce cholesterol and decrease the risk of developing certain types of cancer. It's great to replace as much animal fat with unprocessed vegetable fat, but olive oil it's not the only thing that can help you if you are after more phenolic compounds in your diet!

You know, you can find phenolic compounds in berries, prunes, red grapes and red grape juice, kiwifruit, currants, apples and apple juice, and tomatoes.

Red wine not really necessary

Also, you need to know that red wine is not really necessary for this diet. For example red grapes and red grapes juice will do just fine if you are not comfortable with daily alcohol consumption. And the last thing that stands between most of us and this diet is time. The Mediterranean diet takes an awful lot of your time!

It's all about fresh produce

First of all you have to prepare every single meal from fresh produce. If you've ever traveled in the Mediterranean, you'll notice that people true to their roots and traditions cook with fresh produce for every single meal, and that means no frozen dinner! Also, it should not be discounted that life on the Mediterranean is generally conducted at a slower pace than life in the United States and Western Europe.

Take it easy and enjoy your food

The Mediterranean diet is not just about what you eat, it’s also about how you eat your food. You know, many people in the Mediterranean are eating their healthful meals during a long relaxing midday break, as opposed to gobbling down a frozen meal during a quick lunch hour while simultaneously trying to make it to another 10 appointments.

Conclusion

Once you experience the delicious and healthy choices that the Mediterranean diet has to offer you, it just might become your favorite diet! So, if you have time and motivation, we recommend you the Mediterranean diet!