The Mediterranean Diet

By Author: Eve Bryant
Total Articles: 3698
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One of the newer more modern diets out there on the market today is known as the Mediterranean diet. This is a diet that was brought over to America after being inspired by a lot of the traditional dietary patters of people living in other countries, like Mediterranean Basin. Although a lot of people saw that this could be good for you, the first person to present the idea so that it could be understood was Dr. Walter Willett. However, the doctor also points out that this diet involves more than just eating foods that were popular in Greece and Southern Italy during the 60's. This diet must also be done in addition to regular physical activities. There are tons of diets out there, but very few of them allow you to eat as much as you can like the Mediterranean diet. This is one that allows you to be able to eat what your body needs while still being able to lose weight.

The Mediterranean diet is a diet that emphasizes an abundant amount of plant foods and fresh fruits. One reason why people tend to like this diet is because you can still have your daily dessert, but you cannot over do it. The main source of fat in this ...
... diet is, of course, the olive oil, which is a healthier fat than what you get from most American foods. You should also eat your dairy products such as yogurt and cheese. Fish and poultry should be consumed in a low to moderate amount. This means you should have zero to four eggs a week. Red meets, like beef, should also be consumed in low amounts. The amount of fat in your diet should be between 25% and 35% of calories. Saturated fat should be a very low 8% of your diet. The biggest benefit of this diet is that it's very low in saturated fat and high in the Monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber.

Although it would seem like the people that live around Mediterranean counties take in more fat, they have a lower rate of cardiovascular disease than the people living in the United States. This is amazing, because the amount of fat that most Americans take in is the same amount of fat as most people living in Mediterranean countries. The reason why people think that they have a lower risk of heart problems is because of the large amount of olive oil they take in, instead of other fats. See, olive oil, unlike animal fat, is lower in cholesterol. Most Americans live with an animal fat diet. It is also said that olive oil can help to prevent ulcers from forming. Of course, the people in Mediterranean countries also drink lots of red wine, which is also thought to help stop heart problems. This is because it's very high in antioxidants.

To learn more about The Mediterranean Diet please visit http://www.diet-fads.com/diets/Mediterranean-Diet.shtml.