Mediterranean Diet Foods

Mediterranean Style Diet

Mediterranean diet foods are gaining widespread popularity in the Western world as more research reveals the health benefits of a mediterranean style diet.

But, what exactly is the mediterranean diet plan?

Here's some general info, before we go into more detail...

First, some purists will argue there is no one mediterranean style diet. This is because they argue (correctly) that there are several countries in the mediterranean region, each with distinct diets.

However, for simplicity purposes, when most people (including us here) discuss the mediterranean diet plan, we are speaking of generalities that exist in the foods eaten in Greece and Southern Italy.

Having said this, let's talk about some of the most commonly accepted mediterranean diet foods...

• Olive oil: loaded with important omega 3 fatty acids, which can protect the health of the heart . A good source of antioxidants, it may help improve cholesterol numbers.
• Wine, especially red: has potent life prolonging nutrients.
• Cheeses, especially goat cheese. High in protein, less saturated fat than most cheeses.
• Legumes and Nuts, high sources of protein and good essential fats
• Red Meat is consumed minimally in the mediterranean style diet
• Fish consumption, contains important nutrients for the brain, such as DMAE, and Omega 3 fatty acids that protect cardiovascular health
• Consumption of fruits and vegetables
• Low consumption of dairy products, except those from the goat

After looking over this list, here are some overall concepts you should take away from the typical mediterranean diet plan:

It is high in fat. That's one of the "paradoxes" that we often hear about this diet.

However, it is not high in saturated fats (ex: low red meat consumption, low use of daiy products such as butter, etc). It is high in monounsaturated fats and essential fats (such as olive oil, nuts, fish, etc).

This is the difference between "good" fats and "bad" fats. In short, the mediterranean style diet has a lot of the good, and not a lot of the bad.

The wine consumption may play a significant role in the heart healthy benefits of this diet.

There is a phenomenon you may have heard about called "the paradox of the french." This saying comes about from the cigarette smoking, high fatty food eating French people who still suffer lower rates of heart disease than we do in the Western world.

Some experts believe this is most likely due to the consumption of wine on the part of the French people.

Well, the same may be true of the mediterranean diet as well.

Mediterranean Diet Foods...

The last prominent difference to point out is that in the mediterranean diet plan, carbohydrates generally come from healthy sources such as fruits and vegetables.

By contrast, in the Western world, most of our carbohydrates come refined, processed sources with little nutrient value, such as bread and sweets.

We hope this page has served as a starting point for you to investigate mediterranean diet foods in more detail. There is no one diet that is right for everyone, but this may be a beneficial one for you.