What is the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is not an actual “diet”
The word diet has at least two meanings:
- The one we all know and love; a set of rigid rules about what you can and can’t eat and where grams or calories are used as a measurement tool.
- Our daily intake of food.
The Mediterranean diet is the later of these and allows for a wide range of whole, unprocessed and beneficial foods.
What’s in it
Consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, legumes and seeds, herbs and spices daily.
Added to this are fish and seafood, poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt once or twice a week. With red meat and sweets eaten sparingly. Wine is included in moderation.
While not explicitly required, daily exercise is encouraged and is often functional. With water consumption encouraged daily as well.
Benefits
One of the first things you will notice with the range of food available is that it gives you choice, even for the pickiest of palettes.
Websites such as Olive Tomato and the Mediterranean Dish provide many options. While cookbooks by Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein offer variety, choice and delicious ideas as well.
The variety makes it one of the easiest eating plans to follow. In part, because there is no calorie counting or having to add up how many carbs you had. No food tracking on this diet!
Another feature is just how sustainable the diet is. By eating lots of fresh foods like fruits and veggies, you naturally lower your intake of sugar. However, there aren’t rules like ‘you can’t have this or that’ on the Mediterranean diet. You mean, I can have cake!
The Mediterranean diet is also affordable and easy on the wallet. By eating in season fruit and vegetables or canned if you need to, the cost can be kept down. You get to save money!
The focus of the diet is the inclusion and emphasis on olive oil and other healthy fats like avocado, whole grains, legumes and leafy greens. The fibre-rich carbohydrate foods that have a ton of evidence supporting the health benefits of eating them. That’s right, its good for your heart!
The great news about the Mediterranean diet is the only restrictions are the foods that are bad for you.
With rampant obesity, heart disease, diabetes cholesterol, blood pressure and dementia occurring in many western countries. Perhaps now is the time for you to stop and ask yourself, “Is the way I’m eating helping me or hurting me?”
If it’s hurting you, perhaps it is time for a change.
The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods. All of which will be:
· Filled with variety.
· Easy to follow.
· Something you can follow for a lifetime.
· Easy on the wallet.
· Better for your health.
· Affordable. Even for the tightest of budgets.
· Able to have slice of cake.
Contact details
Email — owen@activelearning.co.nz
Website: https://www.owenclouston.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owencloustoncoachingsystems/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/HU5QLSFpA2I
References
- Murphy, R. (2019, Feb 22). The biggest differences between keto and the mediterranean diet. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/keto-diet-vs-mediterranean-diet-2019-2
- Gunnars, K. BSc (2018, July 24). Mediterranean Diet 101: A Meal Plan and Beginner’s Guide. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan
- Lexico — Powered by Oxford. (2019, Dec 12). Diet. retrieved from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/diet
