Natural-Wellness

Reuters reports that a study of people eating the Mediterranean Diet may live longer. So what’s so great about the Mediterranean Diet? The best thing may be that it is not a diet at all. It’s a way of life for most people in the Mediterranean countries. For economic reasons, the majority of their meals revolve around fish, whole grain pastas and fresh vegetables and fruit with some poultry and meat thrown in once in awhile. You add some olives and olive oil and you have a diet that is high in Omega 3 oils that are recommended for heart health as well as being high in most of the vitamins and minerals.

As you can see from the Mediterranean diet pyramid below, the bulk of your food would come from whole grain breads, pastas, beans, couscous with the next level up being fruits and vegetables. When was the last time you ate 9 servings of vegetables in a day? The Greeks routinely eat 8-9 servings of vegetables daily and may only eat red meat once or twice a month.

The Pyramid is based on the people of Crete’s diet. These people live longer than most other populations and are 21% less likely to die of heart disease. They also have 30% less chance of getting cancer.

The components of a Mediterranean diet are:

• Large quantity of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains,
• Olive oil is the primary source of fat,
• Eggs, milk, fish and chicken are eaten in low to moderate amounts
• Very little red meat
• A glass of Red wine a day is Ok.

It really is a simple lifestyle but to those of us who plan meals, planning a diet that contains 8-9 servings of vegetables and fruits a day can be a challenge. Over the next several weeks, I will be adding a recipe a week from the Mediterranean Diet Cook Book by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and looking for some easy ways to incorporate Mediterranean style eating into the American way of life.

Hey, if you liked this post bookmark it or digg it, below, I’d appreciate it.