How To Live Longer With The Tasty, Healthy And Easy Mediterranean Diet

Looking for a heart healthy eating plan that isn't too boring? An eating plan that offers varieties of foods apart from a carrot stick and lettuce? A sensible eating plan that is enjoyable and easy to stick with? Well, look no further. The Mediterranean Diet eating plan may be the option for you.

The Mediterranean Diet is a way of eating with countless regional varieties that has existed for centuries. Over the years, doctors and nutritionists have noticed that the residents of these countries seemed to live longer, and have healthier hearts and much better blood cholesterol levels than their Western counterparts.
This got the nutritionists looking at the eating practices of the Mediterranean to see where the differences were. This is what they discovered:

- Less red meat was consumed.
- Fish was consumed regularly.
- Up to 9 serves of fresh and vegetables were consumed daily.
- "Good" oils such as olive oil were consumed in healthy quantities.
- "Bad" oils such as butter and margarine (saturated or trans fats) were not consumed.
- Carbohydrates in the forms of bread and pasta were consumed, but the accompaniments were different to the Western world.
- Nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans were eaten in small amounts.
- Red wine was consumed in a moderate amount. Please note that red wine is not a sensible option for all. People with alcohol related problems, family history of alcohol abuse, and a personal history of migraine should NOT consume red wine. If in doubt, discuss your alcohol consumption with your medical practitioner.

Nutritionists and doctors came to the realization that the Mediterranean Diet offered plentiful amounts of anti oxidants, omega 3 oil, and good fats. The combination of all these things had an enormous impact on the health of the heart and blood vessels of the body. Researchers came to the conclusion that the combination of these food groups worked for the body in a protective manner.

An interesting aspect of the Mediterranean Diet is that contrary to the Western world, not all fats are viewed as evil. The saturated or trans fats like butter and margarine, which are linked to heart disease, are absent from the Mediterranean diet. However, fats containing linolenic acid, which is a variety of the fatty acid omega 3, are consumed daily. Fish, nuts, canola oil and olive oil are included in the Mediterranean Diet. Omega 3 is an important component as it may reduce inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, and it definitely lowers triglycerides.

Due to the high calorie count of oils and nuts, these should be consumed sparingly. A handful of nuts daily is sufficient for the health benefits without increasing your waist line. Replace your cooking oils with virgin olive oil or canola. Do what the folk in the Mediterranean do, and apply olive oil to your bread and pasta instead of butter and creams.

In Summary:

Increase your fish consumption, especially those rich in omega 3 like tuna, salmon, herring, mackerel, and trout to several times weekly.

Decrease your consumption of red meat.

Try and eat 7-10 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables daily. The goal is a wide variety of colorful fruits and salads in small amounts.

Replace butter, margarine and any other trans or saturated fats with olive or canola oil.

Eat a handful of nuts per day. Almonds, walnuts and pecans are great.

Grains, rice, bread and pasta are allowed. Be selective what you serve them with.

Substitute beer, spirits, and white wine with 1-2 glasses of red wine for some. (This is certainly not essential. See notes above.) One glass for the ladies, and 2 glasses for the gents per day maximum.