Good mood, harmony and longevity are not gifts from the gods for the inhabitants of the Mediterranean.
All this is due to the traditions of healthy eating, which does not allow you to gain too much and prematurely deactivate the heart, blood vessels, liver and other body systems. The term "Mediterranean diet" appeared in the mid-20th century thanks to American nutritionists - Margaret and Ansel Keys.
The scientists tested the diet on themselves: their diet consists of foods typical of the Mediterranean region. For two, the couple lived for almost 200 years. Margaret died at the age of 100, Ansel - 97. In 2013, the Mediterranean diet received the status of intangible cultural heritage from UNESCO (no other diet has such a status). It is recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the healthiest food systems in the world. Then we will talk about the basic principles of the Mediterranean diet and what health benefits it brings.
The principles of the Mediterranean diet
Keys' nutritionists built a food pyramid based on studies of the way of life of the peoples of the Mediterranean, which were the basis of the Mediterranean diet.
According to the pyramid, carbohydrates make up 60% of the diet, vegetable fats - 30%, proteins - 10%.
The main principles of the Mediterranean diet are the following:
- Eat every day: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, whole grain breads, herbs, spices, fish, seafood and olive oil.
- eat in moderation: poultry, eggs, cheese and natural yogurt;
- eat very rarely: red meat;
- do not eat: sweetened drinks, sugar, processed meats, refined cereals (white processed rice).
People who follow the Mediterranean diet avoid the following foods:
- refined cereals and products based on them (white bread, pasta and dough based on first-class flour);
- refined oils (in particular rapeseed and soybean oil);
- products with the addition of refined sugar (carbonated drinks, pastries, cookies, etc. );
- processed meat (sausages, sausages, etc. );
- canned foods.
What is?
The diet should be dominated by vegetables and fruits. It is recommended to eat fish and seafood at least twice a week. Red meat is best eaten once a month. Here is a sample list of foods that can form the basis of your Mediterranean diet:
- Vegetables: tomatoes, zucchini, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, spinach, onions, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, herbs;
- Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, dates, figs, melons, peaches;
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds;
- Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, legumes, peanuts, chickpeas;
- Potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, yams;
- Whole grains: oats, brown rice, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat, wheat, whole grain breads and pasta
- Fish and seafood: salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, oysters, crustaceans, crabs, mussels;
- Birds: chicken, duck, turkey;
- Eggs: chicken, quail, duck eggs;
- Dairy products: cheese, Greek yogurt;
- Herbs and spices: garlic, basil, mint, rosemary, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper;
- Healthy fats: olive oil, olives, avocado and avocado oil.
What drink?
The Mediterranean diet is categorical only for sweet carbonated drinks. Water, coffee, tea - this is what can be present in your life every day.
And. . . glass of red wine.
This is probably the only controversial point in the diet. The inhabitants of the countries of the Mediterranean region are accustomed to eating red wine. But official medicine still recommends not making this ritual a habit. Even a small amount of alcohol increases the risk of seven cancers, according to the World Health Organization. That is why it is better to adhere to the "principle of safe doses" with regard to alcoholic beverages.
Why do doctors adopt the Mediterranean diet?
Scientists were interested in the Mediterranean diet in the 1960s. It was then observed that in Greece, Italy and Spain and other Mediterranean countries, mortality from coronary heart disease was much lower than in the United States and Northern Europe. Already during these years, studies have shown that this type of diet is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. What about today?
Healthy weight - a healthy liver
Researchers from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem (USA) have found that the Mediterranean diet does not allow you to gain weight and therefore serves as a prevention of liver diseases associated with the accumulation of fat in the body. People who follow a Mediterranean diet are much less likely to have fatty liver disease (NAFLD) than those who follow a Western diet. NAFLD, in turn, is a serious risk factor for cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer. It turns out that one diet can "kill several birds with one stone": it keeps the heart, blood vessels, liver healthy and at the same time be thin.
Strengthens the heart, prolongs life
There is a lot of research that specifically proves the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet to strengthen the cardiovascular system. In 2006, the results of the PREDIMED study showed that the Mediterranean diet has a beneficial effect on risk factors for cardiovascular disease. A 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people in the Mediterranean were 30% less likely to have a stroke, heart attack or death. An early study in 1999 showed that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with omega-3s helped prevent a second heart attack.
The gut will say "thank you"
Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina (USA) have found that adherents of the Mediterranean diet have 10% more good bacteria in their gut than those who eat Western-style. The western diet is the exact opposite of the Mediterranean diet. It contains a lot of unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates. Another study - by Israeli experts - showed that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
Unbelievable, but true: the Mediterranean diet - varied, tasty, nutritious - is also one of the healthiest diets in the world. There are no strict requirements and restrictions. There is no constant feeling of hunger. There is no feeling that you are constantly intruding in any way in the name of health. But there is pleasure and good mood. It is understandable why the Mediterranean diet has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is not just a phenomenon, but almost the eighth wonder of the world.