How Does Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Work?
Nowadays, diets aren’t just for people who want to lose weight. It is also a way for them to keep fit and, of course, to stay healthy.
Women are mostly the ones fussing and stressing out about finding the best diet for their bodies. Some have even resorted to starving themselves if they become unhealthy and they even faint.
However, women should know that there are diets created and specially planned for their special needs.
Who knew you could stay fit and healthy just by eating the right kinds of foods and in the right kinds of proportions?
One diet that has become so popular today is the Mediterranean diet. This diet is not new to the world. In fact, it has been the diet of choice of the people living in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
You may not know, however, the Mediterranean diet weight loss has worked wonders for so many people. Read on and find out why.
The Mediterranean diet has been the diet of so many people living in Greece and Italy for over several centuries already.
This type of diet has been considered a necessity rather than something to make them healthy and something to help them lose weight.
What is this diet and what makes it effective in helping people stay fit and healthy?
What makes this diet different from the rest of the other diets?
- The thing that makes this kind of diet different from the rest of the other diets is the source of fats. Olive oil is almost always used when cooking in Mediterranean cuisine.
- The Mediterranean diet, unlike other dieting plans, is not low in carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. In fact, it is a well-balanced diet.
- Don’t be so shocked when you find your body gets the right amount of nutrients without having to skip on the foods that you want to eat while on this diet.
- With this diet, you won’t ever have to wonder about what good food tastes like anymore. This diet actually is backed up by the principle that carbohydrates and fats are not the sources of the problem of being overweight, but the kinds of food you take in your body.
- Knowing the healthy forms of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats will help you a great deal in staying on the healthy track.
- Therefore, the Mediterranean diet weight loss program works above the rest of the other diets. You get to eat the foods you want but in the right amounts and by choosing the right kinds of food items.
Food List
What You Can Eat On the Mediterranean Diets
The Mediterranean diet is one of the most popularly sought-after diets today. It is the diet of the people who are living in the less fortunate areas of Greece and Italy for centuries.
In the past, people eat the food items included in this diet because they thought they were healthy. They ate this diet simply because they were the only thing available to them and they did not even know the nutritional components of the diet.
The people of Greece and Italy didn’t even know that this diet could keep them healthy and even lose unwanted pounds until research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of many diseases and keeps people healthy.
So what comprises the Mediterranean diet food list and why are these foods effective in keeping you fit and healthy?
The Mediterranean diet is one of the popular diets that even Hollywood celebrities are following. Why has it become such a good choice?
First, this type of diet dismisses the idea that the eating of carbohydrates and fats triggers weight gain and the accumulation of fatty tissues in the body. It does not.
When you choose the proper kinds of foods that contain these proper nutrients, even eating lots of carbohydrates and fats, you won’t be worried about tipping off the scales.
There are some foods that you could eat and take when you are following a Mediterranean diet, such as fruits and vegetables. You can even eat them fresh and you can steam the vegetables, and cook them any way you want.
But you should make sure not to overcook these and strip them of their nutrients. Aside from fruits and vegetables, foods such as whole grains, cereals, bread, beans, and nuts are recommended to eat every day.
Aside from these plant-based products, you can also take milk products such as cheese and yogurt, as well as poultry. But you should take them on a low-to-moderate amount.
Keep in mind that moderation is the key. Some food items may not be avoided, but they are measured to be of the right amount. For instance, eat only 4 eggs a week.
Fish and seafood are allowed twice in the weekly diet, but red meat and sweets are usually taken in little proportions. Red meat is very high in saturated fat and it must be avoided.
Lamb and veal are the red meat recommended because they contain a relatively lower amount of fat compared to the other red meats on the Mediterranean diet food list.
The Mediterranean diet replaces butter or animal fat with healthy fats, such as olive oil and canola oil.
Olive oil is the principal fat used in Mediterranean cuisine because of the various health benefits it offers. You are also recommended to use herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods. Red wine is also allowed on this diet in moderation.
New Mediterranean Diet
- When studies have shown that people living around that area have a lesser incidence of heart attacks, more and more people from all over the world have embraced the Mediterranean diet.
- Now news all over the Internet has been circulating that there is a new Mediterranean diet.
What is this newly docked and adapted mode of eating?
- The traditional Mediterranean Diet was based on the diet of people with a high physical activity, who work as farmers and fishers in Southern Italy and Greece. People in America nowadays are more sedentary and thus need fewer calories.
- The new Mediterranean diet is devised to accommodate their food intake to these needs. The new form of the Mediterranean diet is like the traditional Mediterranean diet, offering the same benefits and advantages as the latter diet. But this diet has something different to it.
- The new Mediterranean diet almost contains similar food items to the traditional Mediterranean diet.
- The only difference is that the new diet is American, so the people who developed this kind of diet program have kept in mind the needs of the average American man and woman. Of course, the Mediterranean diet itself has become attractive to so many Americans over the years, yet there are those who have attempted to spruce the recipes for a bit.
- The new diet has kept the fundamentals of the Mediterranean diet and has built upon that. Thus, the results of the new diet are that men and women from the streets could actually learn to prepare foods in this diet without having to fuss about the ingredients and how the food tastes to them.
- Here’s what’s new in the improved diet. Plant foods are still the main dishes for the new diet, but you have to choose the least processed forms.
- The new diet also calls for fewer carbohydrates. Herbs and spices are now part of the pyramid because they add flavor and reduce the need for salt when cooking. Fish and shellfish are recommended more often because of their unique health benefits.
- The new Mediterranean diet may take some getting used to, but it suits the average American better. You would become more healthy and fit and you would experience a lesser risk of getting heart disease.
- Plus, you would lose weight without having to starve yourself or go through rigorous physical exercises to reach your goal.
Breakfast: What You Can Eat
- The Mediterranean diet has taken the world by storm. Both men and women are appreciating the wonders that this diet can do for you.
- One of the best things about this kind of diet is that it doesn’t involve restricting and avoiding foods you end up craving. This kind of diet is actually the regular diet people living in the Mediterranean Sea are eating every day.
- This means that the food items and the way the food is prepared are exactly the way people living there prepare it.
- The hallmark of this diet is the fact that they use extra virgin olive oil as the source of fat in their diet. They coat everything with it, fry foods in it, and drizzle it over their salads.
- Some even have recipes for using extra virgin olive oil in their cakes! That may not sound too fancy, but people have testified to the effectiveness and the delicious taste of the Mediterranean diet.
- Unearthing Mediterranean diet breakfast ideas will be a piece of cake.
- Of course, when you follow the Mediterranean diet, plan your meals according to the foods that are allowed. Well, there is not that much food that is restricted in this type of diet.
- Red meat is taken into moderation and minimized because it is a rich source of saturated fats. However, there are some substitutes for that. Lamb and veal are the meat of choice as they are leaner and they contain less fat than beef and pork.
- Mediterranean diet recipes are not only healthy, but they have a reputation for filling your craving for food. These recipes capture the lifestyle of the people living in the Mediterranean Sea area.
- When looking for Mediterranean diet breakfast ideas, keep in mind that the food you will prepare for breakfast is something that is light and something that will satisfy you until lunch.
- One great idea is to add fresh fruits to a bowl of yogurt while adding a small amount of honey on top. To add a bit more to this simple but deliciously healthy recipe, add some granola on top for that extra crunch.
- Or, you can even prepare an omelet. Eggs are allowed on the Mediterranean diet, but you have to take a maximum of 4 eggs per week. You can make an omelet with red and green peppers, olives, onions, feta cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- This is not only healthy, but it will ward off those unwanted food cravings. With this kind of diet, you eat what you want without having to feel guilty.
- You can also have pancakes, whole grain bagels, or cereals with fruits for breakfast. Click here for more Mediterranean diet breakfast recipes.
Mediterranean Diet Pyramid
the Mediterranean diet pyramid
They say eating is a lifestyle. What you eat will directly affect your health. Since food is our number one source of energy and nutrients for the body, it is important that we maintain healthy eating habits.
Nothing is more important to us than being healthy and the improvement of our longevity. Following something as the Mediterranean diet pyramid will actually get you there.
This food pyramid serves as a nutrition guide developed by Oldways, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the World Health Organization in 1993.
The foods in the Mediterranean diet pyramid were based on the foods that people from Crete, most of Greece, and Southern Italy, eat in the 1960s because they had longer life expectancy and fewer cases of heart diseases despite limited medical services.
The foods that you will find in this diet pyramid promote good health because saturated fat is reduced in your diet. This reduces the risks of several health problems, such as heart attacks, obesity, and hypertension.
You will see the recommended food that you can eat and how often you can eat them.
The first level in the diet pyramid tells you to be physically active and to also enjoy your meals with your family or others. There is without a doubt that regular physical exercises will help the body burn out calories and also give you energy.
The second level has the foods that you can eat daily. These are fruits, vegetables, grains (mostly whole wheat and rice), beans, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs, and spices. You will plan your daily meals from these food groups.
The third level up the pyramid is fish and seafood. You can eat them at least twice per week, along with your vegetables and other foods on the lower level.
The next level is the poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. The poultry products can be consumed in moderate portions, preferably every two days or a week.
Dairy products, primarily cheese, and yogurt, should be eaten in moderate portions, eaten daily to weekly. As for eggs, you can eat only 4 eggs per week.
The top-level, the one you should have the least often, would be red meats and sweets. Red meat should be eaten as often as you can, probably once every two weeks.
The same goes for sweets. Lesser sweets mean lesser sugar intake and will help you with reducing the risk of diabetes.
The Mediterranean diet pyramid also tells us to drink water as often as we can and to drink wine in moderation. With this diet pyramid, you can never go wrong and you will surely be on the road to a much healthier you.
Sample menu plan
Mediterranean sample menu
What you eat will be what dictates your health. Since food gives us energy and nutrients, we should value good food and good health just the same.
For those of us who want to have healthier eating habits, we can check out the Mediterranean diet menus.
Going to the Mediterranean with your food seems to be the best way to stay healthy. It worked for people from Crete, most of Greece, and Southern Italy in the past, and it should still be great for eating for us now.
Since people who followed the Mediterranean diet have longer life expectancies and lesser risk for chronic diseases, it would really be worth it to try out some recipes based on the food that they recommend eating.
There really isn’t an exact formula for the Mediterranean diet. You can cut back on your calorie intake if you base your menu on the Mediterranean diet pyramid.
Since you will know what food to eat daily or weekly, you will control your calorie intake, which is a plus for weight maintenance.
You can make a Mediterranean stew with olives and oranges that quell your hunger and only has around 338 calories to boot. It has beef, squash, tomatoes, and peppers over couscous.
Roasted broccoli and tomatoes are also a meal that has a really low-calorie count. Olives, dried oregano, capers, garlic, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil add flavor to this dish.
This recipe requires baking and roasting and will be done in thirteen minutes. The Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Folate in this meal would be great for your body.
If you like to substitute your meat with tofu, you can try grilled tofu with a Mediterranean chopped salad. It’s low in calories and also gives you calcium, Vitamin C, and iron. The lemon juice and garlic-based marinade will give flavor to the tofu.
If you marinate it several hours before serving, the more flavorful the tofu will become. Oregano and pepper are additional flavorings you will find in this recipe.
With these sample Mediterranean diet menus, you can make your own Mediterranean-inspired dishes at ease. It will not just be enjoyable, but it will also be healthy for you. Just think about the calories you won’t be getting with each meal.
Sample Mediterranean Diet Menus
Breakfast:
- cereal 3/4 cup
- skim milk 1/2 cup
- banana 1
- margarine 1 tsp
- whole-wheat toast 1 slice
- olive oil 1/2 tbsp
- sliced almonds 1/2 oz
Lunch:
- lentil soup 1 cup
- hard roll 1
- olive oil 1/2 tbsp
- spinach 1 cup
- romaine lettuce 1 cup
- chopped mushrooms 1/4 cup
- radishes 2
- balsamic vinegar 1/2 oz
Snack:
- plain yogurt 1 cup
- blueberries 1/2 cup
Dinner:
- pasta 1 1/2 cup
- tomatoes 1/2 cup
- broccoli 1/2 cup
- squash/zucchini 1/2 cup
- sweet peppers 1/4 cup
- chopped mushrooms 1/4cup
- olive oil 2 tbsp
- Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp
- white beans 1.2 cup
- red wine vinegar 1/2 oz
- garlic 1 clove
- whole wheat bread 1 slice
- grapes 1/2 cup