Mediterranean Diet: A Beginner's Guide 2022

How does the Mediterranean diet work, which foods are on the menu, and how does the dietary change succeed?

You will learn everything you need to know and get a free nutrition plan here.

Fried fish and vegetables with a view of the sea—most people probably find the thought of it dreamlike.

Mediterranean Diet: A Beginner's Guide 2022

How does the Mediterranean diet work, which foods are on the menu, and how does the dietary change succeed?


Here you will learn everything you need to know and get a free nutrition plan on top of it.


Fried fish and vegetables with a view of the sea most people probably find the thought of it dreamlike.


Eating on holiday sounds promising, doesn't it? The Mediterranean diet is based precisely on this principle and looks at the plates of our southern European neighbors. Here you can find out what is behind the Mediterranean diet, and how and whether it works!


What is the Mediterranean diet?

  • A balanced, healthy, versatile, and tasty diet is the basis of the Mediterranean diet. The customs of the Mediterranean region are adopted here.
  • Strictly speaking, however, the Mediterranean diet is not a proper diet, but rather a form of nutrition and lifestyle in which high-fiber mixed foods and fresh ingredients are on the menu.
  • "The Mediterranean diet is a balanced, wholesome diet that is vegetable-based, fat-modified, and protein-optimized,". In addition, attention is paid to enjoyable and slow eating of individual meals.
  • A slow weight loss of two kilos per month is envisaged. The concept is more of a healthy diet than a diet.


NOTICE!


In the Mediterranean diet, high-fiber and fresh ingredients are mainly on the menu.


How does the Mediterranean diet work?

  • A high-fiber mixed diet with healthy fats and many fresh ingredients such as vegetables, Mediterranean salads, fish, and fresh fruit should make our bodies slim.
  • The Mediterranean diet scores with many valuable ingredients that regulate blood lipids and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Vegetables, fruits, and salads are good for digestion.
  • But also pasta, bread, rice, legumes and cold-pressed olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic are on the menu.
  • Important in the Mediterranean diet program: is to take time to eat. A slow and relaxed meal, therefore, has a high priority.
  • The southern Europeans take a lot of time, always cook and eat with great pleasure. A smart strategy has now been proven by studies eating slowly helps you lose weight.
  • After all, those who do not take their time often miss the body's natural feeling of satiety and thus take an unnecessary amount of calories.
  • In addition, Mediterranean food ensures a balanced fat metabolism and, according to studies, lowers cholesterol levels.
  • In addition, scientific research results show a positive correlation between the Mediterranean diet and the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
  • A study from the USA was able to prove that foods such as vegetables, fruits, olive oil, and can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
  • The Mediterranean diet does not provide for an additional sports program. Counting calories is also not the order of the day you can eat your fill of the appropriate foods. In the best case, these should always be freshly prepared.


NOTICE!


The fresh ingredients of the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. With a slow and relaxed food intake, the feeling of satiety can be perceived better and thus unnecessary calories can be saved.


It is better to refrain from these foods


This includes the following food group:


  • processed foods, such as processed meat or sausages.

You are allowed to consume these foods.


The main component of the Mediterranean diet is the main ingredients that are regularly consumed in the Mediterranean region. These include:


  • fresh salads and lots of vegetables
  • fresh fish and/or seafood several times a week
  • Fruit
  • good, cold-pressed olive oil
  • plenty of fresh herbs and garlic
  • Poultry
  • Rice and pasta in moderation
  • Legumes such as chickpeas or lentils (slow rise in blood sugar levels)
  • Almond
  • Low-fat dairy products such as goat and sheep milk or products (high calcium content, have an anti-inflammatory effect)
  • Wholemeal bread, wholemeal-based flatbread, and sourdough bread in moderation (causes blood sugar to rise only slowly and thus makes you full longer)


How to make the right start

In order to switch the previous diet to a Mediterranean diet (Mediterranean diet), it is initially easier if you follow a few tips.


We have compiled the most important ones for you:


  1. Season meals with herbs instead of salt: high salt consumption carries the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
  2. Nuts as a snack in between long-lasting satiety and provide valuable fats.
  3. Poultry instead of red meat: If you don't want to give up meat, just buy a portion of poultry instead of red meat. This also provides many proteins.
  4. Use sheep and goat milk products instead of high-fat cow's milk products: these are much lower in fat.
  5. Allow plenty of time to prepare and eat your meals (the more time you take to eat, the less food you eat. Because by eating hastily, you eat much more food until the feeling of satiety sets in)


NOTICE!


With a few simple tips and tricks such as herbs instead of salt or almonds for cravings, the Mediterranean diet can be wonderfully integrated into your daily diet.


The benefits of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest nutritional concepts on many lips. Due to a large number of fruits and vegetables, a high intake of vitamins and minerals is generated and is therefore very balanced and varied.


In combination with sports, the Mediterranean diet is very suitable for a long-term change in diet and healthy weight loss.


The ingredients of the Mediterranean diet are also available in every supermarket in winter. Eating out is also absolutely no problem due to the variety of "allowed" foods.


The disadvantages of the Mediterranean diet

The concept of the Mediterranean diet is more about a healthy diet than a diet. An integrated sports program is not provided for this purpose.


Nevertheless, a slow weight loss of two kilos per month is expected. However, this can only be guaranteed in combination with sports.


You should also count calories and pay attention to the amount of olive oil used in order to be able to generate actual weight loss.


Breakfast should not be taken over by the habits of our southern neighbors. Often, only one cup of coffee is drunk and pastries are consumed, which, in turn, leads to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.


A short time later, hunger can set in again. As an alternative, muesli and/or yogurt, as well as fresh fruit, are suitable for this.


In addition, the Mediterranean diet with a lot of fish and seafood is not very favorable and requires a lot of time to prepare meals, which is another drawback.


NOTICE!


The Mediterranean diet is considered by many experts as one of the healthiest diets, as it provides us with a high vitamin and mineral intake optimally. However, the diet does not provide for an integrated sports program.


The variants of the Mediterranean diet

Brigitte's diet:


  • The main component of the diet, as in the Mediterranean diet, is a mixed diet consisting of a lot of fruits and vegetables, fish, meat, dairy products, and legumes.
  • Above all, the diet is protein-based, has high-quality fats such as olive oil as a basis (as with the Mediterranean diet), and is lower in carbohydrates.
  • Divided into three meals a day, in contrast to the Mediterranean diet, the number of calories is strictly monitored and a regular sports program is observed. 1200 Kilocalories daily are the standard here.
  • With regular, numerous sports sessions, it is allowed to increase to 1400 kilocalories per day. In addition, the Brigitte diet provides for a break of four during the day and a break of up to ten hours between meals at night. Likewise, during the diet should be thoroughly chewed and drunk a lot.
  • The so-called "calorie break" is another important factor of the Brigitte diet. Foods with a low energy density, i.e. foods that cause our blood sugar levels to rise slowly and at the same time have few calories, are preferred in the Brigitte diet.
  • This means long-lasting satiety and a low-calorie intake can be guaranteed. These include, above all, vegetables and certain types of fruit, as well as lean types of meat.
  • According to experts, the Brigitte diet is balanced and helps to achieve healthy weight loss.


NOTICE!


Like the Mediterranean diet, the Brigitte diet is based on a balanced mixed diet. In contrast to the Mediterranean diet, however, a sports program and a limited calorie intake of 1200-1400 calories per day are provided.


Greek-Doctors-Diet:


  • Similar to the Mediterranean diet, the Greek Doctor's diet is based on a Mediterranean diet. So, the basis for this is also fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, yogurt, and healthy fats such as olive oil, and legumes.
  • However, no carbohydrates from white flour and sugar are consumed here, but long-chain carbohydrates such as legumes are resorted to. In addition, proteins are in the foreground.
  • The Greek doctor's diet refers to the glycemic load. This means that the glycemic index (increase in blood sugar after carbohydrate consumption) is multiplied by the carbohydrate content per 100 grams.
  • In order to keep these as low as possible, vegetables, berries, and protein sources such as fish, lean meat, or legumes are in the foreground.
  • Equally important in the Greek doctor's diet is eating together with the family and coping with stress. In addition, an integrated sports program is an integral part of the diet.


NOTICE!


The Greek doctor's diet also has Mediterranean foods as its main ingredient. The glycemic index is used as a benchmark for this. Regular sports and eating together with the family are a priority.


For whom is the Mediterranean diet suitable or unsuitable?

Suitable for:


  • All connoisseurs strive above all for a healthy and balanced diet, but weight loss is not the highest priority
  • The Mediterranean diet is suitable for all ages and target groups

"Weight loss, especially with regard to the unfavorable abdominal fat, and improvement in sugar and cholesterol levels up to the complete reduction of fatty liver are wonderful successes of my patients.“


Smart tips for everyday life

  1. If you keep an eye on the calories and, for example, reach for a Mediterranean salad more often, you eat quite healthy with the Mediterranean diet.
  2. If you also do sports, weight can be lost in a healthy way. Regularity is crucial here. In the best case, make sports an integral part of your life.
  3. In addition, it can be helpful to plan meals precisely in order to keep an eye on the calories as described above. It is best to choose varied dishes within a week.
  4. So you not only get various important vitamins and minerals but also bring variety to your plate. Our Mediterranean diet nutrition plan will help you with this.


NOTICE!


Through an additional sports program and the consideration of calories, nothing stands in the way of weight reduction.


Healthy through the day with the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits of the southerners. Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and low-fat dairy products, such as sheep or goat milk, are the main nutritional components of the Mediterranean diet.


Almonds, herbs, whole grains, and garlic are also on the daily menu. Foods such as red meat, which is often very fatty, as well as fatty dairy products such as cream cheese or cream curd, should be avoided in the Mediterranean diet.


But from a closer look, the Mediterranean diet is more of a diet and lifestyle than a diet. You can lose weight only in conjunction with sports, as well as the number of calories should be noted, which is not taken into account in the Mediterranean diet.


The principle of nutrition attaches great importance to a healthy lifestyle, which is characterized by a leisurely, slow, and enjoyable celebration of food.

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