Summer Mediterranean Diet - A Source Of Health And Longevity

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

For many centuries, traditional healthy eating has cured diseases and prolonged the lives of the inhabitants of the sunny Mediterranean coast.

Physicians who have studied this phenomenon have come to the conclusion that the use of recipes common to these countries can change the lives of everyone else in the world.

Twenty years ago, the US Congress issued a special decree endorsing the principles of the Mediterranean diet as the "gold standard" of healthy eating.

As a result, a diet scheme known as the "Mediterranean Pyramid" was created. At its core before any food is daily physical activity, which is the first and most important condition for dealing with excess weight and disease.

After it, ie with the largest share in the menu, are rich in carbohydrates cereals - pasta, rice, couscous, polenta (corn flour dishes), whole grain breads. If this seems strange to you, keep in mind that in Italy spaghetti is never made with a heavy cream sauce, but with lycopene-rich tomato sauces. Italian pizza also differs too much from ours: its dough is very thin and crunchy.

The next most popular place in the daily menu is occupied by fruits, rich in antioxidants vegetables, legumes and nuts. In most Mediterranean countries, only fruit is eaten for dessert. Legumes and nuts are rich in fiber and enjoy a great variety in the menu: peas, green beans, lentils, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts.

The next step of the pyramid is occupied by olive oil. In the countries of this region, olive oil is used both for seasoning salads and for cooking all dishes that require fat. Thus, it replaces the much higher-calorie butter and animal fat. In addition, olive oil is a god of useful fatty acids. Dairy products are also included in the daily diet, especially cheese (mostly the most diet goat) and yogurt.

At the upper levels of the pyramid are foods that should be taken two or three times a week. First of all, fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce bad cholesterol. It is followed by poultry and eggs, which are rich in protein and low in calories. At the top of the pyramid are the pastries, and above them - the red meat. Residents of the Mediterranean coast consume them once or twice a month.

What makes the Mediterranean diet even more attractive is the rule of drinking one glass of red wine a day by women and two by men. In fact, wine is rich in flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants.