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Do you want to have a healthy meal without sacrificing the taste of your food? Well, you've come to the right place. You can try the Mediterranean diet plan for a healthier lifestyle.
Remember, if you want to live a healthier life then exercise is important but you have to consider first having a healthy diet. A lot of people like to believe that you only need exercise to make your body stronger and leaner but that's simply not true.
With that being said, there are a lot of diet options that you may find online. Here us out when we say that, with the Mediterranean plan, you can have the results that you want without sacrificing flavor. So, be ready to cut your weight and enhance your lifestyle with this diet plan.
The Mediterranean diet came from the native cuisines of countries in the Mediterranean region. Specifically, these countries, like France, Italy, and Spain, surround the Mediterranean Sea in Europe. Thus, its name.
As for this diet, meals usually have vegetables, grains, fruits, and healthy fats. What's more, this dietary regime encourages people to consume more nuts, seeds, and olive oils. So, expect that your diet will provide you with more vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats than you're probably used to with other diets.
The Mediterranean meal has a different calorie proportion compared to other diet plans. So, to guide you better, here are the things to consider when you have a Mediterranean diet.
A Mediterranean meal usually provides you with at least 40% carbohydrates. However, the carbs for this diet plan are not from pasta or the other usual suspects for carbs. It's because the carbs in the Mediterranean are derived from unrefined foods that are rich in fiber.
You may include the following as your carbs in your Mediterranean diet:
You will typically consume protein as at least 18% of your calories through the Mediterranean diet. But, your source of protein differs from the usual. Nuts, seeds, and beans will serve as your protein instead of meat. More so, you can still eat steak or fish but in small quantities only.
These foods are alternative sources of protein in exchange for the red meat:
Your Mediterranean diet meal should have at least 35% fats to be effective. Remember, the only fats allowed in your Mediterranean meal are unsaturated fats and oils. These are essential to your body as they protect your heart.
For your reference, these are the foods where you can gain healthy fats:
If you are new to this diet plan, you might be excited and maybe a bit overwhelmed with all the new foods you're introducing. So, to prevent any failure, you must know the things that you should avoid before starting. In addition to this, you must also be aware of the foods that you should not eat.
Too much intake of red meat products can lead to severe heart disease. So, to secure your healthy diet, you should minimize meat, including processed ones.
You should limit your alcohol consumption if you want to truly embrace this healthy diet. Through this diet, you can only drink a glass of alcohol per day. You can still complement your meal with a healthy drink in moderation, like red wine.
If you have an eye for the Mediterranean diet, get ready to say goodbye to butter. This is because butter consists of high grams of saturated fat. So, choose olive oil instead if you want some fat on your food.
It is recommended for the Mediterranean diet follower to consume whole grains. For this reason, you must lessen your consumption of refined grain products. The foods that you must avoid are white rice, white bread, and white pasta.
The Mediterranean diet brings a lot of scientific health benefits to you. Your body will improve as you cut refined foods, red meats, and processed foods from your meals. As you strictly follow the diet plan, you will experience the following:
According to a study, the Mediterranean diet can enhance your cardiovascular status. It can reduce the possibility of having cardiovascular complications by 25%. The monounsaturated fat from processed plant foods causes this favorable result.
It also helps to reduce your cholesterol level as you take a sufficient amount of healthy fats. What's more, it can help you to prevent systemic inflammatory diseases. As a result, people who follow the Mediterranean diet are less likely to die from a stroke.
Another benefit of the Mediterranean Diet is it can help slow down your aging. Remember, most of the foods in this nutrition plan are rich in antioxidants. These elements are the ones that protect your body from oxidative stress.
This outcome exists through less consumption of processed and red meat in your meals. Keep yourself on this diet plan, and you won't need that Fountain of Youth anymore.
A healthy eating habit can expand the longevity of your life. Again, monounsaturated fats give more protection against the risk of death. The olive oil and fruits are the most significant drivers of this factor.
The Mediterranean diet has set the standard in the industry of preventive medicine. It became possible because of the combination of antioxidants and healthy fats.
Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for your health. However, you can only benefit from its advantages if you follow the proper guidelines. Make sure to intake proper proportions, too. Consequently, you might need to prepare for an overall lifestyle change in order to keep up with the Mediterranean plan. In the end, the new you will achieve better life quality through these healthier eating habits.
Remember, a nutritious diet plan also requires a strong commitment. Are you ready to start?
Check out 25 Mediterranean meals here!
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About the Author:
Cory McKane is the CEO/Founder of WeStrive - a platform for personal trainers to manage & grow their personal training business. He enjoys working out and spending time working with trainers on WeStrive on how to manage/grow their business.
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