Since some years now, the "Mediterranean Diet" is talk of the town. Everybody seems to know about it, everybody heard about it, but actually very few people really understand what it means.The "Mediterranean Diet is not just a Diet to lose weight. The "Mediterranean Diet" is a complete lifestyle, which influences your body, your mind, your health and your life expectancy.
The whole hype about the "Mediterranean Diet" started, when the "Harvard Medical School" released a study, which showed in very impressive figures that in the countries bordering the Mediterranean, the people were less obese, had a lot less heart problems and were living a lot longer. And, according to this study, responsible for these figures was the Diet in these countries.
One myth was shattered immediately: Fat is not always bad for the body. The right kind of fat is actually essential for the right and healthy diet. The right kind, the "Good" fat is necessary, because without it, even most of the vitamins cant be processed in the body.
The source for the good fat is Olive oil. It is a mono-saturated fat and in the "Mediterranean Diet" it gets used everywhere. The people use it for cooking, it gets used for the dressing of the salad and the people eat it pure with a piece of bread. Now this might sound a little bit strange, but once you tried a piece of fresh bread with a good quality Olive oil and some fresh tomatoes, you will understand, why this is even popular for breakfast.The second column of the "Mediterranean Diet" is carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are coming from fresh fruits and vegetables and from whole grain products. Rice and pasta are basic ingredients of the "Mediterranean Diet". This might cause a little bit of a problem in some countries. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not available the whole year round, or quite expensive. Good quality frozen products are a possibility to substitute the fresh products.
Contrary to the diet in most countries, the "Mediterranean Diet" uses meat quite sparingly. Proteins are mainly coming from fish and sea-fruits. Red meat and poultry is used only a few times a month.
But still, even if you would change your diet completely to Olive oil, fruits, vegetables and fish, the "Mediterranean Diet" would not be complete. Because, as mentioned at the beginning, the "Mediterranean Diet" is not only about eating - it is a change of the whole lifestyle. Not only what you eat is important - it is HOW you eat.
The people around the Mediterranean are living a more relaxed lifestyle. Lunch is not something which gets "swallowed" within 10 minutes. Lunch is a real meal, where they sit down, where they enjoy their food.
And last but not least: mandatory for a well working "Mediterranean Diet" is daily physical activity. This does not mean a daily work-out in the fitness-studio. It just means, to walk short distances instead of driving. To use the stairs instead of the elevator.
Now let us see: eat healthier food - eat more fruits and vegs - be careful with meat - eat slowly and take your time - be physically active! Thats it! There are no secrets behind the "Mediterranean Diet", no miracles, no secret ingredient. Just eat healthy and be active!!
Thats how easy the "Mediterranean Diet" is!
