The Mediterranean diet is one of the best in the world for your health, so let’s explore what it really consists of and how it can be good for you.
The Mediterranean Diet in Details
In the South of Europe and all around the Mediterranean Sea, we eat a particular kind of diet. It is said to be one of the best in the world in terms of health, so what is it that they do so well?
For starters, the foods they eat are real foods, as opposed to processed foods. They eat lots of whole foods like fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and olive oils. They also eat animal products occasionally like wild fish, meat, and dairy like feta. And they select animals that have been raised in nature and peacefully.
This eating style is what is really good for you, in harmony with nature and not processed at all. Unfortunately this is sometimes what can be our biggest enemy: eating foods that were produced in a lab and that our body is not supposed to know how to process.
On top of being really good from an eating standpoint, there is also an emphasis on relationship amongst the communities. These have been proven to increase lifespan due to the feelings of togetherness and belonging.
It’s also important to exercise and sweat, spend time in nature, to decrease stress and contribute to physical and mental wellbeing.
It’s high in omega-3 (nuts and fish), and low in processed foods, which is the foundation for low inflammation. It is rich in fruit and vegetables which makes it full of anti-oxidants and all the good stuff. It’s also looking at the non food part of life and health. What’s not to love?
Diet or Lifestyle?
This approach to life is centred around an idea: that life is to be enjoyed in the right way. It’s not about a temporary diet or a fad that you adopt, it really is a lifestyle.
The concept of the diet for weight loss for example is that it’s temporary and can only have effect as long as you follow it. The day you stop, you’re probably going to stop seeing the advantages that you had been seeing so far.
That’s why its’ always important to consider what you are trying to do, lose weight temporarily, or for good? Stop feeling pain and exhaustion when you go up the stairs, or be able to live actively without wondering about what you can do next?
It has been showed that people who follow the Mediterranean diet have very low levels of inflammation which means goodbye arthritis, back pains, stomachaches, acne, weight gain, and so much more.
And when you’re pain free, you can live your life like you were meant to: with ambition, love, energy and vitality.
How to Incorporate this Diet into your Life
You may not want to completely change your lifestyle at this point in your life but you can incorporate the big lines or concept that stem from the Mediterranean diet.
Steps that can help you for certain:
- Incorporate more whole foods on your plate like fruit and vegetables, and cook whole grains,
- Drizzle a good quality olive oil on your roasted veggies, and eat nuts for snacks or as salad toppings,
- Add goat cheese feta (which is better than cow’s milk),
- Sprinkle seasoning like oregano and lemon,
- Get in touch with family and friends, neighbours, build a community around you,
- Increase your physical activity, be out in nature as often as possible.
You can enjoy a glass of red wine every day, but not much more. And savour that cup of artisan coffee, if this agrees with you.
Be always mindful of what works for you when altering your lifestyle. It’s not about being strict about your diet and feeling deprived or restrained. It’s about expanding your life.
Ask yourself if you can moderate rich foods, tolerate coffee, or if you need stricter guidelines at this point in your life.
Will give some of these guidelines a try? Are you already following a Mediterranean diet?
Let us know in the comments your experience with it.
Looking for recipes that are aligned with the Mediterranean diet? You will love:
