Mediterranean Easy – 6 Ways

Image by grobery via Flickr

The Mediterranean diet has been studied extensively as the best diet to combat the chronic diseases of civilization.

In a study, 215 overweight people with diabetes followed a classic, low-fat regimen (based on the American Heart Association guidelines) or a higher fat, Mediterranean-style diet (lots of olive oil, as well as vegetables, whole grains, and fish and poultry).  After four ears, both groups had lost similar amounts of weight-but only 44 percent of the Mediterranean-style eaters needed diabetes drugs, compared with 70 percent of the low-fat dieters.

Telling people to eat more the Mediterranean way, but doing is not so easy.   Here is a simple approach.

Eat les of these: Beef, lamb, pork

And more of these: Fish, poultry, beans

Eat less of these: Butter, margarine, and butter substitute

And more of these: Extra-virgin olive oil or other vegetables oils such as soybean and canola.

Eat less of these: Low-fat crackers, chips

And more of these: Walnuts or other nuts, sunflower and pumpkin sees, olives

Eat less of these: Reduced-fat cookies

And more of these: Fresh fruit

Eat less of these: Egg substitute, fat-free yogurt, reduced-fat American, Cheddar, and Swiss cheese

And more of these: Whole eggs, whole yogurt; feta, Parmesan or goat cheese

Eat less of these: Baked potatoes, bread, rice

And more of these: Roasted or sautéed vegetables tossed with herbs and drizzled with olive oil.

Exercise and stress management are keys.  Exercising for twenty minutes at least four times a week are critical in reducing visceral fat, which will help reduce your risk for developing metabolic syndrome.