Food is more than just fuel for your body. In addition, your serving sizes will change, as will the balance of food on your plate, with the protein and starch becoming sidekicks rather than the stars. An introduction or reintroduction to how delicious — and filling — simply prepared, whole foods can be. An opportunity to maintain or return to a healthy body weight, without going to extraordinary lengths or having to do crazy things. Still, change can be difficult, especially when it involves dietary habits. If so, making the switch from your current diet to the Mediterranean diet all at once may be right up your alley. Some health advantages — like lowered cholesterol — attributed to foods that are key components of the Mediterranean diet begin to show up in as little as two weeks! Disadvantages: Going cold turkey is hard. First, if your current diet relies on a lot of processed and convenience foods or contains very few of the dietary staples found in the Mediterranean diet, you face quite a learning curve exactly how do you prepare an artichoke? Second, after the initial wave of enthusiasm wanes, you may easily return to your former diet.
The word “diet” normally puts a bad taste in my mouth. I hate how restrictive most trendy meal plans are, and I’m not convinced they’re actually good for you. When I heard about the Mediterranean diet, however, I reconsidered my stance.
Valerie Doerfler. I have a few questions as my husband and I are just now reading and looking into this way of eating. Since I got gluten allergy, chickpeas are one of my go to carbs. We grabbed bagels with cream cheese on Sunday morning, which probably wasn’t the best choice. That’s because these foods actually contain alpha-linolenic acid, a compound our bodies convert to omega-3 fatty acids. When you’re ready, move onto the next strategy. Eating like a Mediterranean is as much lifestyle as it is diet. My mother turns her nose up at everything, which is fine. We made a modified version of one of our favorite meals — a salmon dish — for dinner. Get more help. Please donate today to help us protect, support, and save lives. Accessed June 13,
The Mediterranean diet has been studied for over years now. Starting with the Seven Countries study and continuing from there with several large observational studies, research repeatedly has shown that compliance to the Mediterranean diet appears to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions. While it can never be exactly replicated, you can follow a Mediterranean diet wherever you are. So how do you follow this diet? Drizzle olive oil on your bread? Add feta cheese and parmesan to your recipes?