The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating habits of the people of Crete, Greece, southern Italy in the 1960’s. The diet was rich in the region’s traditional fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, olive oil, and dairy. If you consume alcohol, it should not be more than a glass or two of red wine.  

The Overlooked Emotional Aspect.

Apart from the dietary aspect of making fresh and wholesome food choices, sharing meals with others is another important emotional aspect of the Mediterranean diet that should not be overlooked. The combination of eating proportionally higher amounts of olive oil, legumes, fruits, vegetables, seafood, along with moderate consumption of dairy products, a glass or two of red wine plus the emotional aspect of sharing meals has a profound positive physical and mental health benefit. 

Why is this Diet Recommended?

One of the key aspects of a Mediterranean diet is good fats. Studies have shown that olive oil is among the best choices for reducing all-cause mortality and the risk of chronic diseases. The Mediterranean diet includes fewer red meats and more plant-based foods and monounsaturated fats. Studies have shown that this diet stabilizes blood sugar, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. This results in a lower risk of heart disease and other health problems.

Foods Included in this Diet

The vegetarian side of the Mediterranean diet must include large servings of fresh produce like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The non-vegetarian side of the Mediterranean diet has to be dominated by fish and seafood.

The primary rule of this diet is that it should consist of a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grain. Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds etc. should be consumed. You should choose olive oil for cooking. The choice of diet that will go well with a Mediterranean diet is a glass or two of red wine.Eggs can also be a good addition to this diet.

USP of this Diet

The word diet usually brings up an image of deprivation and hunger pangs in our minds. 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories and a gram of protein or carbohydrate has only 4 calories. However, the consumption of healthy fats keep the blood sugar level stable and does make the dieter feel hungry. Therefore, the Mediterranean diet can be used for a longer duration as the dieter does not have to deal with the hunger pangs of a low carbohydrate diet. The problem with most diets is not the diet itself but the cheat meals dieters indulge in due to a feeling of deprivation.

Promotes Mental and Physical Health 

Additionally, the consumption of healthy fats is beneficial for the human heart. Research has shown that extremely low carbohydrate diets have often resulted in causing low emotional health, irritability, hair loss, etc. The inclusion of good fats in the Mediterranean diet stabilizes your blood sugar and also keeps you away from mood swings, hair loss, etc. which are the characteristics of following a low carbohydrate, low-fat diet.

Foods to Avoid in this Diet

The focus of the Mediterranean diet is on natural, unprocessed foods. Therefore, the dieter should stay away from refined grains such as white bread, white pasta, pizza dough containing white flour, etc. Refined sugar is said to be more addictive than cocaine. It is a strict no-no for the Mediterranean diet. Refined oils such as canola oil, refined soybean oil, refined sunflower oil, etc. should be avoided. Additionally, foods with added refined sugars such as pastries, sodas, candies, etc. should be strictly avoided. 

Red Meat and Hard liquor

Red meat consumption is not a big part of the Mediterranean diet. More importantly, processed red meats such as hot dogs, deli meats, and other processed and packaged meats should be avoided. Hard liquor should also be avoided when following a Mediterranean diet. The focus should be on fish and seafood. Satisfy your emotional needs to let go by sharing a meal with your friends and family. You can indulge in a glass or two of red wine rather than hard liquor.

How to get into a MediterraneanDiet ?

Replacing butter with olive oil does not mean that you put olive oil on your bread instead of butter. It simply means that you can use oil instead of butter for most of your recipes. You can also use good quality cheese in moderation. Be creative and you will thank us later. 

Think Vegan with Non-Vegetarian Food as a Side Dish

The Mediterranean diet is a predominantly vegetarian diet that uses mostly protein from seafood sources as a side dish or a compliment. You can limit your meat consumption to once per week. The idea is to get your protein from legumes, fish, few eggs, and once per week from meat. Choose brown rice over white rice and stay away from hard liquor. 

 Feel Happy that your Food Choices are Broad

The Mediterranean diet allows a lot more food choices than Atkins Diet or a keto diet. Human beings are emotional beings. New research points to the fact that the more you deprive a person, the more he will overindulge. There is a popular Hollywood story. During the filming of Rocky 3 fight scenes, both Sylvester Stallone and Mr T had to follow severe diets to stay in the same shape over the two months of the filming of bare-bodied fighting scenes.

They only allowed themselves to cheat on their diets on rare occasions. The story is that Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T would run like kids to cheat foods due to the feeling of severe deprivation caused by their diets and a lot of these other diets.  

Not Feeling Deprived by your Diet is Important

The Hollywood story is relevant as Sylvester Stallone made over 3 and half-million US Dollars from Rocky 3 in the late ’80s. The amount is close to 8 million US Dollars in today’s terms. The point is that the psychological effect of a harsh diet is hard on a human being even if it leads to making him a top action star in the world. Therefore, the wide choice of food allowed in adds to the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. 

Keep the Water or Sparkling Water Handy

A study by a major corporate found that employees reached for the drink nearest to them during breaks in the refreshment bar. When they placed the healthy drinks more conveniently, healthy drinks started getting chosen by the employees. So keep your water or sparkling water container handy which will make further additions to the benefit of your Mediterranean diet.

Summary

Remain consistent with your Mediterranean diet and your body will thank you for the enhanced health and wealth. The add-on-benefit of the Mediterranean diet is the happiness of not feeling deprived.