There are many words used to describe the Mediterranean dietary pattern of eating such as health promoting, disease prevention, longevity, nutritious, cardiovascular, olive oil, omega-3 fatty acids to name a few. This diet has been presented as the "gold standard" of healthy diets for its taste and diversified role in chronic disease prevention.
The Mediterranean diet cannot be solely defined, as there are 18 countries with coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. Each has its own unique dietary habit. However, there are general food patterns that unify the variable diets of the Mediterranean people and reflect more traditional eating pattern of the southern Mediterranean region during the early 1960's.
There has been a continuously emerging body of evidence that shows the Mediterranean eating pattern style is affiliated with protection against several chronic degenerative diseases and disorders. It is not clear how the components of the diet work, but the evidence in the literature shows that the foods consumed collectively provides a dietary pattern that is protective.
The components of the traditional Mediterranean diet include a dietary pattern of eating with a variety of plant-based foods that have "multiple synergistic protective factors as opposed to singling out individual nutrients or foods as the underlying protective mechanism." The diet is primarily plant-based, whole foods filled with plenty of healthful and biologically active compounds namely, vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. It is low in saturated fat, dietary cholesterol and trans-fat because of the low consumption of animal protein such as red meat, meat products, and processed foods.
The specific components of the diet include the following:
Eating several servings of whole grains (minimally processed) daily.
Eating a variety of vegetables (including root vegetables) with emphasis on daily intake of green leafy and fresh vegetables.
Daily intake of seasonal fresh fruit.
Daily consumption of plant foods high in essential fatty acids found in flaxseed and walnuts.
Daily intake of extra virgin olive oil used as the main fat.
Daily intake of legumes (beans).
Daily intake of red wine; 1 to 2 glasses with meals.
Daily intake of a small amount of nuts.
Daily intake of antioxidant-rich herbs and spices to flavor foods (such as garlic/onion, dill, oregano, and curry powder).
Weekly consumption of omega-3-rich (EPA/DHA) fish; at least 2 servings per week.
Weekly consumption of a small amount of low fat or fat free dairy (such as flavorful cheeses and yogurt) several servings per week.
Moderate consumption of poultry and eggs (can be less than once per week), if desired.
Occasional consumption of sweets containing refined sugar (can be less than once per week) if desired.
The collective scientific data suggests that the ideal Mediterranean diet would have the necessary components in the amounts described and eaten on a regular basis.
This diet shows protective evidence on many diseases and disorders including heart disease, diabetes mellitus- type 2, hypertension, embolism, osteoporosis and certain cancers such as; breast, stomach, colorectal and prostate. It is overwhelming to review all the benefits associated with the diet in this article.
The importance of the scientific articles provides support of its "impressive benefits of the Mediterranean Diet in both the primary and secondary prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in particular."
In the Coronary Heart Disease- 7-Country Study, it was surmised that the mortality rate was significantly lower in countries were the mean total blood cholesterol was lowest. The work of Ansel Keyes and his colleagues show that the immunity from coronary risk and the long life expectancy of the Mediterranean population particularly the people living on the isle of Crete during the late 50's and 60's was due to the impact of their diet on their health.
It was from this observation that the 7- Countries study was born to examine the association between diet, cholesterol level and rates of CHD (Cardiac Heart Disease) in 16 cohorts of middle-aged men from Finland, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and Yugoslavia. For several decades, data generated provided evidence that a plant based diet rich in vegetables, fruit, olive oil, low in meat, eggs and dairy coupled with an active lifestyle could significantly reduce mortality from CHD and promote longevity.
In summary, the Mediterranean diet is a proven "centuries-old style of eating that is practical, highly enjoyable dietary pattern comprising an abundance of whole nutrient-dense foods."
Its protective healthfulness has consistently been found to reduce CVD risk, protect against certain forms of cancer and provide an overall protective effect for all causes of mortality.
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Hope H Anderson invites you to take advantage of the wealth of nutritional knowledge available to you at hopenutrigarden.com hopenutrigarden.com. Once there you can opt-in for her free monthly newsletter.
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