Mediterranean Diet Plan

All that you want to do is lose weight, right? You want to burn that stubborn Tummy Fat and keep it off. You want your energy back. And if you are getting older, you are probably thinking a little more about the links between obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The problem is, there are so many diet plans and fads out there today that it is really hard to figure out what diet really works and if it is actually healthy to follow. There are some diet plans that are really good. They help you lose weight, control obesity and lose that tummy fat.

A Mediterranean Diet Plan is just one of the many diets that you'll see out there today. However, it's better to view the Mediterranean Diet Plan more as a way of eating, or a type of eating habit or lifestyle instead of a "diet". This is because a Mediterranean Diet Plan is not about restrictions or deprivations like many of the fad diets out there today. It's not about counting carbohydrates, fats and calories. It's simply following very good nutritional eating habits that have been derived from certain parts of the world where people have been found to be living long, healthy lives.

The Mediterranean Diet Plan has many health benefits. However, there are two major reasons why this way of eating can be so successful for those people who choose to just give it a shot.

The first major reason is the type of fat that is typically consumed in a Mediterranean diet. Traditional Mediterranean diets consisted mainly of fish, a lot of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, olives and olive oil. These types of foods are low in the dangerous saturated fat and high in the good monounsaturated fats. These good monounsaturated fats can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing blood triglycerides and increasing levels of good HDL cholesterol and reducing the concentrations of bad LDL cholesterol. Foods high in these types of fats are almonds, cashews, pecans, peanut butter olives and olive oil and pistachios.

The second reason why a Mediterranean Diet Plan is healthy, and this is a big one, is that many of the foods eaten in this diet have a low glycemic index value. What this means is that the carbohydrate type in these foods does not cause quick, large increases in blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is responsible for getting the blood sugar out of the blood stream and into the muscle cells where it can be burned for energy. Low Glycemic Index foods produce slow and smaller fluctuations in blood sugar levels after they are eaten.

Why is it so good to follow a diet that consists mainly of foods that have low glycemic index values? To keep it short and simple, three big words again...BLOOD SUGAR and INSULIN...and here's why.

High concentrations of blood sugar and insulin in the blood stream over an extended period of time can lead to:

Weight Gain, Obesity, Tummy Fat and Lower Body Fat
High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease

There is a huge problem with obesity in the United States today. It's now being called an epidemic. And sadly, our young kids are now part of those statistics. Young kids today are now showing the signs of the high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes...setting them up for early heart disease. In past decades these symptoms didn't show up in people until much later in life.

Having high concentrations of blood sugar and insulin in the bloodstream causes the body to burn carbohydrate, not fat. In fact, one of insulin's most powerful actions is to switch off the release of free fatty acids from your body's fat storage. So, as long as the insulin levels are raised, your body will store and will keep storing fat rather than burn it. That's why you sometimes hear insulin referred to as the "fat hormone".

And unfortunately, there is something worse that occurs overtime with high blood sugar and insulin. Your body may become "Insulin Resistant", meaning it doesn't respond to insulin as well as it used to. Your pancreas now needs to produce more insulin to get rid of the sugar in the bloodstream. This has a snowball effect and eventually, the pancreas can't keep up and wears out and here comes Diabetes. This is a huge problem today.

Now the good news! The Mediterranean Diet Plan is GREAT for lowering blood sugar and insulin levels because again, the diet consists of foods that do not cause large increases and fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin (Low Glycemic Index value foods). Therefore:

You'll lose weight...lots of weight...quickly and easily.
Your blood pressure will drop.
You'll lose fat in problem areas that you just gave up on...Tummy Fat!
You may reverse an Insulin Resistant condition.
You can greatly reduce your chances for cardiovascular disease caused by eating high fat (bad, saturated fat) and High Glycemic value foods.

Remember, don't think of the Mediterranean Diet Plan as a "Diet". You won't be deprived of anything and you won't be hungry all of the time. It is full of Low G.I. (Glycemic Index) foods like pasta, beans, fish, grains, nuts, and lean meat. It is low in the bad saturated fat and full of "healthy fat".

Try to learn as much as you can about good and bad fats. And definitely try to learn as much as you can about the Glycemic Index, how it relates to the food that you eat and how those foods affect your blood sugar and insulin levels. Remember, the Mediterranean Diet is based on low Glycemic Index foods.

So give the Mediterranean Diet Plan a shot. You'll be amazed at your weight loss and improved blood pressure and blood sugar levels. You'll lose fat around the waistline...that stubborn Tummy Fat. You'll probably have more energy throughout the day also. And the best part...you won't even think or feel that you are on a "Diet".

Start learning about the Glycemic Index, how it relates to the foods that you eat and how those foods affect your blood sugar and insulin levels. Win the war on weight gain, obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and body fat, especially that stubborn tummy fat. Put your body into Fat Burning Mode! For a great source on how to do this, see:

glycemicindexdiet.burnfatbetter.com Glycemic Index Diet

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Mason Grae is a big believer in properly changing eating habits to promote weight loss, improved blood sugar control, lower blood pressure and improved overall health. Education is key, so that the "fad diet" effect, which many times ends in failure, can be avoided.