What is Mediterranean Diet?

It is difficult to give exact definition of the Mediterranean Diet because people living in the countries surrounding Mediterranean Sea consume a diverse set of foods. For example, the Greek diet consist mostly of 60% vegetables and fruits, 20% meats, 10% carbohydrates and 10% fats, while typical Spanish diet consist of bigger amounts of fish, wine and olive oils.

In the last decade Mediterranean diet became a fashion because many researches observed that that region has less incidents of chronic and heart diseases. In that region more people seem to have longer lifespan and are easily maintaining healthy body weight.

Mediterranean diet pyramid primarily consists of vegetables, fruits, beans and fibers (grains). Large quantities of dried cracked wheat, pasta, bread and rice are consumed, polenta, vegetables and fruits. Limited consumption of meat is another characteristic of Mediterranean diet. The avoidance of high calorie food helps to maintain healthy weight but also to lose fat. Anti-oxidants which are provided through large amount of nuts, fruits and fish help the anti-aging process and delay the appearance of wrinkles.

Although Mediterranean diet promotes very different perspective on food consumption it’s less a diet, but more a way of live that anyone can choose to adopt permanently. Weight loss through Mediterranean diet is a result of changing in eating habits to the healthy habits that people in the Mediterranean region have been following for centuries.