Friday, April 24, 2009

What is a Mediterrranean Diet

By Ron C

The Mediterranean diet is a diet designed on eating the foods people who live in the Mediterranean basin eat. The Mediterranean basin is an area that surrounds the Mediterranean Sea and has mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. This area includes areas of France, the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian peninsula, and the Balkan Peninsula. It also includes areas of the Sahara desert, and Africa.

Most people who mention the Mediterranean diet are really talking about a diet created by Walter Willett. The diet includes wine, red meat, olive oil, eggs, fish, poultry and a healthy amount of physical activity.

The fat in this diet is controlled, only up to 35% of calories, saturated fat at less than 8% of total calories. For this reason it's categorized as a low fat, high fiber diet. It became popular in the 1990's, but the Mediterranean diet has been around since 1945.

The Mediterranean diet substitutes olive oil in place of animal fats used by many Americans. Olive oil is known to lower cholesterol levels in the blood, as well as blood sugar and blood pressure. Studies show that olive oil helps prevent ulcers and is an effective treatment for certain types of ulcers, as well as important for preventing cancer. Antioxidant elements in red wine, an important part of the Mediterranean diet, are also beneficial.

The Mediterranean diet is really a series of diets partially recommended by the American Heart Association. The association is apprehensive about the high amount of fat in the Mediterranean diet. They say obesity is a growing health concern in the Mediterranean basin.

The AHA does take comfort in the fact that mono saturated fats such as those found in olive oil don't raise cholesterol levels. It could be that increased health in the basin comes from increased physical activity, rather than from diet.

A Google search is a great source of information on the Mediterranean diet.

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