Contents:
- Medical Video: Why is the Mediterranean diet good for your heart?
- What is the Mediterranean diet like?
- Food sources used in the Mediterranean diet
- Examples of menus in the Mediterranean diet
- Day 1
- Day 2
- 3rd day
- 4th day
- 8 easy steps to apply the Mediterranean consumption pattern
- The Mediterranean diet is not only about food choices
Medical Video: Why is the Mediterranean diet good for your heart?
In the past decade, the Mediterranean consumption pattern gained popularity as the healthiest diet method. This is driven by findings that indicate that the area around the Mediterranean Sea or around the countries of Italy and Greece has a smaller distribution of cardiovascular disease. One of the drivers is the consumption pattern of the people there known as the Mediterranean consumption pattern. Various studies have proven that the Mediterranean diet is useful for preventing various degenerative diseases, to reduce the risk of complications and deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
What is the Mediterranean diet like?
The Mediterranean diet is based on the consumption of various traditional Greek and Italian foods known since the 1960s. The Mediterranean diet prioritizes foods sourced from plants that are rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Various sources rich in protein and fat such as red meat, fish, white meat (poultry) and eggs are also included in the Mediterranean consumption pattern, only consumed with less frequency.
The plan for the Mediterranean diet can be described simply, as follows:
- Daily consumption - can be served every day with varying frequencies for consumption. Types of food can be served every day such as various fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, beans, and spices that are used as spices. Daily consumption also includes various carbohydrate sources such as whole wheat, tubers of cereals, grains, rice, and pasta.
- Medium daily consumption - is a type of food that can be consumed daily or weekly in a number and frequency that is not too much, for example once a day or every few days. The types of food included in this frequency group include various products of white meat, eggs, milk and dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.
- Weekly consumption - is a food group that is only served and consumed about two to three times a week, including various types of fish (land and sea) and various foods seafood.
- Monthly consumption - consumption groups are limited or can be consumed one to three times in one month. Red meat is one of them. In addition, various sweet foods containing sugar and sweeteners are also reduced to frequency in only one or two times a month or, better yet, avoided.
In addition to the frequency regulation of the types of food above, there are several other things that need to be considered in applying the Mediterranean consumption pattern:
- Reduce sugar consumption from soft drinks, ice cream and granulated sugar.
- Reduce consumption of processed flour from white bread and pasta made from processed flour.
- Avoid trans fats from margarine and various processed foods.
- Avoid consuming various processed meats.
- Avoid consuming processed foods labeled "low fat" or "diet".
- Reduce consumption of alcohol, replace it with consumption red wine with a maximum dose of 148 ml for women and 296 ml for men and only consumed twice a week.
Food sources used in the Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean consumption pattern can use a variety of natural food sources, limiting consumption based only on frequency for some time and choosing healthier nutrition sources. Here are some examples of food sources that can be used:
- Vegetables: broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, kale, etc.
- Fruit: Apples, bananas, oranges, melons, strawberries, pears, grapes, dates, watermelons, etc.
- Nuts and seeds: peanuts, almonds, green beans, cashew nuts, squares, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- Tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnip, etc.
- Seed–grain intact: whole wheat, brown rice, whole oats, corn, bread, pasta and rice.
- Fish and seafood: Salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, crabs, shrimp, etc.
- White meat: chicken, duck, pigeon, etc.
- Egg: chicken eggs, chicken quail eggs and duck eggs.
- Milk and processed milk: cheese and yogurt.
- Herbs and spices: Red and white onions, mint leaves, cinnamon, chili, pepper, etc.
- Source of oil and fat: olive oil, avocado oil.
Examples of menus in the Mediterranean diet
Interested in trying a Mediterranean diet? Here's an example of a Mediterranean diet in four days:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Milk and oatmeal
- Lunch: Egg sandwich with vegetables
- Dinner: Tuna fried in olive oil
Day 2
- Breakfast: Sugarless yogurt with sliced fruit
- Lunch: Red bean soup with brown rice
- Dinner: Omelets with vegetables
3rd day
- Breakfast: Oatmeal with bananas
- Lunch: Chicken soy sauce fillet with onions and brown rice
- Dinner: Vegetable salad with olive oil
4th day
- Breakfast: Omelets with vegetables and tomato juice
- Lunch: Grilled meat and baked potatoes
- Dinner: Strawberry yogurt with sliced fruit
Make sure vegetables and fruit are on your daily consumption menu. Types of food for fish, chicken and eggs can be consumed alternately and try to consume red meat no more than once a week.
8 easy steps to apply the Mediterranean consumption pattern
The Mediterranean diet tends to be easy to do because it does not limit a person to fully consume certain food sources. If you want to change your normal diet to a Mediterranean diet, it should be done gradually and not in a hurry. Here are some steps you can take:
- Make it a habit to consume fruits and vegetables as part of your daily food component, then proceed with adding and replacing portions of your food with vegetables and fruits slowly.
- Replace snacks that contain lots of flour and sugar with fruits or various types of beans.
- Start getting used to using spices or spices to reduce salt and replace MSG. Besides being healthier, you can make your dishes richer.
- If you want to be healthier, make it a habit to consume whole wheat because it has a type of complex carbohydrate that is better for digestion.
- Reduce the intake of trans fats and saturated fats from oil by replacing the use of margarine or other oils with olive oil.
- If you are accustomed to consuming red meat, start replacing it with consumption of fish and white meat. Reduce the frequency of consumption of red meat to frequency per month and limit consumption of fish and white meat in frequency per week.
- Limit consumption of fats from dairy products. Choose skim milk or low-fat cheese.
- If you often visit a place to eat or restaurant, choose the type of food made from fish and choose foods that are not fried or fried using olive oil.
The Mediterranean diet is not only about food choices
Besides regulating the type and frequency of food, the Mediterranean diet recommends eating together and sharing food with family or friends and regular physical activity. Physical fitness and social aspects are also factors that make the Mediterranean community tend to be happier and live healthier lives.
Regular physical activity is something that should not be overlooked and this is part of the Mediterranean consumption pattern. Keep in mind, this consumption pattern does not limit the consumption of calories and fat completely, it's just that there is a change in the frequency of consumption and food sources with healthier ones. Besides maintaining weight, both routine physical activity and healthy consumption patterns are needed to prevent various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.
READ ALSO:
- 4 Ways to Undergo an Over-Hunger Diet
- Mayo Diet: Effectively Lower Weight, But Is It Healthy?
- Is Gluten Free Diet Really Healthier?
