What's So Great About the Mediterranean Diet?

Many people these days want to lose weight, but they want to do it in a healthy manner. That's why many sources of weight loss advice recommend the Mediterranean diet. Since those who reside in the Mediterranean basin are in good physical shape, someone arrived at the plan for formulating the Mediterranean diet program. This temperate region near the Mediterranean Sea takes in areas of various nations such as Italy, France, Spain, the Balkans as well as portions of Africa.

The most well-known variation of the Mediterranean diet plan was created in the mid-1990s by a Harvard health professor named Walter Willett. Besides exercise the regimen proposes consuming lots of dairy products, fish, and lean meats together with a healthy measure of olive oil and veggies. The fat content in this regime is restricted, only up to 35% of calories, saturated fat at less than 8% of total calories. It's considered to be a low-fat, high fiber diet. It has been available ever since 1945 when the first version of the Mediterranean regime was published by Ancel Keyes who lived in Italy. But it didn't achieve popularity till the 1990s.

The Mediterranean diet plan substitutes olive oil instead of animal fats used by a lot of Americans. Olive oil has lots of benefits such as reducing cholesterol and blood glucose. Studies have shown that olive oil helps cut the risk of numerous types of cancer and ulcers. Antioxidant components in red wine, an important part of the Mediterranean diet, are also beneficial.

The American Heart Association advocates diets such as the Mediterranean diet program. The one element of the Mediterranean regimen that the American Heart Association doesn't like is the high ratio of calories from fat. They say that obesity is a rising health concern in the Mediterranean basin. In spite of this, the American Heart Association does like the fact that a large amount of the fat in the Mediterranean diet plan comes from olive oil, a monounsaturated fat that doesn't elevate cholesterol. It might be that superior health in the basin comes from more physical activity, rather than from food intake.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most healthy weight loss programs you can find. A Google search is a great source of information on the Mediterranean diet. Your heart and your waistline will both win if you decide to follow this plan.