Eat, Drink, and Be Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the healthiest in the world. Research has shown this diet and overall lifestyle can help you lose weight, reduce incidence of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and is now associated with a reduced risk in mental decline. So, if you’re looking for a healthier approach to eating, the Mediterranean Diet might be right for you.

Mediterranean Food Pyramid

But what exactly is the Mediterranean Diet? The Mediterranean Diet is not so much a diet in the sense of a strict eating regimen where certain foods are forbidden, but rather like an eating style. It incorporates all of the aspects of healthy eating but focuses on the wonderful flavors, foods, and cooking style found in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Greece, Southern France, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey. Although each country in the Mediterranean region provides its own variation in diet, all share 8 common principles characteristic to the authentic Mediterranean Diet.

8 Principles of the Mediterranean Diet:

1. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, including beans and lentils
2. Enjoy generous amounts of monounsaturated fats, MUFA, found in olive oil and canola oil
3. Eat small portions of nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts – also high in MUFA
4. Drink red wine, in moderation – one to two glasses daily – and refresh yourself with at least 6 glasses of water per day
5. Choose lean proteins such as chicken, ham, and turkey and limit red meat to a few times a month
6. Eat fish on a weekly basis
7. Eat small amounts of dairy, including cheese and yogurt, daily
8. Engage in regular exercise, such as walking on a daily basis