Relevant answers to your frequent questions...

Mediterranean Diet: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates, is one of the healthiest diets in the world. It is low in fat, includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, pasta, legumes (dried peas and beans), and whole grain breads, plus small amounts of dairy products and meat, poultry and fish. Mediterranean countries like Italy have lower rates of obesity and heart disease than the U.S. does, although a definitive link between this diet and one's health has not been (scientifically) established.
The Mediterranean Diet consists primarily of plant foods - whole grain, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Studies found a decrease of chronic diseases and an increased life expectancy in populations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean diet is a model of food consumption characteristic of the denizens of the Mediterranean coastline. It is based on grains, fruits, vegetables, and, of course, on olives and olive oil. Studies have shown that those who inhabit the Mediterranean coastline live longer and are less likely to fall prey to cancer, heart disease, or obesity than non-Mediterranean-coastline Europeans.
Source: www.itlv.com
The Mediterranean diet is the typical diet eaten by many people in countries like Italy and Greece. It usually consists of more bread and cereals, fresh fruit and vegetables, beans, and fish. Fat intake is mostly from olive oil and canola oil, with almost no butter or cream. Red meats and deli foods are rarely eaten, but poultry is occasionally eaten.
The Mediterranean diet is based on the eating patterns of people who live along the Mediterranean Sea, and is believed to be a essential contributor to the longer life and lower cancer rates among populations that live in the region. The Mediterranean diet is a great way for people to eat fresh, healthy food without sacrificing anything on taste. For more information visit www.mediterraneanmark.org.

Why the Mediterranean diet?

Olive leaf is a diet staple in many Mediterranean cultures that enjoy a low incidence of viruses, cancers and heart conditions. Many people's diets are completely absent of olive leaf creating an environment for viruses, bad bacteria's, yeasts, tumors and heart conditions to take hold. Fighting these invaders takes energy leaving the host (you) tired and susceptible to other pathogens. Olive leaf stuns invaders and unleashes the immune system to create a balanced body. ...

What is the diet of sea turtles in the Mediterranean?

Loggerhead turtles generally feed on both plants and animals but they are mainly carnivorous. Their diet contains various species of algae, including Sargassum weed, which as hatchlings they also utilize as a 'float'. After emerging from their nests, leaving the beach, and moving into the open sea, they drift into deeper water which carries them into the Sargassum weed. This weed provides them with cover from would be predators and collects floating objects including zoo and phytoplankton which they feed on. ...

What’s the latest on the “Mediterranean diet”?

For years the Mediterranean Diet has been used to explain “the French paradox” – where people who consumed high amounts of fats in their diets had far lower rates of heart disease then seen in the United States. Key aspects of the Mediterranean Diet are olive oil, wine, fish and poultry with dairy products, vegetables and nuts also included. ...

What does the Mediterranean diet mean and why is it recommended?

The Mediterranean diet pyramid represents the optimal, traditional Mediterranean diet. It is based on the dietary traditions of Crete and southern Italy in the 1960s. It is structured in the light of nutrition research carried out in 1993 and presented by Professor Walter Willet during the 1993 International Conference on the Diets of the Mediterranean, held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid underlines the importance of the foods making up the principal food groups. ...

Why do you recommend this Mediterranean diet?

Because it is free, it does not require you to attent meetings, buy pre-packaged expensive food, or buy someone's book. No one is trying to make a profit off of your dieting efforts as may be the case with the popular fad diets. The most important reason for choosing this diet is that the Mediterranean diet is the only diet in the world PROVEN to prolong your life. No other diet can make that claim.

Isn't the olive oil-containing Mediterranean diet a healthy diet, though?

The Mediterranean diet is a relatively healthy diet, but that does not mean that it is the ideal dietary approach. True, olive oil contains flavonoids, phytochemicals that my help prevent chronic diseases. But one can also obtain an abundance of flavonoids with similar properties by consuming low fat fruits and vegetables. Further, there is more to the Mediterranean diet than just olive oil. It is a plant-based diet containing relatively modest amounts of animal products. ...

I heard about a promising "Mediterranean diet." What is it?

The "Mediterranean diet" centers around fruits, vegetables, starches, beans, nuts, seeds, and low to moderate amounts of dairy products, poultry, and fish. Olive oil is used for cooking, and modest amounts of wine are included. The consumption of red meat and eggs are limited. One study found that heart attack survivors who followed a Mediterranean diet were 50% to 70% less likely to have a repeat heart attack than survivors who ate a typical Western diet. Lean more in Nutrition Matters

What is the Mediterranean diet and its relationship to coronary heart disease?

Mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the early 1960's were reported to be low in Mediterranean populations. Besides genetic influences, the so-called Mediterranean diet was one of the most important lifestyle factors implicated in these statistics. The "Mediterranean diet" refers to dietary patterns found in olive-growing areas of the Mediterranean region, particularly Greece and Southern Italy, about 30 years ago. ...
Source: www.eggs.ca

If I Follow the Mediterranean Diet Guidelines, Why do I Need to Take the Nutritional Supplements?

Yes, absolutely. Even people who consume a perfect diet need to supplement with key nutrients in order to enjoy optimal health. Certain nutrients are difficult to obtain in physiologically significant levels from the diet alone. Examples include omega-3 fatty acids, and co-enzyme Q-10. Additionally, certain nutritional factors, such as plant derived phytosterols must be taken at concentrated levels in order to achieve the desired health impact (lowering cholesterol levels). Virtually every About the Formulas:

I recently saw you on CNN discussing the Mediterranean Diet. How can it be that one can eat this variety of food, drink wine and maintain a healthy weight profile?

Janice, Cincinnati, OH. A : Janice: If you visit these countries you will see the diversity of foods consumed including fresh fruits and veggies. Whereas, much of our food is refined, plus we end our meals on a daily basis with sweet baked goods instead of a bowl of luscious healthy variety of fruits (available all year long in America, shipped from various countries). ...
Bookmark this page  

Also on SnappyFingers: