The Mediterranean Diet is not a diet. Decades ago, this was the usual way of life of the communities around the Mediterranean Basin. It was the everyday life in countries like Spain, Italy or Greece. Its major points are physical activity, healthy nutrition and calm attitude.
Interest in the Mediterranean diet began in the 1960s with the observation that coronary heart disease caused fewer deaths in Mediterranean countries, such as Greece and Italy, than in the U.S. and northern Europe. Subsequent studies found that the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The original Mediterranean Diet characteristics are:
- High consumption of virgin olive oil.
- High intake of vegetables and fruits and legumes.
- Herbs
- Consumption of fish, especially oily three or four times a week
- Consumption of yogurt and goat cheese. Minimize saturated dairy products.
- Three or four eggs per week.
- Minimal consumption of meat and saturated fats.
- One or two small glasses of wine a day, at the main meals. White wine and beer are alternatives.
- Nuts as snacks.
- Mediterranean Diet traditional desserts.
- Regular physical exercise.
Mediterranean Diet recipes link: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/16704/healthy-recipes/mediterranean-diet/