8 Proven Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet that You Should Know

1. Numerous Health Benefits

This is the No. 1 reason for embracing the Mediterranean Diet. According to research, the Mediterranean diet is a proven fighter of inflammation, maintains the skin looking fresh, eases pain and minimizes the risk of cancer.

It will keep your heart healthy and take care of your brain since it requires ingredients that have numerous antioxidants, including the berries and nuts. More importantly, the diet will keep you aging better and living longer. In this section, we describe the healthy benefits.

• Improved heart health

This diet predominantly uses olive oil, seed oils and fish oils that benefit the heart because of their unsaturated nature. When you consume these healthy fats, you could get about 40% of the calories. Normally, 30% of your calories should be obtained from fat.

• Weight can be easily controlled

The Mediterranean diet will enable you to limit saturated or animal fats due to the consumption of low quantities of meat. Trans-fats that are normally obtained in hydrogenated oil are also rare. The diet limits the consumption of dairy products including yogurt, cheese and milk. Lower intake of these fats is instrumental for weight loss.

However, one should also combine this with physical activity, smaller portions (apart from vegetables) and sticking to it for at least six months in order to obtain long-lasting results. If you can, it is recommended that you consume the low fat dairy.

• Reduce your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and stroke

The diet has lots of fiber because of the high intake of vegetables, nuts and grains. These foods are instrumental for slowing down digestion and preventing the spiking of blood sugar levels. This certainty is crucial for helping you to minimize your risk of becoming diabetic. Take nuts such as walnuts, almonds as well as pistachios rather than sweet pastry.

When a blood vessel bursts as it moves towards the brain, you could have a stroke. To keep these vessels healthy, you should have numerous antioxidants that can be obtained from vegetables and fruits that are abundant in a Mediterranean Diet. Experts argue that men who have higher lycopene levels (lycopene is found in tomatoes, red fruit and veggies) have a 55% less likelihood of having a stroke. Many meals in this diet have tomatoes, and you should ensure that you add them to any snack, pasta sauces and salads.

When you eat this diet, you will also reduce your chances of getting the Parkinson’s disease by 50%. People suffering from the Parkinson’s disease find that coordination and their movement are significantly affected. Researchers sought to establish a probable connection between diet and Parkinson’s disease, and established that a diet based on legumes, fruit, fish, seaweed and plant foods have lower likelihood of suffering from this disease compared to those whose diet did not have these elements. Such diets are quite similar to the Mediterranean Diet.