Mediterranean Diet: How to Lose Some Pounds

You probably have heard people talk about the Mediterranean diet and wondered what it is about. Or probably dismissed it because you thought it's just a cuisine typical of the Mediterranean people. Well, you are both right and wrong. Right in the sense that it is most common among those in the Mediterranean but wrong because you too are free to use this diet especially you that has been trying to cut weight for sometime now and have probably been unsuccessful.

Origin
This diet was first started in the 1940's by an American doctor. However, it gained prominence in the 1990's, so until then many people did not know about it. It started off as a recommendation from doctors to people who were trying to lose weight unsuccessfully. It is however typical of people in this region due to the availability of foods locally.

What is it about?
There is not much about the Mediterranean food. To start with, foods like red meat are not available locally and are only consumed during holidays. Their diet thus includes high consumption of legumes, cereals, vegetables and olive oil which is produced in high quantities in the region. There is less consumption of dairy products and meat due to their scarcity. But the beauty of this diet in regard to weight loss comes from olive oil. There lies a lot of nutrients in this oil and it also contains non saturated fats which are good for people trying to lose weight.

The benefits
The olive oil particularly contains antioxidants which are used in lowering the cholesterol levels. It is also known to increase the metabolic system thus it makes it easy for the body to burn the excess fats if any.
The Mediterranean foods contain very little fats because the principal source of fats is in olive oil. They only
consume daily products such as cheese and yogurt which too contain very little fats. The amount of meat and wine consumed is also very low as you travel to the Mediterranean side.

In short the olive oil is the liquid gold in this region. Almost all foods are cooked with this oil. Rather than the fat dressings we use on our food, the Mediterranean food is dressed using olive oil offering some great diversity to a healthy diet.

This diet is also beneficial in that it encourages the consumption of small portions of food which prevents the body from storing excess fats. There is also an emphasis on exercise which too results in the body burning more calories.

As an outsider, you may find this diet quiet new and cultural. But the truth is that people in this region can boast of a very healthy population. There is a substantial reduction in lifestyle diseases among the inhabitants of this region such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. And the secret simply lies in their diet.

There are unique and numerous health benefits you can discover while on a Mediterranean diet. If you are trying to keep your weight in check or are already overweight, consider switching to this diet and see how it works for you.

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