Mediterranean Diet Promotes Weight Loss

Learn how to lose weight and improve your health with the Mediterranean diet, which is both tasty and satisfying.

The Mediterranean diet—cultural heritage of Spain, Greece, Italy, and Morocco—is a heart-healthy diet plan that emphasizes eating whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables every day, fish and seafood most days of the week, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (mostly cheese and yogurt) in low to moderate amounts some days of the week. The Mediterranean diet limits the consumption to red meat and sweets to no more than a few times a month. The Mediterranean diet allows drinking red wine in moderation, up to 5 ounces of red wine a day for women and up to ten ounces, for men. You should eliminate alcohol from your diet if you have heart or liver disease. The Mediterranean diet discourages processed foods, which are widely associated with weight gain.

The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fat, with only 8% of daily calories gained from saturated fat. It encourages replacing butter with olive or canola oil, a healthy unsaturated fat. Olive oil is an important part of the Mediterranean diet. It is rich in monounsaturated fats that have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The Mediterranean diet helps lower the level of LDL cholesterol, which is called bad cholesterol as it can build up in the inner walls of the arteries, leading to a plaque burst and a heart attack or stroke.

The Mediterranean diet is beneficial for weight loss as it focuses on small portions of high-quality foods. You get plenty of fiber from fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and it helps you feel fuller. Olive oil, nuts, seeds and fatty fish help you satisfy hunger with less food as they are excellent sources of healthy unsaturated fats.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes daily physical activity and exercise that help you achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

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