The Mediterranean diet
1 min
Did you know...
Have you ever wondered what is meant by the Mediterranean diet?
Of course, if we think about the words we can pick up some important clues, but today we will try to give a clearer explanation.
The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern characterised by certain foods typical of the countries of the Mediterranean area (Southern Italy, Greece, Spain etc.).
What are the staple foods that characterise this diet?
Bread and pasta, pulses, cereals, nuts, eggs and wine in small doses, large quantities of vegetables and fruit, fish, extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat, cheese (used in moderation), yoghurt and meat in small quantities. It follows that this type of diet is low in saturated fats (animal or vegetable) and rich in vegetables, complex carbohydrates, olive oil and fibre.
Pasta and bread, often viewed negatively in many diets, or so-called diets, are the main suppliers of starch, and eating them contributes to the right balance of the other nutritional components.
Vegetables and fruit provide vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements, fibre and water.
Fish provides protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Combining pulses and cereals (whose proteins are low in lysine but rich in methionine), as in a typical Italian dish of pasta with chickpeas or pasta with beans, makes it possible to achieve a "mutual supplementation of proteins", resulting in a remarkably complete protein intake (Alberti, 2006).
Over the years several scientific studies have found that this diet, characterised precisely by certain foods, is synonymous with "health". For example, it has been shown that in the countries of the Mediterranean area there is a lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or of certain cancers compared with the countries of Northern Europe.
The particular type and distribution of nutrients in the Mediterranean diet correspond to the ideal balance capable of shaping and steering the diet towards targeted, truly effective prevention of the most important and widespread chronic diseases, such as atherosclerotic ischaemic heart disease and high blood pressure (Agradi, 1988; Srinath Reddy and Katan, 2004).
In conclusion, we can say that the Mediterranean diet defines a healthy lifestyle based on a diet that is complete, balanced, varied, natural but not austere, wholesome but not meagre.*
*from: "Lineamenti di dietoterapia e nutrizione clinica".
Have you ever wondered what is meant by the Mediterranean diet?
Of course, if we think about the words we can pick up some important clues, but today we will try to give a clearer explanation.
The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern characterised by certain foods typical of the countries of the Mediterranean area (Southern Italy, Greece, Spain etc.).
What are the staple foods that characterise this diet?
Bread and pasta, pulses, cereals, nuts, eggs and wine in small doses, large quantities of vegetables and fruit, fish, extra virgin olive oil as the main source of fat, cheese (used in moderation), yoghurt and meat in small quantities. It follows that this type of diet is low in saturated fats (animal or vegetable) and rich in vegetables, complex carbohydrates, olive oil and fibre.
Pasta and bread, often viewed negatively in many diets, or so-called diets, are the main suppliers of starch, and eating them contributes to the right balance of the other nutritional components.
Vegetables and fruit provide vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements, fibre and water.
Fish provides protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Combining pulses and cereals (whose proteins are low in lysine but rich in methionine), as in a typical Italian dish of pasta with chickpeas or pasta with beans, makes it possible to achieve a "mutual supplementation of proteins", resulting in a remarkably complete protein intake (Alberti, 2006).
Over the years several scientific studies have found that this diet, characterised precisely by certain foods, is synonymous with "health". For example, it has been shown that in the countries of the Mediterranean area there is a lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or of certain cancers compared with the countries of Northern Europe.
The particular type and distribution of nutrients in the Mediterranean diet correspond to the ideal balance capable of shaping and steering the diet towards targeted, truly effective prevention of the most important and widespread chronic diseases, such as atherosclerotic ischaemic heart disease and high blood pressure (Agradi, 1988; Srinath Reddy and Katan, 2004).
In conclusion, we can say that the Mediterranean diet defines a healthy lifestyle based on a diet that is complete, balanced, varied, natural but not austere, wholesome but not meagre.*
*from: "Lineamenti di dietoterapia e nutrizione clinica".