Why the Mediterranean diet is good and how to sit on it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Rules, benefits and menus for the week.

What is the essence of the Mediterranean diet

There are no strict prohibitions or restrictions on calories in the Mediterranean diet. There are only prescriptions for the choice of foods, their consumption and physical activity.

The basis of the diet consists of vegetables and fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts, olives and olive oil. From food of animal origin, preference is given to fish and seafood, poultry, eggs and low-fat dairy products. Red and processed meats should be eaten sparingly and in small amounts.

Cooking and eating should be done with family and friends: it creates the sense of community and social support necessary for health.

Another essential component is physical activity. You need to move for at least 30 minutes a day: walk, climb stairs, do housework. Weekends are best spent outdoors and in good company.

Will the Mediterranean diet help you lose weight?

The Mediterranean diet helps,, to reduce weight, but for noticeable results it will take at least six months. At the same time, weight loss will be comfortable and almost imperceptible, without suffering, sharp jumps in weight and rollbacks to the previous figure.

If you need to lose weight quickly, you can follow the Mediterranean diet while limiting your calorie intake. How and how much to reduce your diet, read here.

What other benefits does the Mediterranean diet have?

The main benefit of the Mediterranean diet is its health benefits. In the mid-1920s, scientists noticed that, despite the lack of affordable medicine, residents of Crete, Greece and southern Italy were less likely to get sick and live longer. After the popularization of the diet, numerous studies have proven its health benefits, especially for the heart and blood vessels.

Eating a diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, by almost half.

Also in dieters, blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity increase, which reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

How to make a menu

It is best to follow the prescriptions of scientists and experts from Mediterranean countries.

Change serving sizes to suit your needs as needed. If you want to lose weight quickly, calculate your calorie intake and stick to it while making a menu.

What to include with every meal

Try to add these foods to every major meal: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If it doesn't work out, make up for the deficiency during the day. For example, breakfast without vegetables, and then add them to your snack.

• 125–250 g of cooked rice, couscous, pasta and other cereal products or 1–2 pieces of whole grain bread, 40–50 g each.
• 150-300 g of fruit. Try to choose different fruits to get all the vitamins you need.
• More than two servings of vegetables 80 g each. Choose different vegetables, try to eat at least some raw.
• Olive oil. It is the main source of fat in the diet. Add it to salads, use it when frying.
• 1, 5–2 liters of pure water, herbal teas on request.

What is there every day

• 2 servings of dairy products. One portion of milk - 250 g, yogurt - 200 g, soft cheese - 120 g, hard - 40 g.
• 30-100 g olives, nuts or seeds.
• Spices and herbs for cooking.
• 1 glass of red wine for women and 2 for men. You can drink less or eliminate altogether.

What to eat every week

• 160-200 g of white meat (chicken, turkey).
• More than 160 g of legumes.
• More than 200 g of fish and seafood.
• 2-4 eggs.
• Less than 240 grams of potatoes.
• Less than 120-200 g of red meat (beef, pork).
• Less than 50 g of processed meat (sausages, sausages, smoked meats).
• Less than 80 g of sweets.

What can be the menu for the week

Lifehacker made a menu for a week with five meals: three main meals and two snacks. The diet includes about 1,600 kcal. If you need to consume more or less, choose the serving size yourself.

Day 1

• Breakfast: 250 g of spicy apple salad (recipe number 5), 40 g of whole grain bread.
• Snack: 30 g almonds.
• Lunch: 100 g of fried salmon fillet with garlic and cherry tomatoes (recipe number 4), 200 g of boiled rice, peach.
• Snack: 50 g olives.
• Dinner: 250 g of pasta with chicken and broccoli in a creamy sauce (recipe number 4), 40 g of whole grain bread, an apple.

Day 2

• Breakfast: two sandwiches with feta cheese, tomatoes and parsley, an apple.
• Snack: 40 g pistachios.
• Lunch: 250 g of salad with chickpeas, pepper and feta cheese (recipe number 9), 40 g of whole grain bread, pear.
• Snack: 50 g of hummus with vegetable slices: cucumber, carrot, bell pepper. Cut vegetables into strips and dip in hummus.
• Dinner: 100 g of tuna meatballs (recipe number 7), 150 g of boiled potatoes, orange.

Day 3

• Breakfast: 250 g salad with spinach, apples, walnuts, cheese and mustard dressing (recipe no. 8), whole grain bun.
• Snack: 150 g ricotta, 20 g walnuts.
• Lunch: 250 g of primavera pasta with vegetables (recipe number 7), banana.
• Snack: 30 g almonds.
• Dinner: 250 g of couscous with vegetables (recipe number 10), 40 g of whole grain bread, pear.

Day 4

• Breakfast: 250 g of salad with avocado, grapes, rocket salad, nuts and goat cheese (recipe number 8), 40 g of whole grain bread.
• Snack: 40 g pumpkin seeds.
• Lunch: 250 g pumpkin cream soup (recipe number 3), 150 g couscous with vegetables (recipe number 10), apple.
• Snack: 40 g olives, 20 g hard cheese, cucumber, 2-3 cherry tomatoes.
• Dinner: 250 g alla putanesca spaghetti (recipe number 10), 2 tangerines.

Day 5

• Breakfast: 2 whole wheat sandwiches with hummus, apple.
• Snack: 5 dates, 30 g almonds.
• Lunch: 100 g of chicken in a creamy cheese sauce with spinach (recipe No. 4), 200 g of rice, pear.
• Snack: 150 g Greek yogurt, peach.
• Dinner: 250 g of Mediterranean herring pasta (recipe number 6), orange.

Day 6

• Breakfast: 200 g spinach frittata (recipe number 1), 40 g whole grain bread, peach.
• Snack: 150 g Greek yogurt with a handful of berries.
• Lunch: 250 g of alla norma pasta (recipe number 9), apple.
• Snack: 50 g of a mixture of nuts and dried fruits.
• Dinner: 150 g vegetable curry with chickpeas (recipe number 4), 150 g rice, pear.

Day 7

• Breakfast: 250 g of apple and honey salad (recipe number 4), whole grain bun.
• Snack: 150 g low-fat cottage cheese with a handful of berries.
• Lunch: 250 g of fish soup (recipe No. 5), 150 g of vegetable curry with chickpeas (recipe No. 4), 40 g of whole grain bread, orange.
• Snack: 30 g cashews.
• Dinner: 250 g of pasta with tomato sauce (recipe No. 5), banana.