Choosing the Mediterranean diet is one of the best decisions you can make to have a healthy lifestyle!
It’s February already, and by now gym memberships have begun to fall away, diets have been abandoned, and New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get healthy are often a distant memory for many people.
Why is that? Why is it that, even the best-intentioned folks have a tough time sticking to their promise to eat healthily, trim their waistlines, and get more exercise? Answers to those questions are complicated, but one thing is certain: too many folks opt for extreme measures in an effort to lose weight, and that just isn’t a sustainable, reasonable approach. Juice fasts, liquid diets, and other fads will not get you the lasting results you crave.
But 2020 is the start of a brand new decade, and in keeping with that spirit, we want to help you look ahead, get fit and change your eating habits for the better. And lose some weight in the process!
The Many Health Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet, research shows, is one of the most reliable methods of losing weight and keeping it off. Why? Simple: this is a complete change in eating habits, but it’s not a complete change in what you eat. In moderation, the Mediterranean diet even allows for small servings of pasta (as a side dish) a glass of red wine with your supper, and even the very occasional dessert.
Losing weight is not the only benefit of this style of eating; there are plenty of others. For example, the Mediterranean diet helps protect you against type 2 Diabetes, against Alzheimer’s and other forms of mental decline, and even helps keep your muscles limber. Even better, it dishes out plenty of antioxidants to protect from certain cancers, and wards off heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It’s a program you can live on easily, forever, just like the Greeks and folks in southern Italy do — that’s how it got its name.
One more thing: studies have shown that adopting the Mediterranean diet and sticking with it can add years to your life — one study suggests as much as 20 percent more! We all want that, right? More years to spend with family and friends, more years to watch grandchildren grow and change. More years spent healthy, strong and vibrant — isn’t that everyone’s dream?
Changing your eating habits and lifestyle can be a daunting prospect, but not if you adopt the Mediterranean diet — it’s easy, it’s delicious, and has many benefits in addition to weight loss. In fact, maybe we shouldn’t call it a “diet” at all — it’s a delicious lifestyle choice that will make you fit, energetic, and healthy. If you’re ready to finally lose some weight the right way by changing your eating habits and feel better, adopt the program that millions of people have followed successfully for decades. They’ve lost weight, exercised more, and extended their lives.
Concretely, What Is the Mediterranean Diet?
Think of the Mediterranean diet as a pyramid — the foods at the basis of the pyramid are the ones you have the most, like protein sources and vegetables, while the ones at the top are what you consume the least, like sweets, and red meats.
Protein sources include legumes, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs, yogurt, and cheese, which all deliver the benefits we just mentioned as well as plenty of vitamins, calcium, and minerals. Every meal has plenty of fresh veggies and fruit, and you should drink lots of water throughout the day. Before you know it, the weight will be coming off, you’ll be sleeping better, your clothes will fit better and your energy and mood will soar! Throw in a little additional exercise each day — a 20 to 30-minute walk does the trick — and the weight will fall off even faster.
There are many wonderful things about this diet, but perhaps one of the most important is that it’s simple to adapt to your favorite foods. If you’re a fish fan but not too fond of chicken, not to worry; there are recipes that allow you to have fish or seafood virtually every day. The reverse is true as well; if you prefer chicken breasts to salmon steak, there are plenty of recipes for you to make a chicken-focused weekly menu varied and delicious.
How We Can Help? With Easy-to-Make Mediterranean Diet Recipes!
Madison Miller has published a collection of cookbooks that are an excellent way of getting “into the groove” of Mediterranean-style cooking. With each of her cookbooks in this series, you will have plenty of recipe ideas and how to cook delicious and healthy meals the whole family will enjoy from breakfast to desserts. They offer more than just recipes; they offer suggestions on what you should shop for and keep stocked in your pantry and fridge — like spices, vegetables, fruits, dairies, grains, protein sources, and healthy fats — so that when you’re ready to cook, everything is on hand. You can take a look at these two cookbooks, specially made to get you started with the Mediterranean diet:
And if you are looking for specific cooking methods for the Mediterranean diet, you can also have a look at these:
The Mediterranean diet has a proven track record of helping folks lose weight, get healthy, and develop a positive outlook for the future. Who can argue with that? It’s so much more than a diet… it’s a way of living that is easy, economical, and delicious! As they say on the islands of Greece…”kalos!” It’s all good!
For Madison’s Miller author page, please click here.