Over the past decade much has been made of the so-called Mediterranean Diet. Epidemiological evidence shows that people living in Mediterranean countries like France, Greece and Italy have lower incidences of heart disease relative to the USA, UK and more northerly European nations. Various hypotheses have been put forward in an attempt to explain why their diets should afford protection against cardiovascular disease and other degenerative conditions. Two factors that have been given credit for the healthy attributes of this diet are red wine and olive oil. However, until recently one of the most important factors has been overlooked ? the consumption in this region of considerable quantities of culinary herbs and spices that are all rich in antioxidants and other important disease-preventing compounds.
The people of the Mediterranean countries, when following their traditional diets, tend to eat less animal-derived saturated fats and more plant-based unsaturated fats (especially those found in olive oil) than those living in other Western countries. In addition they eat less meat and more fish, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fruit than their less healthy neighbors. These are all important dietary factors that are now being promoted by the medical profession and governments of countries like the USA that have particularly high incidences of heart disease. However, there are other foods that contribute to the favorable health status of those societies that adhere to a Mediterranean-type diet.
Red wine has high levels of important antioxidants like resveratrol that help to reduce the amount of arterial damage caused by a diet high in saturated fat. The fact that some Mediterranean countries boast very high levels of red wine consumption has been put forward by some scientists as the reason for the health promoting properties of the Mediterranean Diet.
Other researchers have pointed out that olive oil is also consumed in large quantities in this region. Although it is well accepted that olive oil and other monounsaturated oils do protect against cardiovascular disease, recent analysis of extra virgin olive oil has shown that it also contains significant quantities of a phytochemical called oleocanthal that is thought to have aspirin-like cardioprotective effects.
Although there are indeed important protective compounds in red wine and olive oil, what is often overlooked is the large quantity and variety of important spices (in this context the term 'spices' includes all culinary herbs) used on a daily basis in the recipes of this region. Garlic, oregano, parsley, rosemary, caraway, coriander, cumin, parsley, sage and thyme are some of the staple herbs and spices that have been used for thousands of years in many traditional Mediterranean dishes.
As a food group, spices have properties that are probably more effective at preventing cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases than red wine or olive oil. One of the reasons is that spices have the highest antioxidant activity of all food types. Five of the 50 top antioxidant foods analyzed in the USA, are spices and of those 50 antioxidant foods an amazing 25% are spices! Interestingly, the spice that heads the list of all these foods is oregano, a spice that originates from the Mediterranean region. Oregano has four times the antioxidant activity of one of the most potent antioxidant fruits, the blueberry. All the other spices that are indigenous to the Mediterranean region like coriander, cumin, capers, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, marjoram, fenugreek, mustard and others also have high levels of anti-oxidant activity. In addition to their cardioprotective effects these spices may help to protect against cancer, Alzheimer's disease and fenugreek, for instance, can help to lower and control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, if you want to benefit from the Mediterranean Diet, drink a glass of red wine or red grape juice a day, use olive oil in your salad dressings and cooking; eat wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables; eat more fish and less meat. But don't forget to add liberal quantities of oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, caraway, coriander, cumin and other spices to your food for they are the real disease-fighting stalwarts of the Mediterranean diet.
The total calories that you should be consuming depend on whether you are a women or a man. It depends on your body structure and your activity level. So you need to make some adjustment on the numbers I present.
If you have been eating around 1800 calories per day you can slowly move your intake down to 1600. Work down from this level over a month's period to 1400 calories. Don't go below 1200 calories per day. Otherwise you can over stress your body.
If you have just started out and are eating 2400 calories, decrease your calories to 2000 or 2100. If you don't lose weight in 2-3 weeks reduce your calories lower. Over a month's time you can move down to 1600 calories and see if you start to lose weight. If you do, stay at this level.
It's not a good idea to make a drastic shift in your consumption of food since your body can react and get into a "starving mode." In this mode your body will store more fat making it difficult for you to lose weight.
Remember not to eat junk food. When you eat quality food, it takes less food for you to become satisfied as compared to eating junk food.
Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat
There are many ideas about what combination or percentages you should eat of the various nutrients - protein, carbohydrates, and fat. I don't believe that exact percentages exist, which will provide weight loss and good health for all individuals. Each one of you will require different percentages depending on your weight, health, body structure, emotional make-up and a variety of other conditions. For this reason some diet programs work with some people and not with others.
One of best eating habit programs that will help you to lose weight is to eat:
* quality protein
* low glycemic carbohydrates
* quality fats
* high fiber
* high water consumption
Quality Protein - is essential for the body to survive. There 8 essential amino acids and 14 non-essential. Protein is used to regulate certain body processes by contributing to various chemical reactions and by creating a number of body chemicals.
Eating excess protein results in an acid body, which favors disease. Protein eaten alone causes a 25% increase in your metabolism. When combined with fat and carbohydrates there is only a 10% increase. What this means is that eating more protein and less fat and carbohydrates gives you a boost in metabolism.
It is recommended that around 30% - 35% of your eating habits consist of protein.
Carbohydrates - consist of simple and complex sugars. When carbohydrates are eaten they are broken down into sucrose, which is readily accepted by your cells. Sucrose is converted into energy in your cells. If you eat a lot of high glycemic carbohydrates, your bloodstream becomes overwhelm with sucrose. The excess sucrose in your cells will be converted to fat and stored.
Because most people have been adding weight eating high glycemic carbohydrates, it best to change your eating habits and decrease your intake of these carbohydrates. In general people have been eating 80% high glycemic foods (HighGF) and 20% low glycemic foods (LowGF.) You need to change that to 80% LowGF and 20% HighGF.
This means that you should limit eating foods like potatoes, bread, corn, pasta, muffins, and any flour products. HighGF encourages the storage of fat since the more sucrose you have in your blood, the more sucrose is escorted into your cells by insulin.
You need to concentrate on foods, which are LowGF. Many of these foods are vegetables with small amounts of carbohydrates and high fiber content.
LowGF discourages the storage of fat since less sucrose is in the blood and less is escorted into your cells.
Quality Fats - which are eaten with your meals, prevent sugars from moving quickly into your blood stream.
You need to eat more of the good fats. It's these fats that will help you lose weight. The good fats are omega 3, omega 6, and medium chain fatty acids, MCFA.
Here is the breakdown on the quantity of each type of fat that you should be eating. These percentages are what you should be working towards so that fats provide you with good health and help you keep your weight down.
* saturated fats 10%
* polyunsaturated fats 20%
* monounsaturated fats 60%
There you have it, the numbers and percentages of protein, carbohydrates, and fats that give you a balanced diet so that you can lose weight.
Both Dr Keith Scott & Rudy Silva are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dr Keith Scott has sinced written about articles on various topics from Build Muscle, Health and Fitness. Dr Keith Scott is a medical doctor with a special interest in nutrition and complementary therapies. He has written several books including "Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing Power of Spices" and "Natural Home Pharmacy". Find out why spices are the "Missi. Dr Keith Scott's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.
Rudy Silva has sinced written about articles on various topics from Constipation Causes, Blood Pressure and Acid Reflux. Rudy Silva has a degree in Physics and is a Natural Nutritionist. He writes a newsletter call “Natural Remedies Thatwork.com." For more information the on the essential fatty acids, visit his web site at. Rudy Silva's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.