Mediterranean Diet. The Diet that Isn t a Diet. Stephanie Shaw

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2 Mediterranean Diet The Diet that Isn t a Diet Stephanie Shaw

3 Disclaimer This publication is intended to provide informative material on the subject matter and is not meant to replace any medical advice. Neither the author nor the publisher will be responsible or liable for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information in this book. It is important to consult your physician before you embark on any changes. Copyright 2014 by Stephanie Shaw All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author and the publisher.

4 Table of Contents Disclaimer... 3 Table of Contents... 4 Introduction... 5 Chapter 1: What is the Mediterranean Diet?... 7 The Mediterranean Diet Is Not Really A Diet... 8 Chapter 2: Losing Weight on the Mediterranean Diet How To Lose Weight On A Non-Diet Typical Weight Loss Results Chapter 3: What to Eat on the Mediterranean Diet Foods To Eat On The Mediterranean Diet... 16

5 Introduction There are many different diet plans that are out on the market. All of them promise that they are the best on the market and will give you the most bang for your time. Unfortunately, most of them do not work, are too difficult to maintain for a long period of time, or they are dangerous and can make you sick. If you are tired of trying out diet plans that do not work, then the Mediterranean Diet is the one for you. This is the diet plan that is not really a diet; it asks you to make healthy changes to your diet that you will be able to keep for the rest of your life rather than just for a few months. This guidebook is meant to provide a simple overview on this diet plan to help you to understand how to properly lose weight and feel your very best. Chapter 1 starts out with some basic information on what the Mediterranean Diet is. It will give you the basic facts that you need as well as explaining a little more about why this diet plan is called a non-diet. Chapter 2 goes on to explain some of the ways that you will be able to lose weight on this diet plan, since this is the main reason that most people will decide to go on a diet in the first place. This chapter discusses how to lose weight on this diet plan as well as what some of the typical weight loss results are. Chapter 3 discusses one of the most important things to consider when going on the Mediterranean Diet. It discusses what should be eaten on this diet plan including foods allowed and foods that should be avoided. This can help you to know how to stay on this diet plan and see the results that you want. Chapter 4 is a continuation of this chapter and can be really useful for getting started on the Mediterranean Diet. Chapter 4 provides a meal plan for the first week on this diet plan so that you can see what all is allowed and get a good idea of what variety is available.

6 The Mediterranean Diet is a great one to get on if you have had trouble with diet plans in the past and you are looking for something that is simple to keep up with. Use this guidebook as a way to get started today!

7 Chapter 1: What is the Mediterranean Diet? The Mediterranean Diet is a diet that incorporates the basics of healthy eating. It is not so much a diet as a way to enjoy healthy food in your everyday life. This diet follows many of the components, such as olive oil and wine, which are traditional in the cooking style of many of the countries near the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Diet includes many of the staples that are included in other healthy diets. It recommends plenty of fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains, and tries to limit the intake of unhealthy fats and oils along with sweets and sugar. There have even been studies that show that by following a traditional Mediterranean diet you will be able to reduce your risk of heart disease. In the study those who followed the Mediterranean Diet had a reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk for cancer, and a reduced risk of developing Parkinson s and Alzheimer s diseases. There are just so many reasons to love the Mediterranean Diet. Many organizations will encourage you to follow a healthy diet, like what is found in the Mediterranean Diet, in order to live a healthy life and to prevent the development of many major diseases. The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes many key components that are found in most major diet plans. Some of these include getting plenty of exercise, eating foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and other plant-based foods, replacing butter with other healthy fats such as canola oil and olive oil in your cooking, and using spices and herbs to flavor your food instead of salt. It also recommends that you limit your intake of red meat down to only several times each month, and trying to make sure that you eat fish and poultry at least several times each week. This diet also allows drinking red wine in moderation if you so desire.

8 A unique thing about the Mediterranean Diet is that it encourages eating and enjoying all of your meals with family and friends. In a world where we are always running from one place to another and we do not have any time to enjoy our food or our families, this might seem like a difficult thing to do. However, getting the time to enjoy your food with your family and talk about your day can make life much better and can even help to reduce your stress level. The Mediterranean Diet Is Not Really A Diet The Mediterranean Diet is not a diet in the traditional form of the word. If you have tried diets in the past or know anything about dieting, you know that most of them encourage a lot of counting calories and worrying about everything that you put in your mouth. This diet does not spend a lot of time telling you to worry about counting your calories, even though you should keep a little bit of a tab on them so that you are not overeating. The idea of this diet is to change your eating habits. Instead of eating the traditional American diet, which is full of lots of fats and sugars and other unhealthy things, you choose to eat the diet that is enjoyed near the Mediterranean Sea. It has been widespread knowledge for years that the people who live near the Mediterranean seem to live much happier and healthier lives. It might be that they live in such a beautiful destination that it is difficult to not take care of yourself and eat healthy. They also have such great food that it must be a treat to eat the food every day. However, the diet of the people who live in that area did not gain popularity until the 1990 s. The Mediterranean Diet focuses more on a lifestyle change, which makes it different from many of the other diets that are out there. Many diets make you focus just on eating certain types of food and avoiding other types of food. The concentration is on avoiding carbs

9 or eating lots of protein and some of these diets can be restrictive when it comes to what you are allowed to do. However, since the Mediterranean Diet concentrates more on a lifestyle change, it gives you the option of being able to choose what you want to eat. There can be many people on the Mediterranean Diet but each of them can adopt different eating habits. There have been some been some people that have decided to go on the Mediterranean Diet for weight loss, just following the guidelines of this diet will not be enough to help you lose significant weight. You will have to combine the diet with physical activity if you are looking for weight loss. There has been a study, known as the Lyon Diet Heart Study, which shows that many people who decided to use the Mediterranean Diet instead of the typical Western diet were able to lower their risk of having a second heart attack; some even reduced their risk by fifty percent, compared to those who did not switch to the Mediterranean Diet. For this reason, the Mediterranean Diet, along with other diets that are similar to it, are recommended for anyone who has had negative affects to their health because of their normal diet. The Mediterranean Diet also recommends the use of wine in your diet. There has been much debate on the supposed health effects of wine. Some doctors do not want to agree to the health benefits of wine because they are worried that people will take it too far and overdrink, which can cause even worse health problems than not drinking at all. However, if you are able to enjoy alcohol in moderation, such as just one glass at the end of the day with supper, you might be able to enjoy a reduced risk of heart disease. The Mediterranean Diet does not recommend going crazy on the amount of wine that you drink each day. It recommends that women do not drink more than five ounces of wine a day and that men should not drink any more than ten ounces a day. This means

10 that you should only have a small glass of wine with your meal at the end of the day, and no more than that. If you have more than this recommended amount, some studies have shown that you might be increasing your risk for certain types of cancer. There are certain circumstances where you should not have any wine in their diet. Some of these circumstances might include if you have a history of alcohol abuse in your family or if you currently have liver disease. There are some people that will get headaches when they drink red wine. If any of these situations affect you, then it is important to stay away from the wine. You will be able to still to follow the Mediterranean Diet; this diet only gives you the option to drink wine, it is not a requirement.

11 Chapter 2: Losing Weight on the Mediterranean Diet Many people are looking for a diet that can help them to lose weight for various reasons; losing those extra pounds gained over the holidays or for health reasons such as controlling their diabetes, high blood pressure or due to heart disease. Whatever your reason might be, get to know the diet first in order to get the most out of it, because it is a different approach to food that you would have to take. How To Lose Weight On A Non-Diet The Mediterranean Diet does not spend time on counting calories, worrying about what is right to eat, and what is not right to eat in order to lose the most amount of weight possible. Instead, it is more about the way you approach food. It is different from the way most Americans view food and eat food. Most Americans are on the run and are more concerned with how fast they can eat their food. While on the Mediterranean Diet, you learn to slow down and enjoy the foods that you eat. People in the Mediterranean region are not in as much of a rush when they eat as Americans are. They take the time to sit down and enjoy their food, while enjoying the company of their friends and family. When eating in this manner, you will be more mindful of what and how much you are eating and you will be able to register when you are full and to stop eating long before you have overstuffed yourself. In this diet you will not only learn to appreciate food that you used to take for granted, but you will expanding the variety of foods that you may not have thought of having in your old way of eating. You will be eating more fresh foods and foods that are not overly processed. You will be having foods such as fruits,

12 vegetables, fish and whole grains and possibly learn how to slow down and enjoy the simply things in life. The Mediterranean Diet does not tell you what food groups that you should not eat, and it also does not tell you the portion sizes of each meal. Instead, it focuses on enjoying the great foods that you get to eat. It suggests that you should try to center your meals on at least one fresh produce and a whole grain. If you are going to use dairy and meat products, you should only do so sparingly. It also suggests that you try things like eating fruit for dessert instead of candy or soda. For people who like to have set out guidelines and like to know exactly what they are supposed to do on a diet, the Mediterranean Diet can be frustrating. But then again, it not so much a diet that will last for only a certain length of time, rather, it is a change in the way you eat. The reason for this diet does not have strict rules is because there are just so many different types of food that you can enjoy especially from around the Mediterranean area. About the only serving guideline that is provided is that you should eat at least nine servings of fruits each day and six servings of vegetables. The Mediterranean Diet is not one that is meant to help you lose a lot of weight. It is a diet that is meant to teach you how to make smart decisions on what you can eat, and to teach you how to take life more slowly and enjoy the things that are around you. There have not been any conclusive studies that have shown that you will lose any more weight while on the Mediterranean Diet than you would if you tried a regular low fat diet. There have been a couple of studies that show that those who were on the Mediterranean Diet, and were allowed to have a larger percent of fat in their diets were able to keep off weight better and said that they felt more satisfied with their diet. This is compared to a diet that only let the participants have 20% fat on the diet (the Mediterranean Diet allows for 35% fat). Both of the diets let the

13 participants have a 1200-calorie diet. If you did include fat and protein in all your meals you will feel satisfied as opposed to having just carbohydrates. The reason why people might lose weight while on the Mediterranean Diet is because of the types of food eaten in a Mediterranean Diet. The normal American diet is full of processed foods which are high in fat and sugar, lacking in vegetables which contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fiber, thus making the normal American diet an unhealthy diet, and most Americans eat much more than they should, and this is negatively affecting their health. By going on the Mediterranean Diet, you will be eating foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, and lean meats such as fish and poultry. If you are aiming to lose weight, just switching over to the idea of the Mediterranean and the healthy food that they offer on it, might be enough to help you lose some of the weight that you want to. It is important to remember that in order to get the best results from this or any other diet, exercise is equally important. Typical Weight Loss Results There are many people who are looking for a quick way to lose weight. They do not want to have to wait for the weight loss; the faster they can lose weight, the happier they will be. These people will jump on the newest fad diet and get frustrated if they do not lose all of the weight overnight; these are the people who will buy any diet pill that is available and believe anything that they are told about weight loss as long as it is effortless and rapid. When they find that the products and the advice do not work for them, they go on to the next new thing that comes along. Many fad diets will work for you for a short time. When you go on a diet that makes you fast or just survive on juice for a certain amount of time, you would be depriving your body of necessary vitamins

14 and nutrients that it needs. You might find that you will lose a lot of weight in just a few weeks or in a month. However, these results will not be permanent, and often the weight loss is not healthy for you, because initially it is just water that you will be losing and then your body will be burning your muscles for energy. Once you get off the diet, you will probably gain all of your weight back, and possibly more weight which would be mostly fat. If you are one of those people who are looking to lose a lot of weight quickly, then the Mediterranean Diet is not for you. If you are willing to take the time to eat right and exercise in order to lose wieght, then the Mediterranean Diet can help you accomplish that. If you want to lose weight there is only one safe way to do it. You need to be able to burn more energy than you take in. This type of energy is known as calories. This means that in order to lose weight, you need to eat a little less food and/or add in more exercise in order to burn more calories than you take in. This is the only logical way to lose the weight that you want; you have to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. Magic pills and unhealthy fasting diets just will not do it. It is also important to know whether or not you actually need to lose weight in the first place. Society is under the false impression that we need to be as thin as all of the models in the magazines. We think that we need to be stick thin and not eat anything in order to be beautiful. When we do not live up to this unrealistic expectation, we can become depressed and have even more trouble losing the weight. Going on the Mediterranean Diet will not be a quick way to lose weight, but it is a good, healthy way to lose weight and live a healthy life. So, if you are looking to eat great food and stay healthy, this will be a great diet for you. If you do need to lose a couple of pounds, the Mediterranean Diet may be able to help you lose the weight safely and keep it off.

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16 Chapter 3: What to Eat on the Mediterranean Diet One of the most important things that you should know before starting on a diet plan is what kinds of foods you are allowed to eat and which ones you should avoid. Without this information, it is impossible to see the weight loss and health benefits that you were promised. Even though there are no set rules to the Mediterranean Diet, this chapter is aimed at helping you start your new way of eating. It will focus on foods that are eaten on the Mediterranean Diet to help you get a great start. Foods To Eat On The Mediterranean Diet Like many other diets, the Mediterranean Diet recommends that you eat foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, shellfish, chicken, duck and eggs, lean cuts of red meat, whole grain, water. In the Mediterranean, people make sure to eat around nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which is much more than the average American eats a day and this is also much more than what is recommended. Nuts, beans and legumes are in the Mediterranean Diet. Nuts such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts. They have a high fat content, which is usually frowned upon when you are on a diet, but the fat that comes from nuts is the good kind of fat; HDL, the kind of fat that you need in your diet to keep your body healthy. However, because of the high fat content, along with the high number of calories that are found in nuts, they should not be eaten in large amounts, just one to two servings per day is all you need. The nuts that you have in your diet should be mainly raw nuts. Avoid any candied, honey roasted, or heavily salted nuts in order to get the best nutrition possible. Having a variety of nuts is good because they contain different types of nutrients, which will help towards

17 protecting against cancer, heart disease; reduce allergies and inflammation; help keep your nerves and muscles healthy. One or two servings of legumes a day is sufficient, such as kidney, black, garbanzo, pinto, soy, navy beans, split peas, or lentils; they are high in fiber, protein, and minerals. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, rutabaga, carrots, and whole grains are a really important part of the Mediterranean Diet and four to six serving per day would be fine. If you want to reap the benefits from whole grains, then, one to three servings daily of whole grain is recommended. Whole grains are very healthy because they reduce your risk of developing heart disease, asthma, type 2 diabetes, strokes, cancer of the colon, inflammatory diseases; helps with maintaining your weight, healthy gums and healthier blood pressure levels. While most Americans enjoy putting stuff on their bread, like butter and other things that have many fats in them, this is not what you should do if you are on the Mediterranean Diet. Instead, you should eat your bread like the people of the Mediterranean region do, eat it either plain or dip it in a little bit of olive oil. Whole grains are high in fiber, thus having less effect on blood sugar and triglyceride levels, they will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Fruits and vegetables are a major part of the Mediterranean Diet. They are great for you because they are loaded with vitamins and minerals that you need in order to stay healthy, which is important in order for you to get through all of the things that you need to do in your busy life. It is important to get your fruits and vegetables when they are at their best, as much as possible, get fruits and vegetables when they are in season for the best possible product. The Mediterranean Diet recommends that you eat somewhere between two to four servings of fruits and four to eight servings of vegetables each day.

18 Fruits such as apples, apricots, cherries, grapefruits, olives oranges pears, strawberries, melons, pomegranates, clementines, avocados, peaches, lemons are traditionally to the Mediterranean diet; and non-starchy vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, celery, chicory, Brussels sprouts, cabbage cucumbers, kale, leeks, artichokes, mustard greens, mushrooms, lettuce, fennel, arugula, okra, radishes, peppers, eggplant, collard greens, spinach, scallions, shallots, chard. The vegetables are eaten raw and drizzled with olive oil as in salad, or not over cooked, which leaves the nutrients intact. When you are on this diet, it is important to make sure to eat fish or shellfish, two to three times a week. Serve the fish, baked, grilled, sautéed, roasted, broiled or poached; fatty fish like salmon, herring, trout, sardines, or mackerel are often eaten. The fat in fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, so it has healthy effects on triglycerides and blood cells. Fish is a much healthier option than red meat and it provides you with all of nutrients and protein that you need. Fresh tuna is preferable as it is high is omega 3 fatty acid as opposed to canned tuna. Both fresh and canned salmon are high in omega 3. Lean red meat is eaten just a few times a month and limited to ounces, so as to keep your consumption of saturated fats low, in order to maintain a healthy heart. Cheese and yoghurt are regularly eaten in the Mediterranean diet, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, ricotta, manchego, haloumi, feta, brie and Greek yoghurt. The calcium contained in dairy products is important for bone and heart health. The consumption of low fat dairy products in the Mediterranean diet reassures those concerned about having high fat foods. However, having dairy from grass fed cows and sheep is good for the heart because they are high in omega fatty acid 3; besides, eating full fat dairy product will make you feel full for longer.

19 Olives and olive oil is the main oil that is consumed in the Mediterranean diet. The monounsaturated fats are heart healthy and filled with phytonutrients and other micronutrients. Olive oil has antioxidants such as vitamin E and beta-carotene, both are great for keeping your blood vessels healthy. Having other healthy oil replacements such as avocado oil, macadamia nut oil or coconut nut oil will be beneficial for maintaining good health. The oils are used for cooking and flavoring foods. Bread is dipped in olive oil. Refined salt is not healthy for anyone, but especially those who are trying to lower their high blood pressure. Instead of using salt to flavor your food you can use spices and herbs. Herbs and spices used include rosemary, cloves, cumin, chilies, basil, sage, bay leaf, fennel, garlic, pepper, mint, marjoram, parsley, tarragon. There is no necessity to avoid salt altogether as long as it is used in very small amounts and use sea salt or Himalayan salt. Wine in moderation is consumed daily in the Mediterranean diet. Moderation meaning, not more than one drink- four ounces per day for women or two drinks- eight ounces per day for men is the recommendation. If you have high blood pressure, or high triglycerides, you should discuss with your doctor before making it part of your diet. Resveratrol in red wine might be the key ingredient that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol, increases HDL, the good cholesterol and prevents blood clots. However there is no evidence that red wine is better than, any other alcohol for a healthy heart. Eggs from chicken, duck are commonly used in the Mediterranean diet and the good fats and protein in the eggs will be beneficial for vegetarians. It would be best that you buy organic eggs from free range chickens.

20 The Mediterranean diet is essentially about eating sensibly, in moderation and savoring every morsel that you are eating. Eating and drinking in the company of others is key to the Mediterranean diet, so plan your meals with friends and family and enjoy. As usual, before embarking on any sort of change, consult your doctor. Ascertain if you need to lose weight or not; if you do, then increase your physical activity and reduce your food and alcohol intake. You will benefit when you go on the Mediterranean diet because you will also be training yourself to eat more healthily for the rest of your life.