The Mediterranean Diet: Good for Your Health and Waistline

No matter what time of the year, looking good is always in season. Now that summer is a few weeks away, it'll be time to show off our bodies in tiny bikinis and patterned swim shorts. That's why it's important to focus on fitness and health before summer steps foot into our lives. An easy way to do this is by going on a diet. One diet that we haven't covered yet in our blog is the Mediterranean diet. To learn more, continue reading!

The Mediterranean diet is a lot like how it sounds: it focuses on the foods eaten by people in countries such as Crete, Greece, and the southern part of Italy. Currently, it also includes Spain, the southern part of France, and even Portugal in some cases.

One of the largest benefits of the Mediterranean diet is that it has been researched extensively. Reliable research shows that the Mediterranean diet can improve a person's quality of life while lowering the possibility of disease.

The Mediterranean diet is a tasty way to lose weight and promote your health. This diet is rich in monounsaturated fat, which is found in olive oil and nuts. In many studies, monounsaturated fat is shown to produce lower levels of heart disease, cancer, depression, and inflammatory diseases. These are all very serious health concerns, but the Mediterranean diet can help tremendously.

If the Mediterranean diet has piqued your interest at this point, then that's a good thing. This diet is a win-win as far as losing weight and promoting health goes.

Here are the foods and drinks that you can consume while on the Mediterranean diet:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Olive oil
• Leafy greens such as spinach and kale
• Non-starchy veggies such as eggplant, cauliflower, artichokes, and tomatoes
• Nuts and seeds such as almonds and sesame seeds
• A daily glass of red wine
• Herbs and spices
• Pasture-raised poultry, eggs, cheese, and goat milk
• Whole grains
• Wild-caught fish and seafood, which can be eaten twice a week
• Beans and legumes, such as chickpeas for hummus
• Red meat, on occasion

This doesn't sound too bad, does it? However, all good things do come with some bad. The diet doesn't have a clear set of instructions, meaning you don't receive a guide on how much of the foods listed you can consume or how many calories a day you should eat. If you want to lose weight on this diet, talk to your doctor or nutritionist and look up some delicious Mediterranean recipes. You'll be happy that you did!