Mediterranean Food Pyramid
Why Mediterranean people live longer and suffer less from heart attacks despite their eating habits? Researchers that have spent a lot of time studying people’s eating habits in the Mediterranean regions of the world came to the conclusion that people from this part of the world tended to live longer and also did not suffer too much from heart attacks despite eating a lot of high-fat food as compared to the population of developed countries of the world.
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Very Delicious Though Rich in Fat and Carbohydrates
If you look at the French and Italian as well as Greek foods, you will find that besides being very delicious, Mediterranean diets are very rich in fiber and also carbohydrates, and in addition, people take longer to finish their meals because they linger on as they enjoy consuming their delicious meals.
Mediterranean food pyramid is quite different from USDA food pyramid since there is a lot more fat and carbohydrates included in the Mediterranean diet.
So, if you are planning on following their diet, you would do well to eat plenty of complex carbohydrates including pasta, breads and whole grains, and it is also recommended to include plenty of fruits and vegetables servings in the day, and if you consume a few servings of legumes or nuts daily, you would find some benefits from it as well.
Cooking Recommendation
When cooking, the recommendation is to use olive oil as well as any mono-saturated oils like peanut and canola oil on a daily basis, and also consume dairy products that are low in fat, yogurt and cheese.
The Mediterranean food also includes eating of plenty of fish and if you must eat meat then opt for fish which may be consumed more than a few times each week.
When following the Mediterranean food pyramid, you would do well to also restrict the amount of poultry and even eggs, though it should not stop you from eating them a few times during the week, and even consumption of sweets should be limited to just a few times in a week.
It is also recommended that red meat consumption should be restricted and eaten just on the odd occasion in the month.
As is the case with all kinds of diets, Mediterranean food pyramid too recommends drinking plenty of water daily and six glasses each day would do you well, while you can also have an occasional glass of red wine, and even a glass or two of red wine on a daily basis is not prohibited.
If you are not a wine drinker, even drinking grape juice is recommended and after following these Mediterranean dietary recommendations, you may see an overall improvement in your health with fewer chances of suffering heart attacks.
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