6 reasons to try the Mediterranean diet for better health and easy tips for starting it

Many doctors and dietitians recommend a Mediterranean diet to prevent disease and keep people healthy for longer. With a healthier diet, exercise, weight maintenance and smoking avoidance, you are able to live healthy and free of cardiovascular disease.

 The reasons to try The Mediterranean Diet:

The Mediterranean diet may offer a host of health benefits, including weight loss, heart and brain health, cancer prevention, and diabetes prevention and control. By following the Mediterranean diet, you could also keep that weight off while avoiding chronic disease.

It cools off damaging inflammation, an immune system response triggered when the body fights perceived intruders. Acute, or one-time, inflammation is helpful in fighting viruses and bacteria, but people who are overweight, consume high levels of refined foods, and lead a sedentary lifestyle have chronic, or ongoing, inflammation, which may lead to diabetes and liver and heart disease.

No one can deny that the world's healthiest diet, the Mediterranean diet is abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and olive oil. It features fish and poultry ,lean sources of protein ,over red meat. Red wine is consumed regularly but in moderate amounts.

How to move to the Mediterranean one step at a time:

1- Try oatmeal with fresh fruit and a splash of fat-free milk for breakfast instead of bacon and eggs or pancakes.

2- Start lunch with a vegetable salad, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil.

3- Have fruit for dessert after dinner.

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Six tips for starting a Mediterranean diet:

1- Cook with Olive Oil

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which may improve HDL cholesterol, the "good" type of cholesterol. HDL cholesterol ferries "bad" LDL particles out of arteries, according to a 2017 study in Circulation.

2- Eat More Fish

This diet emphasizes fatty fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel. These fish are rich in heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

3- Eat Veggies All Day Long

4- Help Yourself to Whole Grains

5- Snack on Nuts

6- Enjoy Fruit for Dessert

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How to follow it

Eat: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, herbs, spices, fish, seafood, and extra virgin olive oil.

Eat in moderation: poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt.

Eat rarely: red meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, added sugars, processed meat, refined grains, refined oils, and other highly processed foods.

The Mediterranean diet pyramid should help get you started. The pyramid emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least a couple of times a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, while saving sweets and red meat for special occasions. Remember to stay physically active and you're set. 

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