If You’re Dieting, Consider Going Mediterranean

The New Year symbolizes new resolutions, with many involving weight loss. Fad diets come and go, but if there’s one nutrition plan you should stick to this year, it’s the Mediterranean Diet.

Last year, in a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, we learned that older adults who adopted the Mediterranean diet cut their risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by nearly 30 percent over five years. The study, spanning seven years and examining more than 7,000 men and women between ages 55 and 80, suggested that a diet high in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish has therapeutic effects on the heart. Now, the same researchers have discovered yet another benefit from adopting this diet—it can lower the risk of developing peripheral artery disease. The leader of the study, Dr. Miguel Ruiz-Canela, claimed they discovered the correlation in one of the first studies of its kind to examine the association between nutrition and PAD, the illness that involves plaque buildup on arteries that can restrict blood flow throughout the body. Their new discovery, along with the host of previously discovered benefits, indicates that this diet might become more than just a passing fad.

 

 

Give it a try!

The best part of the Mediterranean diet: it’s ridiculously easy to stick to. You don’t have to deprive yourself of great-tasting food, and there are so many easy recipes out there for when you don’t have time to spend an hour making dinner. We’ve already taken the first step by providing this simple grocery list and our favorite Mediterranean diet recipe below:

Foods to incorporate into every meal:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Beans and legumes
• Nuts and seeds
• Herbs and spices
• Olive oil
• Whole grains

 

Foods to consume several days a week:

• Fish and seafood
• Greek yogurt
• Poultry
• Eggs
• Cheese

 

Foods to avoid when you can:

• Butter
• Sweets
• Foods high in sodium
• Red meat

 

Refreshing Greek Salad:

This is a great, easy recipe to make for dinner or just snack on when you get a craving. If you want to make it a full meal, add a serving of whole grain pasta.

 

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Handle of black Greek olives

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper

 

Toss all of the ingredients together and enjoy! Serves three.