An article on ABC News website discussed a newly released study examining what is it about the Mediterranean diet that makes it so healthy and good for you? The study consisted of 23,000 Greek men and women over an eight year period. The researchers were able to tell that certain foods, more than others, may offer the majority of the nutritional benefits of this diet.
The researchers concluded from their analysis that “the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes.” In addition, the researchers found that the elevated consumption of fish and cereals and avoidance of dairy products seen in the typical Mediterranean diet had little to do with the benefits of this diet.
Even though these results are very interesting and shed some light on this diet, the researchers made a point to say that these findings need more research to strengthen them their findings “could not be assumed to be universally applicable.”
Our society is very caught up in knowing what the specific element is that makes an item healthy. Instead of eating an apple and knowing it’s good for you, our society wants to know what exactly is in the apple that’s good for us.
This study is very interesting, but it may be better for you to practice the entire Mediterranean diet on the whole as a lifestyle rather than focus on the specific foods. This diet focuses strongly on fruits and vegetables, and that alone will do wonders for your waistline and your health. This diet also steers away from major downfalls in a typical American diet like sugar, preservatives, and unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats). I encourage you to try this diet out if you’re looking to drop a few pounds and improve your health.