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New Mediterranean Diet
Have you heard about the Mediterranean diet?
Here’s the facts from American Heart.org, the
official website of the American Heart Association.
What is the "Mediterranean"
Diet?
There's no one "Mediterranean" diet. At least 16
countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Diets vary
between these countries and also between regions
within a country. Many differences in culture,
ethnic background, religion, economy and
agricultural production result in different diets.
But the common Mediterranean dietary pattern has
these characteristics:
- high consumption of fruits, vegetables,
bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts
and seeds.
- olive oil is an important monounsaturated
fat source
- dairy products, fish and poultry are
consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little
red meat is eaten
- eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
- wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts
Does a Mediterranean-style diet follow
American Heart Association dietary guidelines?
Mediterranean-style diets are often close to our
dietary guidelines, but they don’t follow them
exactly. In general, the diets of Mediterranean
peoples contain a relatively high percentage of
calories from fat. This is thought to contribute to
the increasing obesity in these countries, which is
becoming a concern.
People who follow the average Mediterranean diet
eat less saturated fat than those who eat the
average American diet. In fact, saturated fat
consumption is well within our dietary guidelines.
More than half the fat calories in a
Mediterranean diet come from monounsaturated fats
(mainly from olive oil). Monounsaturated fat doesn't
raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat
does.
The incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean
countries is lower than in the United States. Death
rates are lower, too. But this may not be entirely
due to the diet. Lifestyle factors (such as more
physical activity and extended social support
systems) may also play a part.
Before advising people to follow a Mediterranean
diet, we need more studies to find out whether the
diet itself or other lifestyle factors account for
the lower deaths from heart disease.
Others Diet Plan
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