Free copy of the Mediterranean diet menu

The Mediterranean is not only a weight loss and maintenance diet, it’s also one of the healthiest diet of the world.

It’s better to use the term: “Mediterranean cuisine” as the traditional eating lifestyle of the Mediterranean people.

The common principles are:

• The use of “Unique plates” (Plates that combine together carbs and meat)
• Intensive use of olive oil
• Consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables and legumes
• Moderate consumption of red meat
• 1 time a week fish or white meats
• Moderate use of cheese and yogurt
• 1 glass of red wine to accompany the main meals
• Consumption of honey instead of sugar
• Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day

Bonus Tip: You can maximize the benefits of this diet practicing a constant physical activity (30 Min. a day of walks, bicycle, etc…) Index

Characteristics and benefits

Here the list of the main benefits:

• Rich of anti-oxidants
• Prevents heart and cardiovascular diseases
• Reduces the cancer risk (especially breast and colon)
• Reduces the risk of diabetes
• Reduces the Hypertension and infarct risk
• Protects from the Alzheimer’s risk
• Reduces the risk of chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• Has anti-inflammatory effects
• Reduces the blood pressure
• Improves the life duration and its quality
• It’s convenient (It’s based on easy to find and cheap foods)
• It’s tasty
• Ideal for sport lovers (balanced, rich of vitamins and minerals)
• It’s amusing!

In respect to the other diets, the Mediterranean has a major calorie count, due to the use of Olive oil.

This anti aging food has fantastic health benefits because it’s poor of bad fats and rich of good ones (poli-saturated and monounsaturated).

It’s very good for your heart health and useful to help reducing cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Olive oil contains also:

• Anti oxidants
• Oleic acid that reduces the risk of breast cancer
• Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, and K,
• Iron
• Poli-phenols

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The Mediterranean diet pyramid

The Mediterranean diet can be represented through this pyramid

Thanks to Oldways

The proportions are: 20% proteins, 30% Fats and 50% Carbohydrates

You should eat 5 times a day: Breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 snacks (11:00 and 18:00).

By doing so you will be able to be less hungry and increase your metabolism. Index

List of Foods characteristics

To eat every day

• Cereals: bread and pasta, rice, maize, oats, luff, grain, potatoes.
• Beans, peas, lupins.
• Fruits: apples, pears, oranges, Mandarin, apricots, peaches, grape, fichi, water-melons, melons, raspberries, strawberries, chestnuts, walnuts, nuts, almonds, pistachio nuts.
• Vegetables: turnips, carrots, salads, spinach, broccoli, cabbages, tomatoes, eggplants, capsicum, zucchini, onions.
• Olive oil
• Aromatic grass: basil, thymus, oregano, garlic.
• Milk and cheeses
• Wine

Nourishing: Glucidi (starch), vegetal proteins, vitamins B, fiber. vitamin and provitamin C, minerals and anti-oxidants, water, fiber, Animals Proteins, phosphorus.

Functions: Energetic, plastic, Regulative, protective.

Useful tips:

• Use cereals for breakfast, lunch and limit the use for dinner
• Moderate the peak consumption (2-3 times to week)
• Consume 3-4 portions of the various aliments of this group
• Moderate the consumption of grape, bananas, fichi, fruit juices
• Consume the fruit far away from the main meals
• Prefer milk and yogurt foamed or partially foamed, fresh and lean cheeses
• Avoid cream and butter
• Consume cheeses with moderation

To eat 1-3 times a week

• Meat: mostly white, chicken and turkey, rabbit, pig and veal
• Fish: anchovies, sardines, herrings, aguglie, clear, spato
• Eggs

Nourishing: Animals Proteins, minerals (zinc, branch, iron, vitamins of the complex B. vegetables proteins, acid fats)

Functions: Plastic, energetic.

Useful tips:

• Prefer lean meats and fish. Moreover blue fish (anchovies, sardine, herrings, aguglie, clears, spato them, etc)
• Consume the fish at least two times a week
• Eat less conserved meats, fat meats and fishes
• Limit the fat of animal and fried origin
• Prefer vegetable olis, in particular the extra virgin olive oil

To eat with smaller frequency: Honey and cakies

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Foods Chart

The base concept is to eat always fresh fruits and vegetables that have a dark green, red or orange color.

Good examples are oranges and tomatoes, rich of anti oxidants and useful to fight cancer and free radicals.

Other useful aliments of this diet are fishes, rich of hearty Omega-3 fatty acids, red wine, rich of flavonoids and polyphenols (useful to clean up the arteries), and the oil of olive.

Here an exhaustive list of the aliments: (Click here to read the Mediterranean food pyramid)

• Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes
• Vegetables: Spinach, Cauliflowers, Carrots, Eggplants, Tomatoes, broccoli, capsicum, capers, garlic and onion
• Fruit: Olives, Grape, Oranges, Lemons, Apples, cherries, Strawberries, peaches, apricots
• Legumes: beans, peas
• Fruit: Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachio nuts
• Oil of olive
• Honey
• Milk and cheeses
• White Meat (chicken, rabbit, turkey, etc…) and fish (fish sword, sardines, tuna, clears)
• Eggs
• Red meat (veal, lamb, etc…)
• Water

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An example of typical recipe

All the Mediterranean recipes are simple and of easy preparation. They derive from the ancient peasant culture.

The recipe that best synthesizes the Mediterranean style is the “pasta e fagioli” (Pasta with beans)

Here you are how to prepare it:

1. Take 250 grams of beans and put them in water for 1 night.
2. Then cook them in water for approximately 2 hours.
3. Prepare a little fry of carrots, sedano, onions and chili pepper with olive oil.
4. Then boil the beans with the pasta water and cook them in the same pot.
5. Use the olive oil to give a better taste to the plate.

Here the video explain you how to cook this recipe… Index

Practical tips to get better results

• Use fruits instead of sweets
• Reduce the amounts of cheeses and butter consumptions
• Consumes at least 4 eggs a week
• Replace the butter with the olive oil
• Use the honey instead of sugar
• Eat red meat 1 time a month
• Drink 1 glass of red wine (or grape juice) a day
• Do 30 min. a day of moderate physical activity
• It’s better to loose weight not so quickly, choose a healthy diet

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My personal experience

I was born with the Mediterranean diet principles (I’m Sicilian)…I eat 5 times a day and I do 1,30 hours of gym 3 times the week.

• Breakfast Milk and cereals
• 11:30 Fruit
• Lunch pasta, meat or cheese, salad and fruit
• 18:00 Fruit
• Dinner bread, meat, salad and fruits

Actually i’m 24 years (2007), i’m 1,80 meters and weight 80kg. Index

The modified Mediterranean diet

The modified version of the Mediterranean diet consists in replacing the Mediterranean typical foods, with other nutriments of equal health value: fruits and vegetables. Index

What the experts say - Find out More info

Here some answers and interviews about the heath effects of the Mediterranean diet

1) Answers to the most common questions
2) Interview with Emilia Klapp Author of the Best Seller “Your heart needs the Mediterranean diet”
3) Interview with Nicki Heverling Manager of the project “Mediterranean Mark”

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History of the Mediterranean diet

The history of the Mediterranean diet has millenarian origins. Its principles were already in use from 4° the century under the roman empire.

The diet become of international interest after a study conduced by Dr. Ancel keys in the end of the Second world war. Dr. Keys noticed how the population in the Cilento (southern Italy), was characterized by greater longevity, minor incidence of heart problems and cancer.

The Doctor understood that it was due to the alimentary regimen they followed. Then he decided to undertake a study “Study of the seven countries” in order to verify the health similarities of several Mediterranean populations.

Ancel Keys lived in a small village of fishermen (Poplars) in the common of Pollica in province of Salerno,Italy for 40 years. It is passed away in November 2004 at 100 years age. Index

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