The Mediterranean diet is not a diet per se. It is different than other dieting routines in that it has more to do with eating healthy, fresh, non-processed foods versus depriving oneself of fat and calories. The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating the right types foods as well as the right intake of each food group. There are so many food choices that it keeps you engaged and won’t bore you down the road. Furthermore, you can easily go out to a restaurant and find these foods on the menu. The key is knowing the right intake and keeping it “fresh.”

The “diet” is not a short term program. Rather, it is a lifestyle change which benefits you for the rest of your life. The main components to this “diet” are:

-High Consumption of non refined carbohydrates which varies based on your level of physical activity
-High consumption of fresh fruits and veggies
-Moderate consumption of beans, legumes and nuts
-Moderate consumption of olive oil as a monounsaturated fat source
-Low to Moderate consumption of dairy, fish, poultry, eggs and sweets
-Lower consumption of red meat
-Moderate consumption of wine, preferably red wine
-Consistent daily physical activity and an active lifestyle is also crucial to this diet

Not only will you notice the weight loss, you will also have more energy and feel great. If you have other unhealthy habits, like smoking, you will find more motivation and liekly be more successful in kicking the habit since you are making postive and rewarding changes that you can see and feel. Other likely health benefits include a reduction in blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and reduced risk of heart disease…Truly it reduces your risk of developing a whole host of chronic diseases.

It is important to note that you must be mindful of portion sizes. Some of the foods in this diet are high in fat and even if it is the good kind of fat, it must be consumed in moderation. In America, we are obsessed with “super sizing” our meals which can counteract all the good that this diet does. So you will need to really focus on this guideline of the diet in order to be successful. Again, it is a lifestyle change.

The other benefit of adapting this lifestyle is that we will pass it on to our children who will learn to have healthy relationships with food and make better choices in their food consumption. This can help us turn around the childhood obesity epidemic, which is increasing the number of chronic illnesses in our kids.

Tags: active lifestyle, Childhood Obesity, healthy lifestyle, Mediterranean diet