Mediterranean diet

[guss]

The Mediterranean diet concept is that of a healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes and nuts that are low in saturated fats. It also includes low consumption of dairy products, seafood, poultry, red meat and small to moderate quantities of wine. The Mediterranean diet is one of the most studied dietary patterns.

It has been noticed that people in the Mediterranean region, an area of three continents, differ in their culture, tradition and food habit, but lead very similar active lifestyles and share similar eating habits. It was observed that cases of chronic heart diseases, diabetes, gallstones and cancers were minimal in the Mediterranean region.

The daily Mediterranean diet includes mostly fresh vegetables, fruit mainly as dessert, cereals, whole grain breads, pastas legumes, beans and nuts cooked in olive oil. The diet is supplemented by low to moderate use of milk, cheese and yogurt along with mostly red wine or water.

Seafood, poultry and eggs are a weekly add on to the diet, and the consumption of red meat is limited to few times a month. Sweet and dessert intake is also limited to a few days a week. Fruit is the most preferred type of dessert.

The Mediterranean diet is well-balanced with a supply of essential vitamins, minerals, low in saturated fat, salt and sugar to ensure good health. As stated, people in the Mediterranean region lead active lives, but they also find enough time to relax, enjoy and socialize with every meal. This, in turn, helps in digestion of food and proper functioning of body systems.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

If you take the healthy, REAL version of the Mediterranean Diet these are probably the key points:

DIET
*Low overall calorie intake
*Very low or zero alcohol (except in celebratory circumstances)
*Plenty of locally grown greens, herbs, veges & plants high in longevity protecting antioxidants that the majority of the rest of the world do not consume ~ plants like horta, kritamo, andrakla etc.
*Home grown vegetables grown in mineral rich soil
*Lots of beans, nuts & legumes = high fibre
*Extra-virgin olive oil is prevalent in their diets
*Fresh fish 2-3 times a week
*Meat only comprises 5% of their total calories
*Raw goats milk that they milk by hand

RESPONSE TO DIET
*Reduced cancer, alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease rates
*Lower cases of CV disease (heart attack, stroke etc)
*Improved liver health
*Lower BMI, which links in to diabetes being much less common in studied countries that consume this diet such as Greece. If you have some spare time and you're interested in this kind of stuff you should Google 'The Ikaria Study'

So why does the REAL Mediterranean Diet feature very little (if any) alcohol?..

Alcohol kills close to 150 French people EVERY DAY

7 million people in France have a drinking problem

In France (which is where the media like to showcase the Mediterranean Diet because French people drink more heavily than other European countries), 25% of deaths that happen to people aged 15-34 are a result of alcohol. The causes of death that you can directly attribute to alcohol ARE ABOVE ALL CANCERS AND HEART DISEASES.

Basically, the only benefits from wine ~ and these benefits are actually fairly minimal, are polyphenols and flavonoids. The same two things which can be found in vastly larger amounts in fresh fruit and vegetables. If you actually take the time to look into the studies that are pronouncing the health benefits of alcohol, guess what?..

They're generally funded by the global alcohol industry!

 

[Arslan230]

I am using fresh fish for this diet.

 

[Stumpy]

If you take the healthy, REAL version of the Mediterranean Diet these are probably the key points:

DIET
*Low overall calorie intake
*Very low or zero alcohol (except in celebratory circumstances)
*Plenty of locally grown greens, herbs, veges & plants high in longevity protecting antioxidants that the majority of the rest of the world do not consume ~ plants like horta, kritamo, andrakla etc.
*Home grown vegetables grown in mineral rich soil
*Lots of beans, nuts & legumes = high fibre
*Extra-virgin olive oil is prevalent in their diets
*Fresh fish 2-3 times a week
*Meat only comprises 5% of their total calories
*Raw goats milk that they milk by hand

RESPONSE TO DIET
*Reduced cancer, alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease rates
*Lower cases of CV disease (heart attack, stroke etc)
*Improved liver health
*Lower BMI, which links in to diabetes being much less common in studied countries that consume this diet such as Greece. If you have some spare time and you're interested in this kind of stuff you should Google 'The Ikaria Study'

So why does the REAL Mediterranean Diet feature very little (if any) alcohol?..

Alcohol kills close to 150 French people EVERY DAY

7 million people in France have a drinking problem

In France (which is where the media like to showcase the Mediterranean Diet because French people drink more heavily than other European countries), 25% of deaths that happen to people aged 15-34 are a result of alcohol. The causes of death that you can directly attribute to alcohol ARE ABOVE ALL CANCERS AND HEART DISEASES.

Basically, the only benefits from wine ~ and these benefits are actually fairly minimal, are polyphenols and flavonoids. The same two things which can be found in vastly larger amounts in fresh fruit and vegetables. If you actually take the time to look into the studies that are pronouncing the health benefits of alcohol, guess what?..

They're generally funded by the global alcohol industry!

The Mediterranean diet concept is that of a healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, cereals, legumes and nuts that are low in saturated fats. It also includes low consumption of dairy products, seafood, poultry, red meat and small to moderate quantities of wine. The Mediterranean diet is one of the most studied dietary patterns.

It has been noticed that people in the Mediterranean region, an area of three continents, differ in their culture, tradition and food habit, but lead very similar active lifestyles and share similar eating habits. It was observed that cases of chronic heart diseases, diabetes, gallstones and cancers were minimal in the Mediterranean region.

The daily Mediterranean diet includes mostly fresh vegetables, fruit mainly as dessert, cereals, whole grain breads, pastas legumes, beans and nuts cooked in olive oil. The diet is supplemented by low to moderate use of milk, cheese and yogurt along with mostly red wine or water.

Seafood, poultry and eggs are a weekly add on to the diet, and the consumption of red meat is limited to few times a month. Sweet and dessert intake is also limited to a few days a week. Fruit is the most preferred type of dessert.

The Mediterranean diet is well-balanced with a supply of essential vitamins, minerals, low in saturated fat, salt and sugar to ensure good health. As stated, people in the Mediterranean region lead active lives, but they also find enough time to relax, enjoy and socialize with every meal. This, in turn, helps in digestion of food and proper functioning of body systems.

I've no idea where you got this "Mediterranean" diet crap from but as someone who's lived in various places in France and various places in Spain I can tell you matter of fact that you're wrong.

Very low or zero alcohol

False, alcohol is consumed with pretty much every meal except for breakfast.

Plenty of locally grown greens, herbs, veges & plants high in longevity protecting antioxidants that the majority of the rest of the world do not consume ~ plants like horta, kritamo, andrakla etc.

False, the French have a SMALL helping of greens and the Spanish rarely eat greens....bloody arid country over here in Spain.

Home grown vegetables grown in mineral rich soil

As said above, false......the majority of people in France & Spain live in apartments....where are the gardens for these "home grown vegetables"?

Lots of beans, nuts & legumes = high fibre

berans/legumes yes, but this is down to the "paupers" diet....nothing to do with health reasons.

Fresh fish 2-3 times a week

How's it fresh when it's been delivered in a lorry the next day at best, coastal towns maybe.

Meat only comprises 5% of their total calories

Again false, meat is big in the diet, you should see how much duck & chicken the French go through....not to mention the amount of pork the Spanish go through.

Raw goats milk that they milk by hand

Seriously bro? I know some parts of Europe are a little behind the times but that's just plain ignorant.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

I've got all of the stats on my HD and links to studies etc and I'm comfortable with what I posted ~ guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Thanks for the taking the time to comment, I appreciate your input MF.

 

[Stumpy]

I've got all of the stats on my HD and links to studies etc and I'm comfortable with what I posted ~ guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

The fk we'll agree to disagree! I couldn't give a crap what you've got on your hard drive or what "studies" you've googled, the difference is pal...I've lived in several places in 2 Mediterranean countries and am still in one of them. Tell you what, how about I tell you what you eat down under?

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

I've no idea where you got this "Mediterranean" diet crap from but as someone who's lived in various places in France and various places in Spain I can tell you matter of fact that you're wrong.
False, alcohol is consumed with pretty much every meal except for breakfast.
False, the French have a SMALL helping of greens and the Spanish rarely eat greens....bloody arid country over here in Spain.
As said above, false......the majority of people in France & Spain live in apartments....where are the gardens for these "home grown vegetables"?
berans/legumes yes, but this is down to the "paupers" diet....nothing to do with health reasons.
How's it fresh when it's been delivered in a lorry the next day at best, coastal towns maybe.
Again false, meat is big in the diet, you should see how much duck & chicken the French go through....not to mention the amount of pork the Spanish go through.
Seriously bro? I know some parts of Europe are a little behind the times but that's just plain ignorant.

The Ikarian diet (to which I drew reference to in my post and mainly all of the parts where you disagreed) is known largely due to a study of 673 Ikarian's by Christina Chrysohoou, a cardiologist at the University of Athens Medical School. The data I highlighted from that study can be further confirmed by a separate Harvard School of Public Health study conducted on 23,000 Greek adults; both studies were extensive and have been cited in credible medical journals; many nutritionists and health researchers claim this to be the 'real' version of the Mediterranean Diet and that was what I was alluding to when I posted above. I realise there are different versions and interpretations ~ and there is bound to be depending on what country in Europe you are looking at, heck there would even be differences from village to village.

Here you go, this possibly explains it a little better than I did but covers a lot of what I touched on. Even the goats milk...


"Last but not least, is diet: Ikarians eat their own version of the Mediterranean diet: typically local, seasonal and natural foods with lashings of olive oil; they eat a little fish, but hardly any meat (they favour goat over lamb, and keep it mostly for special occasions) and little dairy, except for goat’s milk."

"The islanders eat lots of wild greens, known as horta, prized by Greeks throughout the country for its health benefits and unique flavours. Their intake of fruit and vegetables often exceeds dietary recommendations, according to The Ikaria Study, in the journal Cardiology Research and Practice in 2011, also by a research team from the University of Athens researchers that included Prof Siasos and Prof Stefanadis."


Sourced from:

http://www.biznews.com/health-biznews-com/2014/06/ikaria-live-forever-island-people-forget-to-die/

 

[Stumpy]

Ah, so this Mediterranean diet of yours is based on data from ONE country? And not only that but also a tiny island! We've a member here that lives in Greece, I'll wait for his input. As you repeatedly mentioned France in your post, I odly enough took it that you were including France in this Mediterranean diet....how odd of me!

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

The fk we'll agree to disagree! I couldn't give a crap what you've got on your hard drive or what "studies" you've googled, the difference is pal...I've lived in several places in 2 Mediterranean countries and am still in one of them. Tell you what, how about I tell you what you eat down under?

Really? That's a shame your attitude is the way it is, sure I haven't ever lived in Europe but I have spent time in the different countries over there as I spent the first 20 years of my life over there. As for Googling, I'm not into that. I've been studying and researching stuff like this for about ten years now and it's something I have invested a lot of time and energy in.

No need to be arrogant about it, whether you are right or not. So I'm not going to sit here and argue with someone that responds in the manner that you have done so far, I have better things to be doing. If you have been studying what we eat down under and looking at all of the published studies, data and research then by all means tell me what we eat. I will never profess that I know everything and I love the fact that I am still learning new things about nutrition, longevity and health all these years after becoming interested in it. If you seriously want to discuss and debate then I'm all ears... if it's just going to be a 'you're talking shit and you are plain ignorant' type rebuttal all the time then you might need to find someone else to go back and forth with.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Ah, so this Mediterranean diet of yours is based on data from ONE country? And not only that but also a tiny island! We've a member here that lives in Greece, I'll wait for his input. As you repeatedly mentioned France in your post, I odly enough took it that you were including France in this Mediterranean diet....how odd of me!

That's because so many people associate France with the Med diet, truth is today they are doing pretty poorly with 15% of French women being clinically obese and another 26% classed as overweight.

Going back 10-20 years ago France WAS following their own version of this healthy diet, but over the last 15 years obesity rates have doubled and last year they reached 7 million with 22 million French adults being classed as overweight. Excuse me if I don't put much faith in their current health status, and for the future unless they can revert back to what they used to be eating.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Ah, so this Mediterranean diet of yours is based on data from ONE country? And not only that but also a tiny island! We've a member here that lives in Greece, I'll wait for his input. As you repeatedly mentioned France in your post, I odly enough took it that you were including France in this Mediterranean diet....how odd of me!

If you prefer data on a bigger scale you could go with the study that the Mayo Clinic did last year, that was an analysis of 1.5 million adults using the 'healthy' Mediterranean diet.

 

[Stumpy]

Really? That's a shame your attitude is the way it is, sure I haven't ever lived in Europe but I have spent time in the different countries over there as I spent the first 20 years of my life over there. As for Googling, I'm not into that. I've been studying and researching stuff like this for about ten years now and it's something I have invested a lot of time and energy in.

No need to be arrogant about it, whether you are right or not. So I'm not going to sit here and argue with someone that responds in the manner that you have done so far, I have better things to be doing. If you have been studying what we eat down under and looking at all of the published studies, data and research then by all means tell me what we eat. I will never profess that I know everything and I love the fact that I am still learning new things about nutrition, longevity and health all these years after becoming interested in it. If you seriously want to discuss and debate then I'm all ears... if it's just going to be a 'you're talking shit and you are plain ignorant' type rebuttal all the time then you might need to find someone else to go back and forth with.

Now you're just confusing me!

I haven't ever lived in Europe

I have spent time in the different countries over there

What attitude? You make a post that clearly wasn't thought out too well with quotes like

Raw goats milk that they milk by hand

, and that didn't deserve the quote I left regarding that, really dude? This isn't Little House on the Prairie!
No need to take criticism so personally, we're not all right all the time.