The Mediterranean Diet Is A Healthy Heart Diet

Mediterranean Lifestyle

Adopting a Mediterranean Lifestyle

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.
• Limit your intake of red meat.
• Eat oily fish, such as salmon, twice a week.
• Use olive oil for your cooking, and cut back on butter, margarine and other oils.
• Include a handful of nuts in your daily diet.
• Limit high fat dairy products.

Key Ingredients In The Mediterranean Diet

Olive Oil is used extensively for cooking in the Mediterranean, with very little use of saturated fats such as butter, margarine or other oils. Olive oil, particularly extra virgin olive oil, has several health benefits and has been shown to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, as it is a healthy monounsaturated fat. It achieves this by lowering triglyceride, cholesterol and LDL levels. It also increases HDL and protects against oxidative damage.

Fruits and Vegetables feature prominently, with tomatoes being an important ingredient. The high level of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals contained in fruits and vegetables provide protection against many chronic diseases.

Wholegrains are eaten widely in the Mediterranean region, and bread is an important part of the diet. However, bread is consumed without butter or margarines, which contain saturated or trans fats.

Oily Fish is consumed in moderate to high quantities in the Mediterranean Diet, and is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats protect against heart disease and inflammation.

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