Here a list of all the questions and answers that generally all people do about the Mediterranean diet.
Where can i find exactly what the Mediterranean diet is? Please define it and tell me how do i adopt it.
The Mediterranean diet is not a “Diet†but a way that Mediterranean people use to eat. It’s very useful to live better because it contains a lot of good aliments with healthy proprieties.
Where can i find free information on Mediterranean diet plan?
You can read this blog, search on food forums or just type in Google “Mediterranean dietâ€.
What is the easiest way to start the Mediterranean diet?
The best way to start you diet is to understand the principles of this diet and why it’s so healthy. It’s not only a weight fact but an health fact. Start verifying what food you can buy or if they are available where you live (you can choose other type of “not official†foods, generally fruits and vegetables). Second verify your eating profile and understand how can you change it. One of the best fact of this diet is that it’s not a privative diet. You can eat tasty foods.
Where to buy Mediterranean diet book or have you and eBook to download for free?
There are a lot of authors that have written books you can find the on Amazon etc…
It’s not important how many books you read, just understand simple principles and apply them…you’ll become an expert! If you like you can download my free e-book that collect all the most common principles, tips and articles about the Mediterranean diet.
What is an example of a Mediterranean diet menu?
Generally the base point is that this diet is based on simple foods coming from rural traditions. You should eat 5 times a day and not concentrate the main food on the dinner.
Here an example of what is my personal diet i follow since 3 year (I’m 24 -2007- and i’m 8o kg and i do 1,30 min. of sport 3 times a week)
1° plate chosen between:
- Pasta or rice 120 gr.
- Legumes buckets 30gr. Or fresh 130gr. + pasta or bread 60gr.
- Vegetable soup 150gr. + Pasta or bread 60gr.
- Potatoes 220gr or gnocchi of potatoes 180gr.
- Bread 120 gr. Bread 60gr. + pasta 60gr.
2° Plate Choose between:
- Bovine meat 140gr.
- Pork meat 130gr.
- Equine meat 130gr.
- Chicken, rabbit, turkey 180gr.
- Fish 230gr.
- Fresh cheese 50gr.
- Light Cheese 100gr.
- Crude ham 50gr.
- Bresaola 70gr.
- Natural tuna 120gr.
- Salmon 70gr.
- Ham 60gr.
Contour
- Vegetables cooked or raw Oil 2 teaspoons
Fruit 200 gr.
In substitution of this meal can be chosen a Pizza Margherita + vegetables
Special Tips
- The weight of the alimony is raw
- No more than 4 teaspoons of sugar a day
- Avoid “under oil” foods
- Drink a lot of water
- Avoid alcoholic and/or sweetened drinks
- You can use these condiments for the first plates: Tomatoes, vegetables, vegetable soup
- Cook meats in: Roast, vapor, bubbled, to the live coal, to the tomato, to the cartoccio
- Flavor foods: all the aromas, vinegar and lemon
- Chew the food before ingesting it at least 30 min.
- Consume the meal in 30 min at least.
How New Is The Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet has a millenarian traditions. It had its development during the roman empire. In those times the population ate seafood, oil, yields and drank wine… the main ingredients of the Diet. Nowadays with the working stress, a reduced physical activity, the fast food… we have lost the healthy rhythms of a time. It’s on this period that this diet is well indicated for its benefits effects.
What are the foods that make up a Mediterranean diet and where can i find menu foods to buy?
Generally it’s not possible to classify a list of all Mediterranean food and recipes because there are a lot of countries with local traditions. It’s possible to do a list of the base foods present on all culinary traditions:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Cereals
- Legumes
- vegetables
- fruit
- Wine
- Oil
All these foods are available everywhere and don’t cost too much.
What is the best breakfast for the Mediterranean diet?
A typical example of Mediterranean breakfast could be this:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Honey
- Bread
- Marmalade
- Fruit Juice
- Oranges
Generally the breakfast is the main moment of the day in which the brain needs nourishing. Therefore it would be more convenient to avoid fast or poor breakfast. So you’ll be less hungry for lunch.
How to eat on the Mediterranean diet?
Generally it is advised to eat 5 times a day. 3 main meals (Breakfast, lunch and supper) and 2 Secondary (snack on 11:30 and 18:00)
In this way you can increase the metabolism that helps you burn more energies.
Eating on 18:00 is good because it reduce your hungry sense and you’ll eat less during the supper. One of the worst habits is that one to eat a fast sandwich on lunch and then be more hungry in the evening.
Can you suggest me some meal ideas for Mediterranean diet?
The typical Mediterranean meals are the “Unique platesâ€. The most common example it “Pasta with beansâ€
How much wine have i drink to respect the Mediterranean diet principles?
Wine has powerful effects to reduce the cardiac risk. The expert always advise us to consume 1 glass of wine a day. Drink too much wine cause you damn to the liver.
I have no time to do lunch. Can i do a big breakfast and dinner?
No. You need to eat all the day. If you don’t eat for lunch…on supper you’ll be more hungry and you’ll eat more calories the won’t be burned cause you go to sleep.
What are the so called “snacks†to avoid to be hungry?
If during the day you have hunger attacks… you can reduce them by eating carrots, finocchio or celery. These are healthy foods with low calories. Avoid the classic “energy snacks†or similar they are bad…Personally i eat naturally and fresh food.
I’m vegetarian and i follow the principles of this diet. Can i stop the consumption of Milk and its products?
If you follow a vegetarian diet and eat eggs and milk products it’s good because you’ll have the essential proteins contained only in the meat. From the nutritionist point of view, the meat is constituted mainly by:
- 75% of water
- 15% of proteins
- 3 -7% of fats
- 2- 4% of mineral salts (potassium, iron, zinc, etc…)
Often the alimony of animal origin have an important role in cardiovascular pathologies because of they contain saturated fats and cholesterol.
How to follow the Mediterranean diet with the Sicilian foods?
All Sicilian recipes are indicated in the Mediterranean. Here some examples:
The first plates (pasta alla Norma, al pistachio nut, paste with the annealed, paste with the walnuts, etc…)
The second plates like the fish, the seafood, the pork and the lamb.
Personally I think that some cakes are not indicated in a dietetic regimen like: Sicilian cassata , the cannoli, the pastes of almond, the marzipan, etc…
Why do they say that meat is not healthy?
Studies and researches support that 33% of the tumors derives from the alimentary habits. Especially the red meat can cause tumors to the intestine, to the breast, to the colon-straight, because of the treatments of the animals with growing hormones.
There are also other studies that connect the cardiovascular disturbs to the consumption of red meat. This because they contain saturated fats and cholesterol.
Is pizza healthy?
Sure! A simple pizza margherita flavored with little oil and vegetables represents 1 of the so called “Unique plates†of the Mediterranean diet.
Can a Mediterranean-style diet help people live longer and healthier lives?
Many studies confirm it. Eat healthy, do physical activity, do not smoke and drink moderately, increase the life expectations considerably. The Mediterranean diet is poor of saturates fats and rich of fibers. Therefore it helps to lower the blood pressure, is rich of anti-oxidants and substances that help to clean up the arteries. Enough think that the father of this diet, the Dr. Keys, has lived until 100 years.
Is it true that the Mediterranean diet is rich of Saturated fats?
Not. The diet is poor of saturated fats because it’s not previewed an excess use of animal foods.
Does a Mediterranean-style diet follow American Heart Association dietary guidelines?
People who follow the average Mediterranean diet eat less saturated fat than those who eat the average American diet. More than half of the calories in a Mediterranean diet come from mono-unsaturated fats (mainly from olive oil). Mono-unsaturated fat doesn’t raise blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat doe)
Why Do They Say That The Mediterranean Diet is Good for Women
This diet is indicated for women because it helps to remain young and loose and maintaining weight. This diet has numerous anti-oxidants and anti-age effects. This is due to the substances contained in the dark green, red and orange fruits and vegetables. These anti oxidants help to fight the free radicals and have positive effects on the Skin.
Is The Mediterranean Diet Any Good For Sport?
Yes! It’s a balanced diet, rich of: Vitamins, mineral salts, good proteins and poor saturated fats, Carbohydrates and Anti-oxidants.
Thanks to this nutrients, muscles can increase their recovery ability.
But this diet is useful for other who practice resistance sports like marathon, the skiers, cycling, etc…because has a great carbohydrate supply – Pasta, bread, potatoes, rice that guarantees a sufficient glycogen to supply energy during the efforts.
For who practice power sports this diet can contribute thanks to the proteic presence that favors the development of muscular masses (i.e. white meats , milk, yogurt, fish, legumes).
How does the Mediterranean diet help you loose weight and how fast?
The best thing of this diet is that can help you maintaining your weight. One of the common problem with diets is that once you loose weight you can gain it more quickly. It’s not better to loose weight fast.
Do I actually need anything more than 30 minutes of walking and a healthy diet to lose weight?
It’s enough to do 30 min. of walks, bicycle, race, etc… a day.
Can i combine Yoga and the Diet?
Yes. Yoga is healthy but not necessary to obtain the benefit of this diet.
What are the tricks Italian use to keep their weight off ?
- Dolce vita
- Eat better
- Soccer
- Love making
Where can i find recipes and ideas about the Mediterranean diet?
In the blog we have created a section dedicated to the recipes.It’s impossible to collect them all. The classic example of these recipes are the “Unique plates†pasta with the legumes (beans, ceci, lenticchie, peas, etc…), the pizza, pasta with the meat soup, etc…
In Sicily as an example could be the pasta to the norm (Pasta alla Norma): Paste with tomato, eggplants and salad ricotta cheese. In this way it is possible to bind together carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables.
