Mediterranean style diet: The healthy diet pattern your favorite celebrities are in love with!

Mediterranean-style diet consists primarily of nuts, fish, vegetables, and fruits.

Various studies have revealed that this diet can cut down age-related disorders and chronic ailments. Let us delve more into it.

What is a Mediterranean-style diet?

A mediterranean-style diet is not a new dietary pattern. People living around the Mediterranean Sea have been consuming it for ages. But it gained popularity and entered medical research books in the 1960s.

The diet consists of cuisines from Greece, Turkey, Italy, and also Spain. Additionally, the eating habits of people of Northern Africa are also incorporated into this regime.

In this diet style, there is high consumption of olive oil, unrefined cereals, pulses and legumes, fish, vegetables, and fruits. Milk and wine are in moderation. Meat products are rarely eaten.

Thus there is good consumption of vitamins, minerals, and proteins. The fats used are not saturated. And carbohydrates used are not refined but complex starches.

This type of diet has been studied and found to have a massive positive impact on general well-being and is good for the mind and body.

Often, the diet is displayed as a pyramid. There is olive oil, vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, and nuts at the base of the pyramid. Next is fish and seafood.

Milk and red wine occupy the next part of the food pyramid. And at the top are meat, refined carbohydrates, and sugars which should be sparingly used.

Studies on this special diet

Innumerable observational studies have revealed that the Mediterranean diet has the potential to prevent chronic disorders. It reduces all-cause mortality.

Therefore, the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association recommend this diet to prevent and control heart ailments and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

A follow-up 2013 study in women aged 50 years and above showed that the Mediterranean diet helped 40% of those following it to avoid chronic diseases with aging.

This diet is healthy and advocated by various health organizations. The diet is at par with vegetarian and DASH diets and is advised also to people who are keen to lose weight. It is also on the Mind Diet recommendations list.

The Mediterranean type of diet is useful to decrease the incidence of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and early death. It also has the potential to reduce the cost of living, non-communicable diseases, and national health costs.

The diet improves cognition and lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. It improves mentation and reduces the risk of depression.

This diet also aids environmental sustainability. Agricultural sustainability is also promised. Greenhouse gas emissions are lowered.

Celebrities who enjoy and eat a Mediterranean diet

The mediterranean diet is a craze amongst the rich elite of the world including celebrities. Kayla Itsines is a Greek-Australian health and fitness expert who highly recommends this diet for general well-being.

She consumes it and claims it to be the secret of her great health and form. The fitness freak writes on her Instagram:

“I’m Greek, so we eat a Mediterranean diet in my family,”

On the other hand, Actor John Goodman had weight problems and this diet helped him lose weight. He started this diet to live a better life. Additionally, Penelope Cruz credits this diet for her great figure. She stated:

“My diet is the Mediterranean Diet, which is good food”

American celebrity chef, Rachael Ray once told the OK magazine:

“we eat a largely Mediterranean Diet, so lots of canned fish, canned tomatoes…We love sardines and anchovies….Pasta of course. You’ve gotta love it!”

Singer Selena Gomez suffers from lupus. A mediterranean diet with exercise helped her regain her health and she feels better with it.