Page 11 - The Mediterranean Refresh

But the benefits of

healthy diet because of the abundance of
the Mediterranean
heart-healthy foods found right outside their
doors: foods like fresh fish, nuts and fruit.

Diet don’t only
Imagine going on a Mediterranean vacation—
happen as you age.
you get to eat like this every day. Including,
You’ll notice (and feel)
yes, a little bit of wine!
This isn’t the typical restrictive North

some of the changes
American “diet.”
almost immediately.

The Mediterranean Diet is widely ac-
knowledged to be one of the healthiest diets
in the world, and one of the most delicious as
well, bar none.
People in the Mediterranean (at least, those who haven’t succumbed to a
McDonald’s-heavy diet) have a reduced risk of heart disease. The Mediter-

ranean Diet is associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipopro-
tein (LDL) cholesterol. This is the “bad” cholesterol that is likely to build up

deposits in your arteries.
A study of nearly 26,000 women found that those who followed this type
of diet had 25 percent less risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the
1
course of 12 years. Th is means they were less likely to die from heart-
related diseases and lived longer over a total period of time. Following the

guidelines of a Mediterranean Diet resulted in lower levels of inflammation,
lower blood sugar and a lower body mass index—all of which are the pri-
mary drivers of increased heart disease risk when their respective levels are
too high.
One myth that these studies has debunked is the idea that eating “low-
fat” foods can reduce the risk of heart disease. As you’ll discover, the Medi-
terranean Diet actually encourages eating fats—but these are good-for-you
fats. That means lots of extra-virgin olive oil and nuts. The risk of diabetes is

also decreased by eating Mediterranean foods. 2
Eating more olive oil and mixed nuts has also been shown to reduce the
risk of breast cancer, and the healthy fats you get from the Mediterranean
Diet have been linked to a decreased likelihood of other cancers, Parkinson’s
disease and even Alzheimer’s disease. The same study also found that women

who followed the Mediterranean Diet were 46 percent more likely to age

healthfully. Eating plants, whole grains and fish, and even drinking a bit of

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10 THE MEDITERRANEAN REFRESH