The Mediterranean Diet To Lose Weight

There are certainly many different diets, perhaps too many. However, experts argue that it is only necessary to follow healthy diets, those that, in addition to helping you lose weight, provide the body with essential nutrients. In this regard, the Mediterranean diet is an excellent option not to be missed.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in protein, fiber, omega 3, whole grains, minerals, vitamins and, most importantly, it almost does not include industrial fats, flours and sugars. Let’s see it in more detail!

Why can the Mediterranean diet help you lose weight?

• The Mediterranean diet does not exactly represent a method for  lose weight. It consists in maintaining healthy eating habits and the exclusion of all those foods that make you fat or even sick. Nutritionists say that with this diet  it is possible to lose a pound a week.
• It is therefore clear that the Mediterranean diet is good not only for us, but also for the whole family. It  fulfills the basic principles of the food pyramid recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization).
• The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are rooted in the excellent intake of healthy fats it provides. These are mono-unsaturated fats, which derive from olive oil, and fatty acids such as omega 6.
• This diet provides for a very low consumption of proteins of animal origin,  in particular the intake of red meat is very limited.

• This is the  diet richest in antioxidants : fruit, nuts, vegetables and legumes …
• An excellent supply of fiber is guaranteed  .
• The Mediterranean diet allows you to reduce blood cholesterol levels, protect the body from cardiovascular disease and control your weight. All this is possible thanks to a balanced supply of nutrients and the exclusion of harmful fats for our body.

What foods make up the Mediterranean diet?

• • • The vegetables .
    • Dried fruit (such as walnuts).
    • Legumes.
    • Many types of fruit (including orange, lemon, melon, apples, grapes…).
    • Olive oil, which is the main source of fat.
    • The wine to be consumed, however, in moderate quantities, i.e. no more than one glass a day.
    • Fish such as tuna, salmon, cod ..
    • Pasta, which is the main source of carbon hydrates.
    • The consumption of meat must be minimal if not zero. In case you decide to eat meat, always choose lean meats such as chicken or turkey.

To this very balanced, varied and healthy diet, we must remember to combine lifestyle habits that are equally beneficial for our body.

Take a walk every day when it is still sunny (in order to promote the necessary absorption of vitamin D), never skip breakfast, eat with the family in a calm and peaceful mood …

These are all healthy habits that we sometimes neglect due to our commitments, thus depriving our body of the basic elements to enjoy good health.

Indications for following the Mediterranean diet correctly

• You need to have 5 meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. The goal is to eat moderate amounts of food five times a day so that you never ingest large amounts.
• Never skip breakfast. Breakfast is the meal that allows us to get the energy needed to start the day and get the nutrients needed to face it.

• Eliminate categorically the butter and replace it with olive oil.
• Dinners must be light and above all based on vegetables.
• It is not necessary to eliminate the bread. This, in fact, is the main source of fiber. However, choose the whole wheat one; in particular we recommend those of rye and oats.
• It is also advisable to use many spices : oregano, basil, parsley … and essential garlic.
• Sweets are not allowed and it is good to replace cow’s milk with vegetable ones.
• It is also recommended to drink a glass of wine a day, as well as two liters of water a day. 

Examples of the Mediterranean diet

Below we present three menu models developed on the basis of the Mediterranean diet.  Once you know the healthiest and most permitted foods in the Mediterranean diet, you can create the combinations you want most.

First, however, we remind you of some aspects that should not be underestimated if you want to follow this diet correctly:

• It is important to always eat at the same times.
• Fruit and vegetables must always be fresh.
• If you are hungry between meals, you can eat dried fruit, such as walnuts or pistachios , without overdoing it.
• Before drinking fruit juice, make sure it is 100% natural and freshly prepared. For this reason, it is recommended to prepare them directly at home; click here to find out how to prepare some healthy and natural juices.
• Never forget to eat in peace and take a walk of at least half an hour a day.

Menu 1

Breakfast:

• Orange juice and a wholemeal toast with honey.

Snack:

• An Apple

Lunch:

• Lettuce salad, with half a pomegranate and lemon juice

• Baked chicken breast with lemon
• An infusion of green tea

Snack

• A cup of grapes

Dinner

• Spinach
• Cod Baked
• Apple juice

Menu 2

Breakfast

• A cup of oats with two walnuts and a plum.

Snack

• A low-fat yogurt

Lunch

• Pasta salad with tomatoes, basil, black olives and olive oil.
• Then, mashed zucchini with oregano and pepper.

Snack 

• A cup of apple jam

Dinner

• Baked eggplant
• Next, a salad of lettuce and grated carrot
• Then, an infusion of chamomile and lemon balm

Menu 3

Breakfast

• Oat milk and an apple

Snack

• A wholemeal toast or a crouton with cherry tomatoes

Lunch

• Brown rice with mushrooms
• Afterwards, a lettuce salad with two orange wedges

Snack

• Peach juice

Dinner

• Boiled artichokes with olive oil and a teaspoon of vinegar
• Next, a spinach salad with pineapple chunks and turkey if you want meat