The Mediterranean diet is one of the well-known diets worldwide, and it is not that kind of diet that just focuses on losing weight. It is about a healthy lifestyle that is capable of being more sustainable. The Mediterranean diet includes healthy and traditional living habits of the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, like Greece, Morocco, France, Italy, Spain, etc.
The Mediterranean diet might vary by region and country so that it might have a little variation. However, it mainly consists of a sufficient intake of legumes, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, grains, fish, and olive oil. It includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods. There are numerous benefits associated with this diet, like a healthy heart. Those who consume healthy fats, fish, and whole grains not only experience decreased heart risks, depression, and dementia. According to the Mediterranean diet, eating leaves little space for processed foods and unhealthy junk, leading to issues like being obese and overweight. Here are given some interesting facts about your Mediterranean diet:
You do not need to have a calculator for this diet. Instead of struggling with the numbers, all you have to do is swap the bad fats with the healthy ones. Choose olive oil. Replace meat with fish, and enjoy the fresh fruit instead of sugary and fancy desserts. Eat flavorful beans and veggies. Nuts are one of the best options to include in your diet, but just a handful per day. Choose whole-grain food, but that too in a moderate quantity.
The Mediterranean diet includes a lot of fresh food. The main focus is the seasonal food that is simple and mouth-watering in many ways. Building a yummy and delicious salad from cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach will make your day. Add the Greek ingredients, such as feta cheese and black olives in your recipes. You can enjoy colorful and veggie-filled recipes with minimum effort.
Replacing white grains with whole grains will do a lot for you. It has more minerals and protein. It is a healthier option. Try to use it with olive oil, tahini, or hummus.
Eat healthier fats. You can easily find them in nuts, olive oil, and olives. These fats are not saturated like those found in processed foods. They add flavor. You can fight various diseases, from cancer to diabetes.
Cilantro, bay leaves, cinnamon, coriander, garlic, rosemary, and pepper add flavor to your meals. Most of them have numerous health benefits, as well. Rosemary and coriander have nutrients and antioxidants that help in disease-fighting.
Exercise plays a crucial part in any diet plan. Physical activity daily is encouraged during your Mediterranean diet. Try to attain the target from moderate to a vigorous weekly exercise. These exercises include walking, biking, and swimming. The activities that increase the heart rate are recommended. Choose those exercises, which give you enjoyment too.
Consuming the Mediterranean diet minimalizes the use of processed foods. It has been related to a reduced level of risk in developing numerous chronic diseases. It also enhances life expectancy. Several kinds of research have demonstrated many benefits in preventing cardiovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Many pieces of evidence indicated a pattern that leads to low lipid, reduction in oxidative stress, platelet aggregation, and inflammation, and modification of growth factors and hormones involved in cancer.
1. Reduces Heart Diseases
According to research studies, the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on omega-3 ingredients and mono-saturated fats, reduces heart disease risk. It decreases the chances of cardiac death. The use of olive oil maintains the blood pressure levels. It is suitable for reducing hypertension. It also helps in combating the disease-promoting impacts of oxidation. This diet discourages the use of hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, which can cause heart disease.
2. Weight-loss
If you have been looking for diet plans for losing weight without feeling hungry, the Mediterranean diet can give you long term results. It is one of the best approaches. It is sustainable as it provides the most realistic approach to eat to feel full and energetic. This diet mostly consists of nutrient-dense food. It gives enough room for you to choose between low-carb and lower protein food. Olive oil consumed in this diet has antioxidants, natural vitamins, and some crucial fatty acids. It all improves your overall health. The Mediterranean diet focuses on natural foods, so there is very little room for junk and processed foods contributing to health-related issues and weight gain.
Most people trying the Mediterranean diet have gained positive results in cutting their weight. It is a useful option for someone looking forward to weight-loss as it provides the most unique and simple way to lose the overall calories without even changing your lifestyle that much. When you try to decrease calorie intake, losing weight is inevitable dramatically, but it will not benefit you. It will cause many health problems for you, including severe muscle loss. When you go for a Mediterranean diet, the body moves towards a sustainable model that burns calories slowly. Therefore, it is crucial to practice the right approach and choose fat burning and more effective weight loss.
3. Prevents Cancer
The cornerstone of this diet is plant-based ingredients, especially vegetables and fruits. They help in preventing cancer. A plant-based diet provides antioxidants that help in protecting your DNA from damage and cell mutation. It also helps in lowering inflammation and delaying tumor growth. Various studies found that olive oil is a natural way to prevent cancer. It also decreases colon and bowel cancers. The plant-based diet balances blood sugar. It also sustains a healthy weight.
4. Prevents Diabetes
Numerous studies found that this healthy diet functions as an anti-inflammatory pattern, which helps fight the diseases related to chronic inflammation, Type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. It is considered very effective in preventing diabetes as it controls the insulin levels, which is a hormone to control the blood sugar levels and causes weight gain. Intake of a well-balanced diet consisting of fatty acids alongside some healthy carbohydrates and proteins is the best gift to your body. These foods help your body in burning fats more efficiently, which also provides energy. Due to the consumption of these kinds of foods, the insulin resistance level becomes non-existent, making it impossible to have high blood sugar.
5. Anti-aging
Choosing a Mediterranean diet without suffering from malnutrition is the most efficient and consistent anti-aging intervention. It undoubtedly expands lifespan, according to the research. The study found that the longevity biomarkers, i.e., body temperature and insulin level, and the DNA damage decreased significantly in humans by the Mediterranean diet. Other mechanisms also prove the claim made by researchers in explaining the anti-aging effects of adopting the Mediterranean diet, including reduced lipid peroxidation, high efficiency of oxidative repair, increased antioxidant defense system, and reduced mitochondrial generation rate.
6. Maintains Blood Sugar Level
The Mediterranean diet focuses on healthy carbs and whole grains. It has a lot of significant benefits. Consumption of whole-grain foods, like buckwheat, quinoa, and wheat berries instead of refined foods, helps you maintain blood sugar levels that ultimately give you enough energy for the whole day.
7. Enhances Cognitive Health
The Mediterranean diet helps in preserving memory. It is one of the most useful steps for Alzheimer’s treatment and dementia. Cognitive disorders occur when our brains do not get sufficient dopamine, which is a crucial chemical vital for mood regulation, thought processing, and body movements. Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts are good at fighting cognitive decline, mostly an age-related issue. They help counter some harmful impacts of the free radicals, inflammation, and toxins caused by having a low diet. The Mediterranean diet proves to be beneficial in decreasing the risk of Alzheimer’s to a great extent. Foods like yogurt help in having a healthy gut that improves mood, cognitive functioning, and memory.
8. Better Endurance Level
Mediterranean diet helps in fat loss and maintains muscle mass. It improves physical performance and enhances endurance levels. Research done on mice has shown positive results in these aspects. It also improves the health of our tissues in the long-term. The growth hormone also offers increased levels due to the Mediterranean diet, which ultimately helps improve metabolism and body composition.
9. Keeps You Agile
The nutrients from the Mediterranean diet reduce your risk of muscle weakness and frailty. It increases longevity. When your risk of heart disease reduces, it also reduces the risk of early death. It also strengthens your bones. Certain compounds found in olive oil help in preserving bone density. It helps increase the bone cells' maturation and proliferation—dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet help prevent osteoporosis.
10. Healthy Sleep Patterns
Our eating habits have a considerable impact on sleepiness and wakefulness. Some Mediterranean diet believers have reported an improved sleeping pattern as a result of changing their eating patterns. It has a considerable impact on your sleep because they regulate the circadian rhythm that determines our sleep patterns. If you have a regulated and balanced circadian rhythm, you will fall asleep quite quickly. You will also feel refreshed when you wake up. Another theory states that having the last meal will help you digest the food way before sleep. Digestion works best when you are upright.
Apart from focusing on plant-based eating, the Mediterranean diet philosophy emphasizes variety and moderation, living a life with perfect harmony with nature, valuing relationships in life, including sharing and enjoying meals, and having an entirely active lifestyle. The Mediterranean diet is at the crossroads. With the traditions and culture of three millennia, the Mediterranean diet lifestyle made its way to the medical world a long time ago. It has progressively recognized and became one of the successful and healthiest patterns that lead to a healthy lifestyle.
Besides metabolic, cardiovascular, cognitive, and many other benefits, this diet improves your life quality. Therefore, it is recommended today by many medical professionals worldwide. Efforts are being made in both non--Mediterranean and Mediterranean populations to make everyone benefit from the fantastic network of eating habits and patterns that began in old-time and which became a medical recommendation for a healthy lifestyle.
As compiled by Denver physician Eric Zacharias in 2012, Mediterranean Diet is effective in the prevention of obesity and in weight loss. From the same compilation, Dr. Zacharias also noted that the Mediterranean Diet is associated with reduced overall mortality rate and reduced risk for a number of medical conditions including:
Allergic rhinitis
Alzheimer’s disease
Arthritis
Asthma
Atopy
Cancer
Cardiovascular diseases
Dementia
Depression
Macular degeneration (age-related)
Metabolic syndrome
Parkinson’s disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Type 2 diabetes
Other health benefits of the MD with respect to better quality of life include:
Healthy aging
Healthy vision
Improved memory
Strong bones and teeth
Stronger immune system
A Simple Shopping List For The Mediterranean Diet
1. Extra virgin and virgin olive oils: These will be the least processed and refined versions of olive oil on the market. They will contain the highest level of plant compounds called "Phenols" that act as antioxidants in the body. It might be a little pricier than the oil you used before, but it’s well worth it when you’re aware of the health benefits you will gain! This will be your go-to when it comes to cooking, frying, seasoning, and as the base of your salad dressings. Remember, less is more!
2. Vegetables: You have pretty much free rein with vegetables though if you can stick to low-calorie ones, that's even better for your weight loss goals. Vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, bell pepper, and spinach are low in calories, but are still very filling and high in fiber. Try new vegetables and eating them in different ways, like a green smoothie or different salad combinations, so you don’t get bored. Try to buy in-season items, so you can save yourself some money!
3. Fruits: Fruits are encouraged and are great as a healthy substitute dessert to treat yourself to. Figs and pomegranates are native to the Mediterranean area, but any fruit will do! Be sure to include various colorful fruits and vegetables, which allow you to have a diverse range of essential vitamins and minerals. If you have diabetes, try and consume fruits that are low on the glycemic index, such as oranges, apples, grapefruits, pears, or plums.
4. Legumes & beans: These are a great hidden source of protein, often overlooked in the West in favor of red meat or poultry items. Thankfully, the Mediterranean diet urges you to try different variations of protein sources! These are great to experiment with, whether it's black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, or lentils. Don’t forget hummus! These are packed with fiber as well, so they allow you to feel full for longer. Be sure you drink plenty of water to avoid constipation!
5. Whole-grain bread and cereal: Whether it's rice, barley, oats, leek rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, or whole grain bread, you want to be sure you are focused on whole grains that are healthier rather than refined or processed grains. The same goes for cereal. Be sure you read the label and ensure the product is made from whole grain starches and are not processed into refined products. Ezekiel bread is whole grain bread made with no sugar. One slice is packed with fiber and contains only 80 calories! The trick with whole grains is that you can eat a smaller portion than you would with refined wheat products, but stay full longer. These are also low on the glycemic index scale, which makes them safe for diabetes patients.
6. Nuts & seeds: This includes items like cashews, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, flax seeds, almonds, and other nuts, which may be your favorites. Keep these as a healthy snack throughout the day, but be sure to avoid the chocolate-covered or salted versions, which are unhealthy. You want to stick to the raw nuts. Chia seeds are also tiny, but mighty! In just two tablespoons, you can have 11 grams of fiber! These are great to add to a smoothie or topping on oatmeal or cereal to fill you up. The great thing is they’re almost flavorless so that anyone can incorporate them into their meals!
7. Low-fat dairy: If you are used to dairy products in your diet, you don't have to cut them out entirely, but you should switch to low-fat versions. Use fat-free yogurt or low-fat cheese, and switch to skim or reduced-fat milk. You want most of your daily calories to come from healthy cheeses like Feta, brie, Greek yogurt, or Parmesan on the Mediterranean diet.
8. Herbs & spices: These are great to season your food with and add a tremendous distinct flavor other than salt. You can try using fresh herbs like rosemary and parsley though they may not last as long in your refrigerator. You can always start a windowsill herb garden, which is easy to maintain! If not, don't be intimidated, and feel free to use dried herbs from the spice aisle. Experiment with new flavors that will enhance your flavor profile. Fresh garlic and ginger are also great flavor enhancers and considered essentials of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. They have multiple health benefits and pack your meals with flavor.
Exclude these foods:
1. Red meat: As we mentioned, you want to go light on red meat portions when shopping for your Mediterranean diet. If you want to get a few portions, be sure they're smaller sized and lean meat cuts with less fat.
Try to have it once a week and keep an eye on your portion size. Also, avoid high-fat processed meats like pre-made sausages or hot dogs, loaded with preservatives and high in sodium. These can cause inflammation in the body.
2. Poultry: Again, you want to use poultry in your diet less often than you would on other diets. More lean cuts with less fat can be used now and then as long as you have smaller portions. For the most part, try and substitute your red meat and poultry meals with fish or seafood, although it’s okay to have them once in a while during the week. Turkey or duck would be a healthier alternative to chicken because they contain less fat.
3. Refined grains: These include things like bagels, cereal, or white bread that we might previously consider staples in our diet. On the other hand, these should be excluded from your shopping list unless you have verified that the cereals, pasta, or bread are whole grain certified products.
4. Sugars: That means skipping things like candy, chocolate, ice cream, sugary juices, and sodas! Instead, try and treat yourself to berries or fruit as a sweet treat, or enhance your water with lemon or mint leaves for more flavor. Get used to the habit of having natural sugars in fruit as a dessert instead of wanting unhealthy baked goods.
5. Trans or saturated fats: Exclude things like butter or margarine, which contain unhealthy saturated fats. You want to substitute any unhealthy oils like canola oil or vegetable oil with the healthier option of extra virgin olive oil. You want to use this in your cooking, frying, and as your vinaigrettes' main component.
6. Highly processed foods: These should be avoided on the Mediterranean diet. The rule of thumb should be if it comes in a box, you can't have it! That's because food that tends to be marked as "Low-fat" or "Diet-friendly" is very processed and unhealthy for you. Instead of eating those empty calories, focus on what you can eat as a filling snack like some of the items we mentioned above.
Week 1 Weight Loss Plan
Day 1: Sunday
Breakfast
Grape Juice
Chickpea and Barley Glee
Fruit in season or pear
Morning Snack
Pumpkin seeds
Lunch
Lamb Loin Chops
Fruit in season or orange
Red wine or cranberry juice
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 1
Dinner
Baked Salmon with Honey-Balsamic Glaze
Fruit in season
Red wine or apple juice (if you had red wine for lunch have apple juice or any other MD fruit recommendations for dinner)
Day 2: Monday
Breakfast
Lemon Juice
Apple-Walnut Delight
Fruit in season or persimmon
Morning Snack
Quinoa
Lunch
Salmon-Asparagus Omelet (Frittata)
Fruit in season or plums
Red wine or orange juice
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 2
Dinner
Broiled halibut
Fruit in season or peaches
Red wine or orange juice (if you had red wine for lunch have orange juice or any other MD fruit recommendations for dinner)
Day 3: Tuesday
Breakfast
Non-fat goat’s milk
Breakfast Rush
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Flaxseeds
Lunch
Sesame Tuna Temptation
Fruit in season
Four seasons natural juice (homemade, juice four of your favorite fruits and drink)
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 3
Dinner
Grilled Shrimp
Fruit in season
Red wine punch
Day 4: Wednesday
Breakfast
Breakfast Rush
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Snack Pack (half of the serving for breakfast, see recipe on Chapter 8 for Breakfast Rush.)
Lunch
Sesame Tuna Temptation
Fruit in season
Pineapple juice
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 4
Dinner
Steamed Oysters
Fruit in season
Fruit punch
Day 5: Thursday
Breakfast
Fruit Salad Mediterranean Style
Brown Rice and Stuffed Chicken
Carrot Soup
Morning Snack
Chia seeds
Lunch
Lentil soup
Fruit in season
Chili Chicken and Beans
Afternoon Snack
Savory Mixed Nuts
Dinner
Lime Chicken
Fruit in season
Celery and fennel soup
Day 6: Friday
Breakfast
Hot Lemon and Honey
Walnut Baklava
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Frutti Smoothie 5
Lunch
Fish Stew in Saffron and White Beans
Fruit in season
Red wine
Afternoon Snack
Walnut Baklava (half serving)
Dinner
Grouper in Tomato-Olive Sauce
Eggplant and Tomato Pesto
Turkey Soup
Day 7: Saturday
Breakfast
Non-fat milk
Mixed Vegetable Omelet
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Mixed nuts and seeds (1/2 cup)
Lunch
Salmon and Cashew
Fruit in season
Tomato soup
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie 3
Dinner
Fennel, White Beans and Seared Salmon
Frutti Smoothie No. 6
Green soup
Week 2 Weight Loss Plan
Day 1: Sunday
Breakfast
Frutti Smoothie No. 6
Bean and sausage soup
Poached fish
Morning Snack
Pistachios and pecan nuts
Lunch
Fish curry and vegetables
Fruit in season
Minestrone soup
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 7
Dinner
Zucchini Gratin
Fruit in season
Fish and Seafood Primavera
Day 2: Monday
Breakfast
Rice Pudding
Pepper and Red Snapper
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Almonds or walnuts
Lunch
Ground Round Special Ala Turk
Lettuce and cucumber salad
Red wine or orange juice
Afternoon Snack
Banana
Dinner
Tuna Casserole
Fruit in season or peaches
Pumpkin and sweet potato soup
Day 3: Tuesday
Breakfast
Whole grain oats (rolled)
Non-fat or skim milk
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
A little Feta cheese and whole grain bread
Lunch
Roasted Vegetable Chowder
Fruit Salad Mediterranean-Style
Mediterranean Tuna
Afternoon Snack
Apples and grapes
Dinner
Grilled Mediterranean Seafood with S-dip
Fruit in season
Potato Leek Soup
Day 4: Wednesday
Breakfast
Mediterranean Toast
Frutti Smoothie No. 8
Apple juice
Morning Snack
Quinoa salad
Lunch
Chicken Chili
Fruit in season
Pea soup
Afternoon Snack
Cucumber in natural sweetened vinegar
Dinner
Pasta and Sardines
Frutti Smoothie No. 9
Cabbage soup
Red wine
Day 5: Thursday
Breakfast
Greek salad
Grape juice
Grilled seafood
Morning Snack
Soy milk
Lunch
Marinated mushroom
Fruit in season or orange
Mediterranean salmon or tuna
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 9
Dinner
Stuffed Tomatoes
Shrimp and pasta
Red wine
Day 6: Friday
Breakfast
Sugar-free gelato
Mediterranean low-cholesterol pizza
Fruit in season
Morning Snack
Peaches
Lunch
Greek seafood burger
Fruit in season
Orange juice
Afternoon Snack
Frutti Smoothie No. 10
Dinner
Stuffed Pepper Roast
Fruit in season
Bourbon-glazed tuna or salmon
Kale and chicken soup
Day 7: Saturday
Breakfast
Pumpkin and corn muffin
Fruit in season
Walnut milk
Morning Snack
Quinoa light salad
Lunch
Mediterranean seafood stew
Fruit in season
Pasta and shrimps
Afternoon Snack
Pumpkin and corn muffin
Dinner
Grilled Vegetable salad
Fruit in season
Poached shellfish
Red wine punch
Fortunately, the Mediterranean diet is not a very restrictive meal that eating out while you’re on this diet would be a big challenge, if not totally impossible. You can even drink red wine. The main food restrictions you are to remember when dining out are red meat, high-fat dairy, and refined grains. There are lots of restaurants which offer delectable vegetable and seafood dishes in their menu. With emerging technology, you can even surf the net for restaurants serving Mediterranean cuisine and look at their menu.
When you eat out, the greatest danger of spoiling any gains you have achieved from following the Mediterranean diet is exceeding your calories and over-eating. Restaurant servings are traditionally bigger than the ones we have at home, most especially if you are the one preparing your Mediterranean diet. It wouldn’t hurt to prepare a list of the maximum amount of food items you can still include in your dine-out meal. Limit the portion of the servings you consume.
Call the restaurant where you plan to dine out and ask questions about how their dishes are prepared. It is your right to know these things as a consumer. If you are fond of pasta, you can ask if they are using whole grain pasta. If they don’t, you can make a request for a special meal of whole grain pasta. The sauce need not be pork or beef since there are restaurants who serve spaghetti in tuna sauce. You can also request that instead of using butter or animal fats or oil with trans fats, use extra virgin olive oil. Special arrangements can always be made with restaurants especially if you are a regular. Opt not to have cheese in your pasta.
Dining out means socializing with other people. Make sure to enjoy eating your food with your friends and family and eat very slowly. As your serving is expected to be more than the typical MD serving, you can always set aside the appropriate portion that you need and have the waiter pack the rest "to go" before you even start eating. Perhaps, if another member of your family is also on the MD, you can share meals.
Order a fish dish instead of red meat, pork or chicken. Select dishes which are not prepared using too much oil or butter. The manner of food preparation will serve as clues to the oil/fat content of the dish. Opt for broiled or grilled dishes, as well as seared or steamed ones. if your friends are amenable, you can dine out in Mediterranean restaurants. There must be a couple or more of such restaurants in your city.
Reality Check
Some individuals embark on a diet regimen as part of a weight loss goal. If you gained weight over the course of several weeks to a month due to low physical activity and/or eating more than your body’s energy requirements, you would have packed between 5 to 7 pounds
While medical practitioners and other experts do not have a single consensus on the safe weight loss rate, the safest number is in the range of one half to two pounds in a week. Therefore, if your goal is to lose 7 pounds in two weeks, that would be fairly safe. If you have packed in 30 pounds over the course of two to three years, that is a different story.
If you go down by one pound over the course of two weeks, you lost weight safety and normally. If you lost 4 to 6 pounds in two weeks, rejoice! You have done very well. Yet whether you are in the first or second case, you have not lost all the 30 pounds yet in the aforementioned example.
For the purpose of the maintenance plan, individuals whose goal is 7 pounds or less of weight loss have been achieved will be called Case A, whereas those whose goal is over 7 pounds of weight loss or those who have not attained their target weight loss goals will be called Case B. Separate maintenance plans are drawn for the two cases.
Maintenance Plan: Case A- Target Weight Achieved in 2 Weeks
For those who have achieved their target weight within 2 weeks, the following week (third week) is the transition towards the maintenance phase. In the transition phase, one will decide whether to put in more carbs or more variety of carbs in his/her MD (Plan A) or continue with the usual low-carbs intake of the MD for the previous two weeks (Plan S; S for status quo or no change).
In Plan A, the maintenance plan is to slightly increase carbs intake, either by increasing the serving to a half of the previous two weeks but using the same carbohydrate constituents of the two-week plan or having more leeway. For example, instead of lower-calorie brown rice cakes for the Greek pita recipe, the real pita may be used.
As the term status quo suggests, Plan S will retain the same low-carbs approach as in the previous two weeks.
After the third week, weights are checked again. If those who used Plan A either continued losing their weight as in the two-week plan or maintained their achieved target weight, they can use Plan A as their regular maintenance plan.
Those who used Plan S and continued losing their weight as in the two-week plan or maintained their achieved target weight can now use Plan A as their maintenance plan.
Repeat steps 4 or 5 as the case may be for the fourth week.
If those who chose Plan A or Plan S start to gain weight after a week of the plan, revert back to the two-week MD weight loss plan.
After two weeks, follow the same steps of this maintenance plan.
It will do no harm if you decide to continue longer with the maintenance plan unless you experience alarming weight loss rate, which is very unlikely.
Maintenance Plan: Case B - Target Weight Not Achieved in 2 Weeks
For those who have not achieved their target weight within 2 weeks, the following week (third week) is the start of the maintenance plan.
For simplicity and convenience, one mixes and matches his/her favorite menu form the low-carbs MD diet during the first two weeks. The rules are simple:
Foods for breakfast from the schedule in Chapter 3 may be used for breakfast lunch or dinner, but not for snack.
The same rule applies for lunch and dinner foods.
After the third week, weights are checked again. Those who either continued losing their weight as in the two-week can use Plan A from Case A as their regular maintenance plan. Going over Plan A, the maintenance plan is to slightly increase carbs intake, either by increasing the serving to a half of the previous two weeks but using the same carbohydrate constituents of the two-week plan or having more leeway. For example, instead of lower-calorie brown rice cakes for the Greek pita recipe, the real pita may be used.
For those who gained weight during the third week, use step 2 above as your maintenance plan.
Repeat steps 3 or 4 as the case may be for the fourth week.
Those who start to gain weight after the fourth week of the plan, revert back to the two-weight MD weight loss plan.
After two weeks, follow the same steps of this maintenance plan.
Repeat the cycle until you have reached your ideal weight.
It will do no harm if you decide to continue longer with the maintenance plan unless you experience alarming weight loss rate, which is very unlikely.
Alternately, after you have achieved your ideal weight, you may be interested to eat more of the plant-based foods discussed in this book. You can experiment with your own recipes, but limit your ingredients to the foods. Also, as part of your long term weight maintenance plan, eating more fruits and vegetables had been linked with lower prevalence of cancer, coronary heart disease, and stroke.
Moreover, in many weight loss program, regular physical activity is a must. Diet alone cannot maintain a healthy weight. You have to burn the calories you take in when you eat or drink. Exercise every day.
Here are some statistics which might help you decide whether or not to train children earlier for the Mediterranean lifestyle:
One of every 400 children and adolescents in the US suffers from diabetes.
More than a quarter of Americans less than 20 years of age, which translate to 215,000 young people have diabetes.
Over one third of children and adolescents in the US are either obese or overweight;
Over the past three decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity in the US has doubled;
Seven in every 10 obese youth develop at least one risk factor for heart disease.
Obese adolescents tend to develop to pre-diabetes or high blood sugar levels, which heightens the risk of diabetes.
Now that the picture is clearer, nobody would want their children to continue with the modern American kid’s diet of hamburgers, fries, chocolates, and too many sweets. It is never early for young children to be introduced to the heart-healthy lifestyle of the kiddie Mediterranean diet. Carbohydrates-containing food is most frequently consumed by both adults and children. Training children to eat healthy means teaching them to eat plant starches which are the most important carbohydrates of the diet. Plant starches are found in the produce section of grocery stores and supermarkets, mainly from fresh fruits and vegetables.
With the surge of obesity and diabetes rates among children, parents have to educate children about foods that will affect their glycemic index (GI). This index is a measure of how much the blood sugar increases in a given period after consuming at least 50 grams of carbohydrates. When children eat high GI foods, the pancreas tend to produce excessive amounts of insulin. This, in turn results in the deposition of fat in cells which put children at risk for various diseases, including cardiovascular conditions.
Even if carbs and sugar intake among children should be controlled, parents cannot keep their children on low-fat diet because it is unhealthy to do so and will most likely stunt their growth. However, children should be exposed to the good fats, fats from plants and from fish and other seafood. Olive oil and other monosaturated fat will help keep the children’s heart healthy and minimize the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, children’s diet should contain quality protein.