Guide on a Mediterranean diet, the most healthy food consumption patterns

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In the past decade, Mediterranean consumption patterns have gained popularity as the healthiest diet method. This is driven by findings that show areas around the Mediterranean Sea or around Italy and Greece have a lesser spread of cardiovascular disease.

One driver is the consumption pattern of the people there, known as the Mediterranean consumption pattern. Various studies have proven that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for preventing various degenerative diseases, thus reducing the risk of complications and death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome.

Mediterranean diet plan

The Mediterranean diet based on the consumption of various traditional Greek and Italian foods has been known since the 1960s. This diet focuses on plant-sourced foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Various sources of protein and fat such as red meat, fish, white meat (poultry), and eggs are also included in the Mediterranean consumption patterns, only consumed with less frequency.

The Mediterranean diet plan can be described simply, as follows:

Daily consumption: Can be served daily with varying frequency for consumption. Types of food can be served every day, such as various vegetables and fruits, olive oil, seeds, nuts, and spices used as a spice in cooking. Daily consumption also includes various sources of carbohydrates such as whole grains, cereal tubers, grains, rice, and pasta.

Daily consumption in moderation: This is a type of food that can be consumed daily or weekly in an amount and frequency that is not too much, for example once a day or every few days. Types of foods included in this frequency group include various white meat products, eggs, milk, and dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.

Weekly consumption: A group of foods that are only served and consumed about two to three times a week, including various types of fish (both land and sea) and various seafood.

Monthly consumption: Group consumption that is limited or can be consumed one to three times in one month. Red meat is one of them. In addition, various sugary foods that contain sugar or sweeteners are also reduced to frequency only once or twice a month or, better yet, avoided.

In addition to regulating the frequency of food types above, there are several other things that need to be considered in applying Mediterranean consumption patterns:

• Reduce consumption of sugar from soft drinks, ice cream, and sugar.
• Reduce consumption of processed flour from white bread and pasta made from processed flour.
• Avoid trans fats from margarine and various processed foods.
• Avoid consumption of various processed meats.
• Avoid consuming processed foods labeled "low fat" or "diet".
• Reduce alcohol consumption, replace it with red wine consumption with a maximum dose of 148ml for women and 296ml for men, and only consumed within a few weeks.

Source of consumption used

Mediterranean consumption patterns can use a variety of natural food sources, consumption restrictions are only based on frequency in some time and the selection of healthier sources of nutrition.

Here are some examples of food sources that can be used:

• Vegetables: broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, water spinach, etc.
• Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, melons, strawberries, pears, grapes, dates, watermelons, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: peanuts, almonds, green beans, cashews, kwaci, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc.
• Whole grains: whole wheat, brown rice, whole oats, corn, bread, pasta and rice.
• Fish and seafood: Salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, crab, shrimp, etc.
• White meat: chicken, duck, pigeon, etc.
• Eggs: chicken eggs, quail eggs and duck eggs.
• Milk and dairy products: cheese and yogurt.
• Spices: Red and white onions, mint leaves, cinnamon, chili, pepper, etc.
• Oil and fat sources: olive oil, avocado oil.

The following is an example of a Mediterranean diet in four days:

Day 1
    Breakfast: Milk and oatmeal
    Lunch: Egg sandwich with vegetables
    Dinner: Tuna fried in olive oil

Day 2
    Breakfast: Plain yogurt with sliced ​​fruit
    Lunch: Red bean soup with brown rice
    Dinner: Omelette with vegetables

3rd day
    Breakfast: Oatmeal with bananas
    Lunch: Soy sauce fillet chicken with onions and brown rice
    Dinner: Vegetable salad with olive oil

4th day    Breakfast: Omelette with vegetables and tomato juice
    Lunch: Grilled meat and roasted potatoes
    Dinner: Strawberry Yogurt with sliced ​​fruit

Make sure vegetables and fruit are on your daily consumption menu. Types of fish, chicken and eggs can be consumed alternately and try to consume red meat no more than once a week.

8 easy steps to apply Mediterranean consumption patterns

Mediterranean diet tends to be easy because it does not limit a person to consume certain food sources completely. If you want to change your normal diet to a Mediterranean diet it should be done gradually and not in a hurry.

Here are some steps you can take:

1. Get into the habit of consuming fruits and vegetables as part of your daily food component, then proceed by adding and replacing your portion of food with vegetables and fruit slowly.
2. Replace snacks that contain lots of flour and sugar with fruits or various types of nuts.
3. Start getting into the habit of using herbs or spices to reduce salt and replace MSG. Besides being healthier, it can make your cooking richer in taste.
4. If you want to be healthier, make it a habit to consume whole wheat because it has a type of complex carbohydrates that are better for digestion.
5. Reduce your intake of trans fats and saturated fats from oils by replacing the use of margarine or other oils with olive oil.
6. If you are accustomed to consumption of red meat, start to replace it with fish and white meat consumption. Reduce the frequency of consumption of red meat to the frequency per month and limit consumption of fish and white meat on a frequency per week.
7. Limit consumption of fat from processed milk. Choose skim milk or low fat cheese.
8. If you frequently visit places to eat or restaurants, choose fish-based foods and choose foods that are not fried or fried in olive oil.

 

Not only about food selection

In addition to regulating the type and frequency of food, the Mediterranean diet advocates eating together and sharing food with family or friends and regular physical activity. Physical fitness and social aspects are also factors that cause the Mediterranean community to tend to be happier and healthier lives.

Routine physical activity is something that should not be missed and this is part of the Mediterranean consumption patterns. Keep in mind, this consumption pattern does not limit consumption of calories and fat completely, only there is a replacement of the frequency of consumption and food sources with healthier ones.

In addition to maintaining weight, both routine physical activity and healthy consumption patterns are needed for the prevention of various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

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