Mediterranean lifestyle packs health benefits

   If “I am going to eat better” or “I really need to make healthier choices this year” sound like the types of New Year’s resolutions you have made, why not try something new to help you get started?
    The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern or lifestyle discovered and studied in the 1940s. Researchers discovered that people who lived along the Mediterranean Sea were living long, healthy lives.
    Comparing the lifestyles of Americans to the lifestyles of men in seven different Mediterranean countries, researchers attributed the lower rates of heart disease to differences in diet and physical activity in the Mediterranean countries.
    Studying the Mediterranean diet continues today because of the health benefits it offers. Recently, it was reported in the Tufts University “Health & Nutrition Letter” from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy that this diet or lifestyle is not only linked to lower risk of heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome, it may even be associated with less damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Therefore, it is linked to less late-life cognitive impairment or dementia.
    The Mediterranean diet/lifestyle offers a good example of the U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines. This lifestyle follows a pattern of lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein from a variety of sources, low-fat dairy, water and physical activity every day. Here is a list of the primary components of the Mediterranean lifestyle and the benefits for health:
    Whole grains maintain a high nutritional content because they contain all parts of the grain, unlike foods that are refined or processed, like white flour. Grains like couscous, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, oats, polenta, rice and quinoa have higher amounts of fiber, B vitamins, minerals (like magnesium, iron and selenium) and phytochemicals. More dietary fiber can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and triglycerides.
    A wide variety of fruits and vegetables provides bioactive compounds like antioxidants that help protect the body against toxins and cancer. They are nutrient dense, low calorie and high in fiber as well. Eating a variation of colors of fruits and vegetables will ensure capturing adequate amounts and types of vitamins and minerals.
    Fruits include avocados, apples, apricots, cherries, clementines, dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, lemons, oranges, melons, nectarines, olives, peaches, pears, pomegranates and strawberries.
  

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