(The following is a guest post by Enrico Forte, President of the "National Board for the Preservation of the Italian Healthy Eating Traditions".)
For many who have tried the Mediterranean diet had found great success in both weight and health. This particular diet involves eating foods that are typically eaten around the Mediterranean Sea.
These foods include a large variety of fish, vegetables, fruits and olive oil as the main fat in the diet. Because there is a large amount of olive oil in this particular diet, many are concerned over the dieters health, particularly the health of the heart.
While most nutritionists advise that the only truly heart healthy diet is still the low fat, low calorie diet, studies now show differently.
Recent studies that have been done over the past few years are now showing many people who follow the Mediterranean diet are at no greater risk for a heart attack or stroke than those who follow the traditional low fat, low calorie diet that most doctors recommend to patients trying to lose weight.
These researches showed that people followed both types of diets had 1/3 risk of having a stroke, heart attack or other problems compared to those heart patients that eat a typical diet.
With these recent studies available now both doctors and patients who are trying to lose weight can observe the advantages that come with following a Mediterranean diet.
What makes all the difference when it comes to following the Mediterranean diet is that the olive oil that is used makes up for the good fats all people need to function.
These good fats are the healthier fats you find not only in the olive oil but in foods such as avocados and the different types of fish people may eat when they are following the Mediterranean diet.
The consumption of fish in this diet is especially important to the health and heart health of the patient because of the high amount of omega 3 fatty acids that the fish have.
These omega 3 fatty acids aid in not only keeping the heart healthy by reducing the chance of developing heart disease later in life but by fighting off other health problems that many people may come across later
on in life.
In conclusion, while both diets yielded similar results, patients who tried the Mediterranean diet found their diet to be a bit easier to follow. Now people cannot only find a way to help fight off unhealthy cravings but improve the overall health of their heart at the same time.
About the Author
Enrico Forte is the President of the "National Board for the Preservation of the Italian Healthy Eating Traditions". It’s an association founded to spread quality information on the mediterranean diet – a diet that has been proven to promote health and prevent many diseases. His articles on the Mediterranean diet meal plan help people learn how to start eating healthy from scratch and then apply this experience to the next level.