- Gene Therapy Improves Vision in People With Inherited Blindness
- Parental Deaths to Guns, Drugs Harmed Nearly 100,000 U.S. Kids in 2020
- Money Worries Top Seniors’ List of Health-Related Concerns: Poll
- Scientists Developing Vaccine Against Present and Future COVID Viruses
- ERs Often Missing Epilepsy in Kids With ‘Non-Motor’ Seizures
- Parents of Infants With Cystic Fibrosis Often Feel Confused, Unsupported: Survey
- Avoid Some ‘Project Watson’ Dog Eye Wipes Due to Infection Danger
- New Test Might Alert Pregnant Women to Preeclampsia Danger
- Combo Therapy May Be Advance Against Liver Cancer
- How ‘Unruly’ Sports Parents Harm Their Kids’ Mental Health
Follow the Mediterranean Diet for Weight Loss, Too
When the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines were released, they included details for following the Mediterranean-style diet. That’s the way of eating in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and has been associated with many health benefits, from a sharper mind to a healthier heart.
The eating plan includes more fruit and seafood and less dairy than traditional healthful diets. And this way of eating is as tasty as it is healthy and easy to follow.
The first guideline of the Mediterranean diet is to eat mostly plant-based foods — a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Next, is to replace butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil. Also, use herbs and spices instead of salt, eat fish and poultry at least twice a week, and limit red meat to just a few times a month.
In terms of exact portions, for a daily diet of 1,200 calories, start with 1.5 cups of vegetables and increase from there. Over the course of every week, get a mix of dark green, red and orange veggies for their range of micronutrients, and include some legumes, great sources of fiber and some protein as well as carbs.
Other amounts of daily foods to include are 1 cup of fruit; 4 ounces of grains — at least half of which are whole grain; 2.5 cups of dairy, like nonfat milk or yogurt; 3 ounces of protein such as seafood, poultry, eggs or nuts and seeds; and about 1 tablespoon of oil.
You can adjust these portions depending on your caloric needs and how rapidly you’d like to lose weight. Another great feature of this diet is that it can become a way of life — no need to “go off” it when you reach your desired weight, just increase your portions to maintain it.
More information
Get guidelines for following the Mediterranean diet for caloric intakes between 1,000 and 2,000 calories a day from Health.gov.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.