Posts Tagged ‘Diet’

Diets will always be looked upon by the young and the health conscious. Mediterranean Diet has been one among the many that surpassed the expectations of many nutritionists and gourmets alike. It is branded as the healthiest menu for all people from different walks of life. It gained its popularity based on a study released in the online edition of the British Medical Journal. A dieter who wants to commit to long-term changes in his eating habits will feel at ease switching to the Mediterranean Diet.

This program was fashioned according to the dining behaviors of the people who live in the Mediterranean. The people here tend to have a slow, enjoyable meal that excludes the process of having to pig out on large portions in the most compulsory manner. It aims to promote appreciation to healthy, small, flavorful, and filling meals.

You will be given the choice to eat healthy and nutritious foods. You will be required to eat recommended daily serving of fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood, beans, nuts, whole grains, seeds, rice and pasta. Olive oil and wine are also acceptable to accompany your meals.

You will be restricted to eat some foods. Some foods that are considered unhealthy should be avoided at all costs. Foods that are high in cholesterol, fat, and nasty ingredients such as salt and sugar. You should consume the following products in moderation, dairy products such as cheese, milk, yogurt, and red meat.

The main idea of the program is not to consume over what is required by the body. You should always discipline yourself and know when to stop when you are already full. If you want to speed up the process of losing weight, exercise should be a part of the program. In this way, you will also be building muscles that will give you the “lean” look.

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I heard people with the Mediterranean diet live more? Why is this? Please explain, thanks.

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I’ve never heard this term before. Is it some kind of herb? Beans? Veggies?

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Ikaria, home of the longest-living Greeks and the Glorious Greek Kitchen cooking school is Diane Kochilas’ ancestral island. Here she shows us one of the many greens that grow wild on the island, especially in spring.

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This particular diet has been there for a very long time, but if you are not living in a country where the diet is prevalent like Italy or Greece then you will not really know the terrific benefits derived from eating health Mediterranean style food. Research has found that this diet encourages you to lose weight healthily and also helps reduce the chances of catching many deadly diseases. Here are 5 of the best benefits from followingsuch a diet:-1. Good heart health Most of the delicious recipes that are included in Mediterranean diets promote a healthy heart. The diet consists mainly of healthy amounts of fruits & vegetables, oily fish and olive oil. There are also some people that like to have a little wine with there meals. These ingredients help people lower cholesterol levels as well as keep the flow of blood to their heart at normal levels and this greatly reduces the chances of getting heart disease. 2. Lower the risk of getting CancerIf you have too many toxins inside your body then you are susceptible to certain types of cancer like breast cancer. Eating heallthy foods from this diet like the vegetables and fruits lower the toxin levels in your body since they are all natural antioxidants. 3. Promotes lloss of weightThis is one of the major benefits. This does not result from diet pills or crash starvations diets. Instead it is the result of healthy, portion controlling eating. The amount of weight you lose differs depending on the person, but the average loss is around ten pounds each month. There are many delicious recipes that are a part of this diet and these also help in speeding up weight loss without making you lose out on any of the necessary nutrients or vitamins. There are many health benefits you will gain just from losing weight. 4. Help’s lower your blood pressureThe food that is a part of this diet also helps regulate and lower your blood pressure. If you eat less salt and fatty foods and more of healthy minerals and vitamins then you can even bring your cholesterol levels down to normal. The proedures for cooking that are part of this diet include grilling or roasting instead of frying so that you are able to retain most of the nutrients from the food while cooking it and that you consume less fat.5. Prevents GallstonesPeople that have suffered from gallstones already know how painful it is. Close to 639,000 people are hospitalized each year with this problem and there are many studies being conducted to find the cause and the cure. This diet has large proportions of fish, vegetable oil and nuts. This particular problem in not directly related to your diet but you can reduce the chances or completely eliminate the chances of getting gallstones just by following this diet.These are just some of the benefits of this diet and there are many more like reducing blood clotting, Metabolic syndrome, diabetes, etc. You shouldn’t deprive yourself. You have to start with this exciting health conscious diet for weight loss, today.

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moorakoo.com – this diet is also well known for longevity, reducing the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancers too.

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That’s it for your Greek Salad & Mediterranean diet. Well-known Greek food expert and award-winning author DIANE KOCHILAS and photographer VASSILIS STENOS own and operate the THE GLORIOUS GREEK KITCHEN COOKING SCHOOL and DV FOOD ARTS CONSULTING. We run cooking classes and organize culinary tours in Greece for recreational and professional cooks. We produce specialty books and other food-and-wine-related literature for a wide variety of clients and independently for the tourist and other markets. Diane consults on Greek cuisine for restaurants, retail outlets and producers of fine Greek foods. Vassilis Stenos offers an extensive archive of food and travel photographs of Greece. Name: Diane Kochilas Well-known Greek food expert, consultant, chef, and author Diane Kochilas has written 12 books on Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. She is the consulting chef at Pylos, one of New York’s top-rated Greek restaurants. Diane divides her time between Athens, Ikaria, and New York. In Athens, where she’s lived for the last 15 years, she is the weekly food columnist and restaurant critic for Ta Nea, the country’s largest newspaper. Diane writes frequently for the US food press and appears regularly on American television. Her books: The Food and Wine of Greece, The Greek Vegetarian, The Glorious Foods of Greece, Meze, Against the Grain (good carbs), Mediterranean Grilling, Mastiha Cuisine. Forthcoming: The Northern Greek Wine Roads Cookbook and Aegean Cuisine. And Greek Food with Greek Feta

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bit.ly A Fundamental Guide to Using the Mediterranean Diet for Improved Health, Weight Loss, Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease, Blood Pressure & Common Allergies. It includes a collection of tasty Mediterranean recipes, a 28 day diet plan plus extra bonuses & it’s a life time diet! See the ebook extract and the free articles below – and there’s even more… Find out more About Mediterranean Diet here: bit.ly

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For people of the Mediterranean region, the Mediterranean diet has been a healthy way of eating for hundreds of years and has become an adapted diet for people from all over the world because of the many health benefits it offers.

The basic diet is one that is rich with local foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, olive oil and fish. Carbohydrates are abundantly found in the form of whole grain breads and pasta. Meats and dairy products are consumed rarely and are limited.

Pizza has been found to be a staple food for many of the people in the region and is often the main course offered along with a healthy salad.

Pizza night in itself has come to be enjoyed by people all over the world.

What better way could there be to enjoy pizza night than the Mediterranean diet way, homemade, rich in flavor and nutrients and enjoyed with family and friends.

Start with whole wheat pizza dough, I cheat and purchase mine in the bakery department of my local super market, or you can be real ambitious and make your own.

Flour your work surface and then roll the dough out thin to your liking; I start by punching the dough into the basic pizza shape and finish by rolling out thin.

Place your crust on a pizza pan and sprinkle and brush both sides of your pizza lightly with olive oil and place in pre-heated 450 degree oven for 2-4 minutes and remove. Now you are ready for some true pizza fun.

For Greek pizza, lightly spread ricotta cheese, top with chopped tomato slices, sliced black olives and spinach. Sprinkle lightly with shredded mozzarella, and feta cheese for a delightful and nutrient rich white pizza. Bake at 475 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (watch for crust and cheese browning),

For an Italian twist, replace ricotta cheese and spinach with a light marinara sauce with mushrooms and add garlic to taste. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and sliced black olives.

Add anchovies to either pizza for excellent flavor and additional nutrients.

For a true pizza night experience you can roll out 8 inch personal size pizzas and have guests experiment with a number of different ingredients and toppings as they create their own unique pizzas to share among the group.

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Cholesterol, like diabetes, is a silent killer. Gradually, our arteries become clogged. If we don’t take a blood test, we can’t find out until the early symptoms strike: chest pain while making efforts, leg pain when walking for some time. This disease can lead to myocardial infarction or stroke, sometimes fatal.Cholesterol carried in the blood contains, amongst other the LDL fraction (low density lipoprotein) which is deposited on the arteries’ walls and the HDL fraction (high density lipoprotein) which, on the contrary, protects the arteries.

 Numerous recent studies show that, especially when it is oxidized, cholesterol becomes dangerous. What is oxidized cholesterol? Our cells produce free radicals which are unstable molecules to destroy germs, and diseased or cancerous cells. Under normal conditions, our cells have enzymes, vitamins and trace elements that allow them to control the production of free radicals.

 But in the presence of abnormal radiations, intense pollution, an unbalanced diet poor in fruits and vegetables, containing vegetable oils of low quality, the production of free radicals gets carried away.

The consequence of excessive production of free radicals is the cholesterol oxidation. Cholesterol is bombarded with unstable electrons and decomposes slowly. The good (HDL) cholesterol gets oxidized cannot do its cleansing job. And oxidized LDL cholesterol is attacked by white blood killer cells. But these cells, in turn become intoxicated by the free radicals. This has the effect of developing atherosclerosis plaque much faster than it would normally. To reduce these risks, we need on one hand to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. On the other hand, we need to fight the excessive production of free radicals. Anti-cholesterol drugs can reduce LDL and slightly increase HDL but the best way to increase your HDL is to have regular physical activity, even moderate and eat fresh foods loaded with antioxidants like fresh fruits and vegetables.

 However, the cholesterol drugs cannot fight oxidation. This limits their effectiveness. Fortunately, a well-balanced diet rich in antioxidants, minerals, trace elements and vitamins limit cholesterol’s oxidation. Whether you take drugs or not, it is in your interest to adopt this type of diet and have some regular physical activity. What kind of food to take?

 The easiest healthy diet to follow is the Mediterranean-style cuisine. Especially the traditional French Mediterranean cuisine that combines wonderful health benefits and the French cuisine’s reputation for delicious food. Alain Braux, a French chef and experienced nutritherapist wrote a book on the topic: “How to Lower Your Cholesterol with French Gourmet Food. A Practical Guide “.You will find tasty Mediterranean diet recipes  in it.You can learn more about this subject and even download an abridged version of his book for free by clicking below.



http://lowerldlcholesterol.blogspot.com/

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