Mediterranean diet is a traditional healthy living diet followed by the people from the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Italy, Spain, Greece, and France. This diet varies from country to country, and hence it has no specific definition. This diet is specifically high in vegetables, fruits, whole grain, beans, seeds and nuts, and olive oil. The interest in this type of diet began in the 1960s because of the fewer deaths happened in the Mediterranean region due to coronary heart failure. Study says that people living here are way healthier than that of other countries and also had a low risk of many diseases like heart failure, diabetes, etc. It is also said that the Mediterranean diet helps in weight loss. In this article, we will cover the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and even a meal plan for the beginners.

Health Benefits Of The Mediterranean Diet:

This diet is more of the vegetables, fruits, and it is not a meat-based diet. Olive oil is the main ingredient of this diet, which is said to have various health benefits. Some of the health benefits include:

1. Prevents Heart Failure And Strokes:

This diet limits the intake of refined loaves of bread, processed foods, red meat, and beverages that contain added sugars. Excessive intake of these products may cause heart problems. Also, this diet encourages drinking red wine instead of hard alcohol. These are factors that can prevent heart diseases and strokes.

2. Reduces The Risk Of Alzheimer’s:

Research suggests that this diet can improve blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and also maintains the overall blood vessel health, which is said to decrease the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Protects Against Diabetes:

Mediterranean diet is a fiber-rich diet that gets digested slowly and reduces the fluctuations of blood sugar, thus protecting against diabetes. This also helps in maintaining the blood sugar levels keeping a check on diabetes.