11 Mediterranean Diet Benefits For Improving Lifestyle
Every diet plan comes with its specialty and benefits. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet is one such beneficial diet that people love to follow in their life.
The Mediterranean diet was inspired by the diet consumed by the people residing near the Mediterranean Sea.
The diet includes cuisines from several countries, including Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, the Middle East, etc.
But, all the cuisines included are highly delicious and nutritious, making it a healthy option for consumers.
The Mediterranean diet is a package of numerous health benefits. Hence, this article will cover all the health benefits of such a delicious diet.
Contents
Benefits Of Mediterranean Diet
May Reduce The Risk Of Developing Heart Diseases
Following a healthy diet like the Mediterranean could benefit your heart. Generally, these diets contain low cholesterol and help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Moreover, the diet may help manage your blood pressure and prevent it from rising.
The Mediterranean diet contains healthy food options, including green vegetables, fruits, olive oil, wine, etc., that are excellent options for good heart health.
These food items contain healthy fats and numerous antioxidants to keep your heart healthy.
Moreover, consuming such a healthy diet would keep you away from processed foods, refined sugars, red meat, etc., which significantly increase the risks of heart strokes, attacks, etc.
May Protect Brain Health
The Mediterranean diet has been considered beneficial for improving brain health.
People consuming the Mediterranean diet would get elevated blood flow to the brain resulting in improved functioning.
The food items in the diet, like olive oil, nuts, veggies, etc., supply sufficient healthy fats and anti-inflammatory compounds that fight age-related cognitive impairment or decline.
Thus, these healthy foods may protect you against free radicals, inflammation, and toxicity, which significantly reduce brain function.
The Mediterranean diet could be an excellent option for people struggling with several brain disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, etc.
Consuming a healthy diet may help treat such brain diseases and lower their symptoms. Moreover, it may help improve an individual’s memory and prevent memory loss.
May Help Lose Weight
An individual requires an active lifestyle and a healthy diet to reduce excess weight. Here, the Mediterranean diet is perfect for people looking forward to losing weight.
The Mediterranean diet is an excellent source of essential nutrients and minerals that allows you to fulfill your nutritional needs with minimum calorie intake.
These food items contain healthy fats, plant-based proteins, and fewer carbohydrates, making the Mediterranean diet an excellent option for weight loss.
Moreover, the diet regulates the blood sugar level and keeps it balanced to avoid untimely hunger and keep mood and energy levels high.
The Mediterranean diet comprises several fibrous food items, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc., that slow down digestion and keep you full for a longer period. Thus, you consume lesser calories essential for losing weight.
May Reduce Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
The Mediterranean diet could be beneficial for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Moreover, healthy people may prevent themselves from developing diabetes.
The Mediterranean diet allows you to eat healthy carbohydrates obtained from whole grains, vegetables, etc., which minimizes an individual’s sugar level compared to refined carbohydrates.
The diet plan barely includes any sweets or desserts, which prevents a rapid increase in blood sugar levels.
Such a healthy diet would improve an individual’s insulin regulation resulting in balanced and healthy sugar levels.
Besides avoiding sugary foods, the Mediterranean diet includes foods containing healthy fats and proteins.
Adding an exercise routine alongside your Mediterranean diet would help maintain a healthy weight and sugar levels.
May Enhance Gut Health
People should have excellent gut health to efficiently digest and process food. Hence, consuming the Mediterranean diet would be beneficial in the proper breakdown of ingested food and absorption of essential nutrients.
Generally, the Mediterranean diet contains sufficient fiber and probiotics that help keep the gut healthy. Improving the gut microbiome would help treat several gut diseases.
People suffering from Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and ulcerative colitis may experience severe inflammatory symptoms.
Here, consuming the healthy Mediterranean diet would increase friendly bacteria in the gut resulting in the synthesis of essential nutrients, production of fuel for colon cells, and reduced inflammation.
May Prevent Cancer
The Mediterranean diet could be a savior for cancer patients as it may help lower cancer mortality risk.
Besides, it may prevent certain cancers, including colorectal, stomach, prostate, pancreas, breast, and lungs.
People consuming a diet containing high fish and fruits would reduce the development of precancerous colorectal lesions.
Moreover, following a healthy diet would prevent postmenopausal women from developing breast cancer.
Pancreatic and lung cancers in most individuals are due to an unhealthy lifestyle like smoking, obesity, aging, etc.
Hence, following the Mediterranean diet and a healthy lifestyle would help prevent these cancers. Similarly, the diet may help lower the risk of stomach cancer.
Men could easily avoid prostate cancer by following a sustainable diet. Generally, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet would lower cancer risk.
May Reduce Arthritis
The Mediterranean diet consumption has been considered an excellent way to lower arthritis symptoms. The diet contains several anti-inflammatory food items, including berries, fish, olive oil, etc.
Besides, it makes you avoid pro-inflammatory food items like sugar, dairy products, red meat, etc., which cause inflammatory reactions.
Generally, the diet plan contains food items rich in beta-carotene, magnesium, omega-3, and fiber that actively lowers the inflammatory markers in the body.
The Mediterranean diet could be beneficial in the long term in slowing down the disease progression.
The diet may help by changing the pro-inflammatory gene and immune cell expression that causes the disease.
Moreover, you would get a fit and healthy body which may reduce added pressure and pain in your knees.
May Reduce Depression And Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are a few severe mental disorders that most young individuals face in their life.
These mental conditions require immediate attention and treatment to avoid further complications.
Here, following the Mediterranean diet may help effectively treat such conditions in young men.
The Mediterranean diet contains a few nutrients like carotenoids that may boost the good bacteria concentration in your gut.
Thus, improving the gut microbiome naturally enhances an individual’s mood. These foods supply several nutrients that act as precursors to neurotransmitters like serotonin.
Thus, increasing such element supply would boost cognitive health. Additionally, following such a healthy diet would require preparation that may require support from family members.
Hence, you get social exposure, which is essential to get out of depression and anxiety.
May Help You Live Longer
Eating the Mediterranean diet may add a few years to your life. The diet includes several plants and products that improve an individual’s health and reduce the risk of developing several fatal disorders.
People adopting the diet at an early age significantly boost their lifespan. But, people should consider such a healthy diet at any point in their life to add some years.Generally, the diet supplies multiple vital nutrients, including phytochemicals, antioxidants, healthy fats, fibers, etc., that have been beneficial in avoiding chronic diseases like heart strokes, attacks, type 2 diabetes, etc.
These diets may boost an individual’s metabolism and improve different bodily functions. Additionally, it may help keep the bones strong and reduce cognitive decline in older age.
May Improve Post-Menopause Health In Females
Females entering menopause may get exposed to several medical conditions, including weak bones, reduced muscle mass, urinary tract infections, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc., due to low estrogen levels.
Here, adopting a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet could be beneficial in tackling such adverse effects. Gaining weight is also a common problem seen in postmenopausal women.It is believed that women who show greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of obesity. The diet may help gain muscle mass and improve bone density.
Hence, a higher Mediterranean diet score would help rapidly gain bone density and muscle mass after menopause. Thus, balancing the degenerative rate would lower the risk of weakening bones and muscle mass.
May Reduce Asthma
Consumption of the Mediterranean diet may improve asthma symptoms in children and adults. The antioxidant properties of food items in the Mediterranean diet reduce airway inflammation.
It may also lower the risk of asthma at any stage. It is believed that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce the symptoms and keep asthma under control in adults.
But, it isn’t a scientifically proven fact; hence, further studies and evidence would be required to confirm the benefit.
Conlcusion
Everyone should follow a healthy diet to lead a healthy and active life. But, some specific diets, like the Mediterranean diet, offer consumers a wide range of health benefits.
You may go through the multiple benefits mentioned above to understand the role of such diets. But, before switching to such a diet, you should consult a dietitian for the best advice.