According to an article published in “The Journal Of The American College of Cardiology,” a meta-analysis (scientific review) of 50 studies including 535,000 patients showed major health benefits from being on a “Mediterranean Diet.” Among the benefits of this diet are:
- Improved systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- Improved levels of HDL cholesterol
- Improved triglyceride counts
- Lower blood sugar levels
- Improved waist circumference.
The “Mediterranean Diet” is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy oils, such as olive oil. A handful of nuts daily are an added bonus. Red meats are limited to a few servings a month. Eating fish and poultry at least twice weekly is advised. Another bonus is the diet allows for the ingestion of moderate amounts of red wine.
I have addressed diets in numerous previous articles and will continue to do so as an appropriate diet is a mainstay of “Living Wellthy.” The foundation of the “Living Wellthy” lifestyle encourages you to invest in your physical, nutritional, emotional and spiritual health retirement funds with the same fervor that you invest in your financial retirement fund. You should set a long-term goal for your nutritional account and that goal should be the healthiest diet that you can maintain long-term.
The “Mediterranean Diet” and others that I will write about in the weeks to come should be viewed as potential goals that can be realized by careful planning and sculpting of your current dietary habits. Remember, your diet is based on your family’s dietary habits, your national and religious heritage and your personal likes and dislikes. Your diet has been around for a long time and is, essentially, encased in concrete! Rather than trying to radically change it overnight, slowly chip away at it and mold it into something much healthier. Remember, the life you save may be your own.
