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More than a diet, it is an eating habit from the regions near the Mediterranean Sea that was taken as an example for its health benefits
Firm in first place in the ranking prepared by US News & World Report, the Mediterranean diet is, without question, healthy, balanced, easy to follow, and brings optimal results both in a maintenance plan and for weight loss. Based on fresh foods from the regions near the Mediterranean Sea, the rest of the planet tries to adopt it. In our country, it is also possible to do so if certain products are adapted that are not so readily available in these latitudes.
Without restrictions, it is a diet that does not present difficulties on a day-to-day basis because “it is a food habit inherited by the peoples that surround the Mediterranean Sea, with the use of their food production, because There was no possibility of exchanging customs, products, and styles, as is currently the case,” Jorgelina Latorraga, nutrition, head of the Finochietto Sanatorium’s Food and Nutrition Service and member of the ASE Nacional Wellness medical team
Health professionals know “that it is not a fad diet; It has been recognized by UNESCO as a balanced and healthy diet, ”adds the professional.
Olive oil, sea fish, chicken -twice a week-, full-fat dairy products, whole grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and legumes are the basis of a diet that “allows a homemade, harmonious diet with a supply of good fats “. quality, omega 9, omega 3, and a lot of dietary fiber, ”says Latorraga. Red meat isn’t ruled out but is “limited to three times a week,” she says.
Its health benefits are many: in the short term it prevents constipation, lowers bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol, and allows for a balance in blood glucose, triglyceride, and uric acid levels, “which is why it is also called a cardiovascular protective diet”, points out the nutritionist.
In the long term, this dietary regimen is converted into a habit, added to an active life, contributes to weight loss, improves the intestinal flora or microbiota, and the problems of abdominal distension and intestinal polyps. In reducing body fat, the diet “will have an impact proportional to what has been consumed. For example, if breakfast consisted of stuffed cookies or bills and during the day you drank regular soda with sugar, the decrease will be faster than if you ate more balanced”, explains Latorraga.
Far from the Mediterranean, in Argentina the climate and conditions are different, but the Mediterranean diet can be adapted to this reality. “The quality of nutrients can change from one country to another; access to fish is not easy for everyone and urbanized life can complicate the nature of food. But, I can confirm that, depending on how the fish are fed, even river fish can have some omega 3″, the professional points out.
The o mega 3 -essential for maintaining a healthy brain and heart- provided by sea fish can also be obtained from chia or flax seeds, as well as canned mackerel, tuna, and sardines “which contain more salt, but are safe which is less than what a salami or a chopped cheese contains”, he emphasizes. To minimize the presence of salt, he recommends washing them and using them in fillings and preparations.
Another nutrient present in the Mediterranean diet is fiber. In this case, the nutritionist does not notice differences between one country and another but advises preferring the integral version and whole grains, that is, wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, and amaranth. As for olive oil, “we Argentines produce very good qualities and it is enough that it is extra virgin. This means that it is from the first pressing, so that it contains the best quality of omega 9″, highlights the specialist.