Health Benefits of Mediterranean Diet.
Name
Institution
Authors Note
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet majors on the traditional eating culture of those people who habited the region around the Mediterranean sea such as Italy, Greece and Spain. The diest is not a single prescribed diet but rather a general feating pattern characterised by diversity, both local and cultural. The diet comprises of significant intake of plant-based foods such as cereals, fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables. The diet is also composed of a moderate fish and poultry intake, olive oil with low consumption of dairy products, red meat and sweets. Notable to mention is the moderate intake of wine, especially with a meal.
Health Benefits and Weaknesses of Mediterranean Diet
Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been scientifically proven to have several health benefits and to be protective against the occurrence of an array of health conditions. Firstly, the diet is associated with low risks of some types of cancer due to the increased quantity and quality of phytochemicals in the diet responsible for the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Strict adherence to MedDiet has also been proven to reduce the instances of cognitive decline. The components of olive oil; tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol are considered neuroprotective.
Research shows that MedDiet is closely related to reduced risks of respiratory disease. For instance, asthma control is achievable by an increased intake of fresh fruits. Additionally, strict adherence to MedDiet has relation to reduced risks of kidney disease as well as obesity due to a significant improvement of kidney functions resulting from the continued intake of olive oil. The vegetables rich diet is also considered an anti obese.
Even with the apparent health benefits of the MedDiet, the diet plan is associated with some challenges. For instance, some of the foods are costly to acquire posing a considerable financial burden on the people. Secondly, some health condition requires additional guidelines regarding some aspects of the MedDiet to prevent health-related complication. The MedDiet also possess some dietary restrictions that may be challenging to adhere to in addition to the concern of alcohol intake.
Concussion
Mediterranean diet is a science-based diet. The diet characterises with low risks of developing heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and other chronic health conditions. The diet is devoid of significant restrictions but the presence of nutritious flavourful meals within the diet. The MedDiet is therefore considered balanced, good for the health of the heart, beneficial for the mind, necessary for weight management, controls cancer and is efficient for blood sugar control. The new eating plan, however, may be costly to implement due to its primary focus on seafood and produce while others may find it limiting due to the absence of added sugar and red meat.
References
Cassileth, B. R. (2019). Mediterranean diet. Oncology, 33(5).
Devries, S., Van Horn, L., & Willett, W. (2019). The Mediterranean Diet. The Medical Roundtable General Medicine Edition.
Meeks, K. A., Nicolaou, M., Young, E., & Adeyemo, A. (2019). Studying the effects of diet on DNA methylation: challenges, pitfalls and a way forward. British Journal of Nutrition, 1-2.
Serra-Majem, L., Roman-Vinas, B., Sanchez-Villegas, A., Guasch-Ferre, M., Corella, D., & La Vecchia, C. (2019). Benefits of the Mediterranean diet: Epidemiological and molecular aspects. Molecular aspects of medicine.