It is as the name suggests, a diet typical for people living in the Mediterranean would eat. This means a diet high in fruits and vegetables as well as beans, lentils and legumes. It also incorporates healthy fats and avoids saturated fats from fatty meats and unhealthy dairy products that contribute to bad cholesterol.

Weight Loss Mediterranean Diet Foods

High Amounts of Healthy Carbohydrates - Wholegrain breads, pasta, Brown Rice, couscous, Polenta and Sweet Potato (regular potato’s are OK but contain little nutrients and have quite a large impact on blood sugar)

High Amounts of Fruits - 3-5 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day. Try and choose a variety of fruits and vegetables and not always eat the same kinds.

Moderate Amounts of Steamed and grilled fish

Moderate amounts of olive oil- the Mediterranean diet foods include extra virgin olive oil and it’s recommended that you pour the olive oil onto your foods raw and avoid cooking as it cooking the oil makes breaks it down into a less healthier form.

Small Amounts of lean red meat- when eating meat choose lean cuts of meat with very little visible fat.

Small amounts of alcohol are allowed- Small amounts of wine are popular on the the diet

High Amount of Anti-oxidants- The diet incorporates a large amount of anti-oxidants which you will absorb through the fresh fruit and vegetables you consume.

Mediterranean Diet Exercise

Like most diets this diet recommends regular physical activity and high intensity exercises are most popular like skipping or short sprints.

What not to eat on the Mediterranean Diet

The types of fats to avoid on the Mediterranean diet are animal fats or fats from animal products such as:

Butter

Margarine

Lard

The Mediterranean diet is a great diet to try and really get back into the spirit of enjoying delicious fruits and vegetables in season. For more information on weight loss and advice visit the diet solution guide.

The aim of the Mediterranean diet plan is to offer you a heart-healthy meal plan by including the traditional cooking elements used in Mediterranean-style. According to the medical researchers and diet experts the Mediterranean diet is highly helpful to reduce the risk of various heart diseases, like low blood pressure and declined levels of low-density of lipoprotein (LDL), or commonly referred to as “bad” cholesterol.?

There are several simple ways to implement this type of meal plan.

Let us talk about a few of them:

? The first and easy step to start with Mediterranean diet plan is to eat plateful of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables every day. Traditionally, Mediterranean people used to eat generous amount of fresh fruits and veggies each day. The list included fruits like apples, grapes, bananas, and baby carrots. All these were readily available and were used as enjoyable fast snack.

? Consume plenty of fresh pasta along with sauce as cooked tomatoes help greatly to prevent prostate cancer.

? The plan allows you to benefit from whole grain products. As bread is a vital element of the Mediterranean diet meal plan, you must stick to the whole grain varieties. Apply flavored Olive oil to your whole-wheat bread rather than spreading butter on it.

? Try to add fish to your diet chart more than once in a week. Select fatty fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids that are useful for blood vessel health and it reduces your triglyceride levels at the same time. For example, mackerel, wild salmon, and herring all of these varieties are heart-healthy choices.

? Include almonds, hazel nuts, walnuts, and pecans to your food chart. All these are low in saturated fat, however high in good monounsaturated fats.

? Try using heart-healthy olive oil and canola oil while cooking. Try to find “virgin” and “extra-virgin” types for the slightest processed variety of these oils.

? Using fresh herbs and spices are pretty important for following Mediterranean Diet plan. Add rosemary, oregano, or thyme to your meals in place of salting your food.

? Garlic is also an important ingredient. Fresh garlic is known as an antioxidant as cooked and an antibiotic when it is raw.

It is quite interesting that though ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is relatively older but it’s innovative method to keep up healthy weight and smart food habits for overall fitness are still very much applicable.?

As we mentioned in previous article, Premenstrual syndrome effects over 70% to 90% of women before menopause in the US alone. It is defined as faulty function of the ovaries related to the women’s menstrual cycle, it effects a women’s physical and emotional state, and sometimes interferes with daily activities as a result of hormone fluctuation. The syndrome occurs one to two weeks before menstruation and then declines when the period starts. In this article, we will discuss how banana effects women with premenstrual syndrome.

I. Definition

Banana is a herbaceous plant belongs to the family Musaceae, native to the Southeast Asia. It’s phytochemical of yellow pigment is said to promote healthy eye and anti eye muscle degeneration. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine in treating constipation.

II. How banana effects women with PMS

1. Potassium

Banana contains high amount of potassium, which is important to enhance the function of lymphatic system in regulating the levels of sodium resulting in reducing the risk of fluid retention and weight gain.

2. Fiber

The fiber component of banana besides helps to improve the muscle of large intestine, it also helps to decrease the risk of bad cholesterol accumulation in the bloodstream, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease and strokes and increasing the blood in transporting the oxygen to the body cells need, resulting in decreasing the risk of symptoms of loss of energy, dizziness and slow recall.

3. GI index

banana rank very low in glyemic index, after consumption, it releases glucose slowly into bloodstream resulting in decreasing the risk of insulin fluctuation and lessening the food and sugar craving for some women with PMS.

4. Antioxidant

Banana contains phytochemical which not only helps rejuvenate your eye sight it also helps the immune system in regulating the DNA of cell duplication resulting in decreasing the risk of tumor, cancer and inflammation to the reproductive organs.

5. Prebiotics

Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients in banana that helps to increase the growth of good micro organism in the digestive system which not only helps to improve the digestive system in absorbing vital nutrients but also prevent constipation and irritable bowl syndrome.

As we mentioned in previous article, premenstrual syndrome is defined as faulty function of the ovaries related to the women’s menstrual cycle, it effects a women’s physical and emotional state, and sometimes interferes with daily activities as a result of hormone fluctuation. The syndrome occurs one to two weeks before menstruation and then declines when the period starts. In this article, we will discuss how whole grain effects women with premenstrual syndrome. Taking a breakfast with whole grain cereal in the morning is recommended.

I. Definition

Whole grains are made from the whole kernels of grain, that is both the inside part of the grain and the outer covering. It contains contain bran, germ and endosperm.

II. How whole grain effects women with PMS

1. Fiber

Whole grain in it original form contains high amount of fiber, it not only helps to slow down the conversion from carbohydrate into glucose in the bloodstream, but also increase the feeling of fullness in the stomach and improve the large intestine muscles in moving stool, thereby, decreasing the blood sugar fluctuation, weigh gain and constipation.

2. Lignan

It also contains lignan which helps to reduce the bad cholesterol and triglycerides, thereby, increasing the oxygen circulation in the bloodstream resulting in increasing the the nervous system in transmitting information between cells and glands and lessening the nervous tension such as fatigue and weakness and loss of energy.

3. Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals not only help to immune system fighting against invasion of bacteria and virus which cause infection in the reproductive organ and inflammation caused by oxygen oxidation in cells, it also reduces premenstrual pain and cramps for some women with PMS.

4. Minerals and vitamins

Whole grain contains all kinds of vital minerals including vitamin B complex,magnesium, calcium and potassium, which besides helps to improve the function of lymphatic function in fluid regulation and bone density, it also reduce the hormone imbalance, thereby, decreasing the risk of nervous tension including stress, anxiety and depression.

5. Digestive system

It also contains high levels of tannins, which not only helps to treat diarrhea but does not stop the flow of the disturbing substance in the stomach by controlling the irritation in the small intestine thereby, increasing the digestive function in absorbing vital nutrients which are found deficient for women with premenstrual syndrome.