Mediterranean Diet Foods Menu for Cancer Prevention
What are the Mediterranean diet foods? What is the typical Mediterranean diet menu? It is a type of diet for the prevention of diseases like cancer. You might be thinking "What foods can I eat on the Mediterranean diet?" Keep on reading...
Often, I misspell it as Mediterranian. Some people also spell it as Meditteranean. Whatever! What is important is to know what this Mediterranean diet is and why it is healthy. I researched to get some answers and here's what I found.
The Mediterranean diet originates from countries that border the Mediterranean sea -- Italy, Spain and Greece.
The people from these countries are as diverse as their culture and their food menu. So, not one of them can claim fully that theirs is THE Mediterranean diet. But one thing their diets have in common is the presence of virgin olive oil.
The Mediterranean diet and foods were actually discovered to be heart-friendly at first. Now, it has been found out that they are also effective in prevention of many types of degenerative diseases that are rooted on inflammation.
Basics of Mediterranean Diet Menu
Foods that make up the Mediterranean menu are...
1. Fruits and Vegetables
People in countries who are on the Mediterranean diet feast on a generous amount of 9 servings of different kinds and colors of fruits and vegetables in a day!
Just imagine the thousands of phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals they get from eating that much.
Imagine how these plant foods can help you in the prevention of many diseases.
2. Monounsaturated Fats
Are you surprised fats are not totally eliminated? The Mediterranean diet has plenty of fats but...only the good and healthy kinds of fats that can prevent a lot of illness.
Any of the unhealthy fats which are saturated and trans fats is a big no-no.
Plenty of monounsaturated fats are part of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is a kind of monounsaturated fat.
It is the principal fat in the Mediterranean diet foods. It is also one of the best antioxidants and is very effective in the prevention of inflammation.
3. Fish and Other Seafoods
The Mediterranean menu uses plenty of fish such as salmon and tuna. These kinds of fish are the best sources of polyunsaturated fats that contain healthy Omega-3s fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids aid in the prevention of inflammation.
4. Nuts
Eating the Mediterranean way includes plenty of nuts such as walnuts, almonds and hazel nuts. They are eaten as snacks or sprinkled in salads. They are low in saturated fats.
A word of caution: They are also high in calories so it is not advisable to eat more than a handful of them in a day.
5. Whole grains
Whole grains are one of the Mediterranean diet foods. They are grains in their natural state. An example is unpolished brown rice.
They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are effective in the prevention and fight against cancer and other cardiovascular diseases.
If the grains’ outer layers are stripped to make white flour and white rice, these healthy benefits are also stripped away, reducing the once-healthy whole grains to little more than empty calories.
6. Herbs and Spices
Salt is avoided when cooking the Mediterranean menu. Instead, a lot of herbs and spices are used to add flavor to the meals.
Examples are rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and so much more. Herbs are considered as cancer prevention foods.
What are NOT Mediterranean diet foods?
Red meat and
Processed and fast foods
Red meat is one of the unhealthy foods when eaten frequently and in large amounts. (See Foods that Cause Colon Cancer.)
A Mediterranean meal uses red meat very sparingly unlike Americans whose diet normally consists of hamburgers and steaks.
Processed and fast foods are a major part of the Western type of diet but not the Mediterranean meal.
The problem with eating processed and fast foods is that they contain so much Omega-6 fatty acids. Too much of Omega 6s is the reason for chronic inflammation.
Eating the Mediterranean way brings a lot of positive health benefits to your body. Looking at the basics of the Mediterranean diet foods, it can also be considered as an anti-inflammatory diet.
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