10 Principles of The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is enjoyed by millions of people around the world and is recommended by the American government as a healthy way to eat and better manage weight.
The new USDA food icon, MyPlate, was designed to convey a simple and effective message to time poor and diet poor Americans. The USDA’s new simplified messages to go along with the MyPlate food icon are:
Balancing Calories
- Enjoy your food, but eat less.
- Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increase
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
- Make at least half your grains whole grains.
- Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
Foods to Reduce
- Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
The new USDA messages borrow from healthy eating patterns found in the Mediterranean Diet. This is our basic 10 point outline for what it means to go on a Mediterranean style diet:
- Plenty of olive oil as the main source of added fat
- Plenty of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, legumes and nuts
- Plenty of bread and whole grain foods including pasta and rice
- Plenty of fish and seafood with omega-3′s
- Moderate amounts of dairy products mainly yogurt and cheese, plus eggs
- Lean meat consumed only occasionally and in moderation
- Sweets, cakes and dairy desserts consumed only occasionally
- Plenty of water as the main daily beverage
- Daily glass or two of wine with meals
- Physical active every day as part of normal daily life – this is as important as eating well
Find out more on the background and history of the Mediterranean diet and how it was actually invented as a concept by American scientists and not by Europeans as the name might suggest: More