Mediterranean Diet Foods
Menu for Cancer Prevention
The Mediterranean diet foods include fresh vegetables made into salad, nuts such as almonds and walnuts and lots of extra virgin olive oil. These are just some examples. Red meat is not a primary part but fatty fish like salmon is. It is already known that the typical Mediterranean diet menu is a type of diet for the prevention of diseases like cancer.
Related Article: Health Benefits from a Mediterranean Diet
What are the basics of a mediterranean diet menu?
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
Fats are not totally eliminated. In fact, the Mediterranean diet has plenty of fats but only the good and healthy kinds of fats that can prevent a lot of illness.
Saturated and trans fats are unhealthy. They are a big no-no. Monounsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil, are part of the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil has oleic acid, a kind of monounsaturated fatty acid that can reduce breast cancer risk. Oleic acid reduces certain proteins in your body that stimulate tumor growth. It also encourages your body to produce compounds to fight cancer.
Click here for the health benefits of olive oil.
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 is the origin of the Mediterranean diet?
It originates from countries that border the Mediterranean sea -- Italy, Spain and Greece. 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 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.
What are NOT Mediterranean diet foods?
These are definitely not:
- Red meat and
- Processed and fast foods
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.
Related Information:
Healthy Benefits of Anti Cancer Diet
Anti Cancer Diet: Fruits,Vegetables and Fiber Rich Foods
Choosing Anti Cancer Foods is Wise
Benefits of Anti Inflammatory Diet
Foods in Anti Inflammatory Diet
Examples of Healthy Foods to Eat
Why are Organic Foods Better and Healthier?
Benefits of Vegetarian Diet
Healthy Foods for Cancer Prevention
Foods to Prevent Cancer
Meditteranean Diet and Foods
Benefits of Eating Raw Food
Organic Food Definition
Return from Mediterranean Diet Foods to Healthy Eating Plans
Return from Mediterranean Diet Menu to Cancer Prevention
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