I know I’m always bringing up the benefits of the Mediterranean diet — and its close relatives, my Hamptons Diet and The A-list Diet. And all for good reason…
The fact is that many Americans don’t know how to eat well. And that’s why obesity is a serious disease that’s essentially put us in a chokehold, with its utterly devastating impact on the United States. And a whopping 40 percent of adults in this country — that’s upwards of 100 million people — now face a laundry list of perfectly preventable causes of early death because of it.
Heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, you name it… Obesity causes it. So you know what? That donut just isn’t worth eating — no matter how delicious it is.
But you know what else? Total deprivation isn’t your only alternative. And it’s certainly not the one that I advocate for…
Not when there are options like a Mediterranean approach to eating. And it’s one that’s demonstrated to be so effective, I doubt you’ll even miss the processed, packaged garbage that passes for food these days.
And that’s just for starters…
Fighting fat… with more fat
There’s a slew of recent studies out there indicating that a Mediterranean diet can slash the risk of obesity and all of its lethal consequences. That’s how powerful healthy eating can be…
And one of the most important components of healthy eating are foods high in fat. Yes, you read that right. Fat. And certain kinds of fat in particular…
A Mediterranean-style diet carries a uniquely therapeutic fatty acid profile — filled to the brim with monounsaturated fats (from foods like olive oil, avocados, and macadamia nuts). It also strikes the perfect balance of polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3s from nuts and fish.
Even the backward-thinking “experts” over at the American Heart Association admit that adding more of these good fats to your diet can cut heart disease risk by roughly 30 percent. Not to mention the vast array of vitamins, polyphenols, and carotenoids this veggie-packed diet delivers.
That’s precisely what makes Mediterranean-style diets so effective against inflammation and free radicals. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Because these benefits are backed by a boatload of research.
Eating your way to disease prevention
For starters, studies show that Mediterranean-style diets lower death risk and improve a long list of heart disease markers — including cholesterol, waist-to-hip ratio, inflammation levels, oxidative stress, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and arterial flexibility.
Throw regular exercise into the mix, and you can slash your odds of a heart disease diagnosis by as much as 75 percent. Double down on your intake of nuts (mainly lightly salted or raw macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, or pistachios), and your risk of metabolic syndrome will drop by 14 percent.
But that’s not all. A Mediterranean diet can also take on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — one of the country’s fastest-growing epidemics alongside obesity — by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, balancing cholesterol, and feeding your microbiome.
Many clinical trials have shown marked reductions in liver fat among subjects who follow a diet higher in monounsaturated fats, as opposed to a carb-heavy, fiber-rich diet.
And of course, the Mediterranean diet is consistently better at battling obesity, and its twin, diabetes, than any other eating plan out there. Study after study shows that eating this way can slash the risk and severity of type 2 diabetes — lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, lipids, and BMI all in one shot.
But if that’s still not enough to convince you to put down the Oreos in favor of olives, consider this: Published research has also linked Mediterranean diets with lower risk of cognitive decline, longer life expectancy, better quality sleep, higher bone density, and lower risk of breast cancer.
The bottom line? If you’re looking for a real-life panacea for what ails you, this is about as close as you can get.
It’s almost New Year’s… a time to refresh, refocus, and reset, so what are you waiting for?! Get yourself — or someone you love — started on the path to perfect health today by getting a copy of The A-List Diet.
P.S. – Speaking of New Year’s, I’m sharing my top 12 health recommendations for 2019 in the January issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives.
Instead of focusing on several monthly resolutions at once, I recommend breaking them down month by month. You’re more likely to find lasting success, and ultimately, transform all of those healthy changes into healthy habits. If you’re not yet a newsletter subscriber, simply click here to get my blueprint for a healthy year and more!
Source: