Why the Mediterranean Diet works for Weight Loss

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This week, school has been CRAZZY. I have been learning so much about nutrition, the body, mind and how our everyday lifestyles make an impact to our health. Today I am going to talk about a topic that I really like and that is on the Mediterranean diet.

With learning the different ways our daily decisions affect our health, I realized the way we eat is critical. Food prevents disease, clears your head, energizes us and can help us cure our diseases.

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First off, I don’t want to necessarily call it a ‘diet’ because I think this can really turn people away from trying it. Its not a diet but more of a mindset- lifestyle in how you eat.

You take care for what you put in your body and know that it’s fuel for your body and your mind.

I used to view food as something fun to do, something to eat when I was bored, something to please my taste buds with. It’s so much more than that, it’s healing, its energy, its nutrients, fuel for workouts, food makes you capable of doing so much!

Do you ever wonder why when you eat something, and your stomach hurts and you feel bloated and uncomfortable for days?

Yeah, I know those days too. It’s because you aren’t eating the right foods and nourishing your body right.

The Mediterranean diet is an amazing way to fuel your body properly. Let’s get into why it is so special and why it works so well for not only weight loss, but a healthy mindset around food too.

easy to follow
delicious and satisfying
nutrient-dense
No restrictive approach

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

The Mediterranean diet is a diet that focuses on whole foods, minimal animal products like dairy and fish, healthy fats, and minimal processed food.

The Mediterranean is considered the European area along with the middle east. Being Lebanese, my family has always been eating this way. However, with the westernized diet and the MedDiet crossing paths, it’s been interjected with sugar and processed food. When following the Med diet properly, you will lose weight and feel amazing.

What it contains:

Mediterranean diet recipes for weight loss

Foods:

Colorful veggies; spinach, kale, tomatoes, basil, olives, onion, garlic
Fresh fruits like dates, oranges, berries, apples, grapes
Legumes, beans; chickpeas, lentils
Fresh baked bread; in light amounts, pita, sprouted breads
Nuts and seeds, tahini, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hemp seeds
Mod. Amounts of red wine
Fatty fish like; salmon and seabass
Healthy fats like; olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, olives, tahini, seeds, nuts
Some dairy; rich Greek yogurt, goats milk, feta cheese, these are also in light amount about once a week

What they Don’t eat:

Processed man-made foods that are packaged
Sweets
Refined grains
Processed meats
Red meat

The concept is simple, fill your plate with mostly veggies, a lean protein, a small serving of lentils, and some avocado all over. You can even include a refined grain free bread or tortilla with it if you need a little bit of sustenance- this is what I do personally.

Within days of eating this way, you will feel lighter, tighter, and have more energy.

Why is this Easy to follow?

This is an easy diet to follow and its very cheap. All you must do is make sure you have:

A protein
Healthy fat
Legume or bean
A base of veggies

This can make you get excited about having a meal because you can create it any way you want. You can make baked falafels, bean burgers, a salad, a wrap, a dinner bowl– whatever you want. You can drizzle some satiating tahini all over the wrap or salad. The main thing is protein, veggies, and fat. If you have this, you will be nice and full for a long period of time.

You won’t experience up and down moods or crashes while eating this way because it’s very minimally processed, with little to no sugar. This is the best diet to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need because of all the veggies, omega 3’s, and fiber.

How does it work for weight loss?

If you didn’t already know, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. And it has been shown that lifestyle factors like lack of proper diet and exercise cause heart disease.

With heart disease, there is also an increase in obesity. Obesity rates are at a dangerous high at this time. According to a study, the people that lived near the European area had fewer disease rates most likely because of their dietary patterns.

One reason why it works great for weight loss, is the limitation of red meats, sweets, and processed foods that contain harmful ingredients. These ingredients can cause cravings, bloat, weight gain, brain fog and other issues.

Once you wean yourself off those addicting fast foods, you won’t crave them anymore. Instead, you will crave the fresh fruit salad for breakfast. This will not only help you lose weight; it will also help you be healthier, feel better, and reduce your risk for disease.

meddiet weight loss, healthy skin foods, healthy recipes

It works because its satiating, protein filled, healthy fat filled, and NUTRIENT DENSE. Once you are filled with all the nutrients you need by the food you eat, you won’t feel the need to snack out on random foods.

Snacking out on random foods adds up to quite a bit when looking at calories.

In the Med diet, most of your calories will come from your fat sources and lean proteins. This is another reason why it works so great for weight loss. It has a healthy volume meal approach to it where you eat a lot of veggies for a small number of calories. Doing this will keep you full and happy.

If you want to make a change to your diet, try it with a less restrictive diet like the Mediterranean diet. You probably have all the ingredients ready to go!

To get organized, here are some cookbooks to check out, and some clean whole food recipes to try too:

RECIPES:

Vegan Salad, Running on real food — Roasted Squash Farro Salad, Running on Real Food

Grab & Go Snack Jars- The Butter Half
30 Mediterranean Dinner Recipes- Beauty Bites
Avocado Fresh Quinoa Salad- Beauty Bites
Chicken Lettuce Wraps- Her Highness Hungry Me (For Veg, sub out the chicken for chickpeas or lentils)
Grilled Vegetable Pitta Wrap- Beauty Bites
20 Mediterranean Snacks- Pure Wow
Roasted Squash Farro Salad- Running On Real Food (Image is Hers)

COOKBOOKS + MEAL PLANS (from Amazon)

Hopefully these help you get into the right direction when starting the Med Diet. Just know, you don’t have to over think it. This way of eating is pretty easy and it doesn’t need to be complicated.

You don’t have to eat Greek meals for it to be considered Mediterranean either. Just try eating more whole foods like spinach with avocado and a protein source. It will keep you full, happy, and satisfied.