The Mediterranean Diet and Heart Health
Happy February!
Happy month of love – agape, and all things heart healthy.
For the next few weeks, I will be sharing matters of the heart.
Today’s blog centers on food, because as we know, humans must eat food to sustain life.
And, given that it is AMERICAN HEART HEALTH MONTH, we will pay special attention to food which supports a healthy heart and a long life.
Food; this is the topic of so many conversations ranging from whole foods to processed foods to diet foods to restaurant and homecooked foods. One can say there are a plethora of ways to eat, but the thing on my mind today is to eat nutritious and delicious.
As a lifelong eater, Integrative Nutrition alumni & weight watcher, I can say with confidence that I have had the best success living vibrant and well through the Mediterranean diet. It involves a satiating and appetizing meal plan, and one which supports wellness and longevity.
THE MEDITERANNEAN DIET:
The ingredients are not complicated, yet they exude a dense nutrition profile.
The beans are full of protein and fiber and fill up the stomach.
The greens and vegetables are low in calories and contain over 70 percent water.
Vegetables, the main food group in the Mediterranean diet, are loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially calcium an iron.
Extra virgin olive oil, the only oil which boasts the antioxidants to support heart health, is the healthy fat to increase levels of good cholesterol. Thank you, monounsaturated fats.
The vegetable dishes of the Mediterranean Diet are some of the most creative and scrumptious due to the flavor of the extra virgin olive oil.
The nuts are excellent snacks and additions to meals. Nuts taste good and they have fiber, antioxidants, protein and healthy fats depending on which ones you eat.
Lean meats are hearty and good for muscle development.
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the most important foods because it contains properties which benefit heart health. Think of the antioxidants in the extra virgin olive oil as little working soldiers repairing the body. What a miraculous food.
Thank you Koroneiki olive.
The Mediterranean Diet is a great meal plan option for so many reasons, but mainly because of the simplicity of the ingredients and its main properties such as antioxidants which reduce inflammation and keep a body running well.
There is so much more to unearth with this diet, so I welcome you to tune into The Kefi Life podcast episode 187 publishing February 6, 2025 on all major platforms. My guest is Elena Paravantes a registered dietician and expert on the Mediterranean Diet. You will hear about the myths, the way to lose weight and so much more. Elena is a sensational source of information, and she is passionate about this meal plan.
Also- feel free to visit Mayo Clinic and read more about the Mediterranean diet and its heart healthy profile.
My friends in the Kefi Life community, thank you for reading this blog post and allowing me to share viable and practical ways to live optimally with food.
I leave you today with this quote by Hippocrates, “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
Ola Kala – All is Well
Filakia-kisses,
Kiki