Mediterranean Diet Example

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Premise

The following indications are for informational purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professionals such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of PERSONALIZED food therapies.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is a typical diet of the Mediterranean basin, even if not all the coastal areas bordering it consume it; for years, the Mediterranean diet has been studied and praised for its beneficial and long-lasting properties, to the point of being considered an intangible cultural heritage of humanity (UNESCO - 2010).

To date, the Mediterranean diet has undergone a notable mutation both in its nutritional components and in the portions determined on it; calorie intake, glycemic load, amount of lipids, etc. have increased, while the average energy expenditure of the populations of the basin has drastically reduced.

A diet more faithful to the original Mediterranean diet will therefore be reproduced below, which initially met the following requirements:

• Wide consumption of: raw cereals (spelled, barley, rye, buckwheat, sorghum, etc.), legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.), seasonal vegetables, native fishery products (especially fish) ... perhaps milk and yogurt
• Modest consumption of: extra virgin olive oil, integral sea salt, sweet fruit, white meat, aged cheeses, red wine, eggs and dried fruit
• Almost absent: seasoning fats of animal origin, red meats (especially pork and beef), confectionery foods.

Other foods came later, such as pasta, which from the moment in which energy consumption was drastically reduced (modern age) began to cause a considerable imbalance in the energy introduced with respect to that consumed; the same goes for bread.

Nutrients of the Mediterranean Diet

The strength of the Mediterranean diet is represented by the combination of many nutraceutical foods contextualized in a balanced diet; the molecules of greatest interest are:

• Thermolabile vitamins, instead scarce in today's diet
• Mineral salts less present in the contemporary diet including iodine, potassium, magnesium, zinc and selenium
• Dietary fiber (30g / day and up)
• Polyunsaturated and essential fatty acids (ω3, ω6 and ω9, hypocholesterolemic, hypotiglyceridemic, hypo-tensive, anti-thrombotic, etc.)
• Lecithins (hypocholesterolemic phospholipids)
• Antioxidants (vitamins, mineral salts, polyphenols, etc.)
• Phytosterols (estrogenic molecules contained in vegetables with cholesterol-lowering power)
• Complex carbohydrates greater than simple ones
• Vegetable proteins in greater quantities than the diet mainly rich in meat and eggs

All associated with a very high level of physical activity.

NB. Several studies on the general population have shown that the Mediterranean diet is remarkably athero-protective, that is, it significantly reduces the possibility of unfortunate events linked to the deposition of cholesterol in the arteries, therefore to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques; it also protects from arterial hypertension as well as from some cancers of the digestive system. The Mediterranean diet moderates the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke.

The Mediterranean diet is the basis of the classic nutritional breakdown of diet therapy your country, namely:

1. Lipids at 25-30% of total kcal
2. 12% protein or calculated on a coefficient of 0,75g / 1,2g per kg of desirable physiological weight
3. Carbohydrates for all remaining energy
4. Alcohol, max 2 alcohol units per day.

Mediterranean Diet Example

SUITABLE FOR

• Gardener, likes red wine.

Translation of day 1

NB: Some weights can be evaluated without the aid of a scale, for example:

• Liquid 250-300ml / g = 1 cup
• Liquid 5g = 1 tsp
• Liquid 10g = 1 tbsp
• 10g grain = 1 tbsp
• Fruit or vegetable 200g = medium size
• Fruit or vegetable 300g = large size
• Walnut kernel, almond, pecan nut, hazelnut = 3g
• Bread 20-25g = small slice
• Bread 30-35g = large slice

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 1

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 2

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 3

20g

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 4

200g

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 5

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 6

Mediterranean Diet Example - Day 7