Mediterranean Diet Rated #1 Again in 2022. YOU Need to Start it NOW!

 

Have you had an uneasy feeling the foods you are eating might not be healthy for you?

Are those feelings persistent? Has your weight been creeping up and up?

Are your dimensions getting bigger and bigger? TOO big?

Are you becoming more concerned about your health? Are you worried about health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke?

Are your blood pressure and blood sugar numbers heading in “the wrong direction?”

Do you feel like you are taking too many pills?

Most importantly, do you have a persistent nagging feeling you need to “change your ways” and “take action” to improve your diet?

If this sounds like you, here is some great news: The Mediterranean Diet!   

Very Impressive Ratings:

Yes, it’s true. For the fifth straight year in a row, the Mediterranean diet has been rated as the #1 diet for overall health by US News and World Report. https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2022-01-04/u-s-news-reveals-best-diet-rankings-for-2022 

You might ask, “How did that happen”? Well, it’s really straightforward. 

Every year US News and World Report assembles a panel of expert nutritionists, dietary consultants, and doctors. 
They ask this panel to look at all the most common diets, and then rate the top 40. 

US News did the same thing again in 2022, and the results are the same for the fifth straight year, i.e., 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. 

The Mediterranean diet came out as #1 for “Best Diet Overall.” 

But hey!! That is just the beginning. Look at all these other superb #1 ratings:

“The Med” diet also came in at #1 for:

• #1 “Best Plant-based Diet,” 

• #1 “Best Heart-Healthy Diet, 

• #1 “Best Diabetes Diet,” 

• #1 “Best Diet for Healthy Eating,” and; 

• #1 “Easiest Diet to Follow.”

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Again, that is from that same US News and World Report study. 

You have to admit all those #1 ratings are impressive.

How “The Med” got started:

The story behind the Mediterranean diet is simple. 

In the 1950s, scientists like Ancel Keys, his wife Margaret Keys, and others noticed that people in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea had low heart disease and stroke rates. 

They also noticed they live very long lives, with many people living healthy lives to age 90 years, 100 years and older. 
There have been multiple studies of this region since the 1950s, all pointing in the same direction: The Mediterranean Diet is real. It works wonders.

For example, in February of 2019, the journal Circulation Research said the Mediterranean diet decreased the risk of heart disease and stroke and called the findings “large, strong and consistent.”

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The Foods in the Med Diet:

The “Med diet” emphasizes small amounts of lean meat and avoiding meats containing saturated fats, especially red meat. 
 

There is a decided emphasis on eating plant proteins instead of meat and using healthy oils like olive oil. 

The Med diet calls for eating plants like fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, nuts, fish, and seafood as a substitute for meat. 

In addition, they urge eating fish containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids. 

Poultry, eggs, some dairy like cheese and yogurt, in smaller amounts, round out the diet.

Why it Works:

The diet works for two reasons: First, it is extremely low in saturated fats, like the fats found in red meats eaten by Northern Europeans and Americans. 

Secondly, the diet contains healthy fats and oils, especially olive oil, and nutrients that keep harmful cholesterol levels down. 

Those same natural nutrients slow aging, improve heart health, reduce stroke risk, help with memory and cognition, and reduce your chances of getting illnesses like diabetes and some cancers. 

In 2013, the New England Journal of Medicine found that using the Med diet could prevent up to 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths from cardiovascular disease in high-risk people.

And here is another neat thing about the Med diet: It is not a diet based on calorie restriction. They don’t ask you to “count calories.” Therefore, it is easier to succeed with “The Med.”

Instead, they suggest you change WHAT you eat, i.e., the types of food you put in your mouth. 

The net result is better overall health and extended longevity.

Conclusion:

As you can see, the “Med Diet” has been around for a long time. Science has studied it thoroughly. 

There are solid reasons why Mediterraneans live long and healthy lives. 

They avoid saturated fats, eat healthy plant fats and proteins, and thus have better heart and circulatory health.

There are all kinds of side benefits as well. For example, you reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and other illnesses. 

All of it contributes to solid health as we age.