Mediterranean Diet - the Benefits of This Antiaging Diet

The Mediterranean diet originates in countries in the Mediterranean such as Greece and Italy. It's packed full of foods that have health benefits like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, legumes, and olive oil. It also includes small amounts of dairy, meat, and saturated fats, as well as moderate consumption of alcohol. The Mediterranean diet has significant benefits to one's health and to the aging process.

There has been a great deal of research done on the Mediterranean diet. It has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, fat build up in the arteries, obesity, high blood pressure, and glucose intolerance. And of course it has been shown to drastically slow down the process of aging.

It really isn't a big surprise that this diet has such strong ties to good health. After all it relies very little on meat and other saturated fats, such as butter, which are responsible for raising blood cholesterol and promoting the development of some types of cancers.

It does incorporate large amounts of fish, which are high in omega 3 fats, which reduce aging, inflammation, cancer risks, and heart disease risks. The large amounts of beans, fruits, and vegetables provide the body with all kinds of phytochemicals, which protect your blood vessels and guard cells against substances that cause cancer.

Another very important ingredient in the Mediterranean diet is olive oil. 75% of olive oils fatty acid building blocks come from monounsaturated fat and 13% from saturated fat so you can see why blood cholesterol levels go down. It's also far less likely to generate free radicals. Its anti-inflammatory properties promote a healthy heart, slowed aging process, and better protection from cancer.

The compounds in olive oil increase the enzymes necessary to block carcinogens and to better remove them from the body. It is a powerful antioxidant, which helps to keep the body younger both inside and out, and fights disease because it is able to remove free radicals from the body that are a result of toxins. It's these free radicals that play an important role in both the aging process and becoming ill.

The people of the Mediterranean region are lucky that fresh fruits and vegetables grow in abundance and are very affordable, but that shouldn't stop you from trying this diet, even if you have to pay a little more, because you can't put a price on your health. Not only will you look younger, you'll feel younger too.

So there you go.

It has been concluded that those that live in the Mediterranean have a much lower incident of degenerative diseases such as arthritis, stroke, heart disease, and cancer. They also maintain their youthfulness for much longer than other parts of the world. In fact, the Mediterranean diet is now recognized as the healthiest in the world. So why not try it?

14 Oct 2008 00:05:43

Caffeine 'can increase breast cancer risk' - Telegraph.co.uk

Telegraph.co.uk Caffeine 'can increase breast cancer risk' Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Scientists discovered that those who had a diet containing a large number of caffeinated drinks were more at risk of getting a form of breast cancer which ... High caffeine intake linked to worsening of some breast cancers: study Caffeine Consumption Doesn't Raise Overall Breast Cancer Risk Coffee Drinking Does Not Raise Breast Cancer Risk -

More details: http://telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/health/31895~.html

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