Nature itself always knows best!!
Nature itself always knows best!!
The benefits of inserting the Mediterranean Diet in our everyday life.
There has been a lot of talk lately, about healthy eating and the need to improve our physical condition through food due to the outbreak of viruses during the winter, but mainly because of the increasing of very serious diseases such as cancer, which affects the whole the population, without geographical or age limitations.
National authorities and the World Health Organization are particularly concerned of the phenomena and perform researches and studies trying to explain the reasons. The question that occurs is: why, in recent years although people's living conditions, especially in developed societies, have improved greatly, people get sick more often? One of the most prevalent explanations is related to our way of life, especially in modern societies. The population has increased too much and natural resources are not enough to meet demand. The Food industry, trying to deal with the issue, use chemicals (pesticides and feed) and genetically modified additives to increase the available quantities, either in plant or meat products. But with this method, quality is sacrificed, to quantity’s favor, as the additional chemicals alter the nutritional elements of the food. At the same time the available time for the people, to choose the right products and cook them, has been greatly reduced, so they prefer cheap, fast and pre-cooked food, full of preservatives, which has nothing to do with natural, fresh food, both in nutrition and taste.
According to scientists, the solution is to return to our roots. To the way that our ancestors used to be fed and were not facing the above health problems. Some regions in the world have been marked as healthy places, such as Ikaria and Crete in Greece, where people there, are very healthy and live longer than the average man!
The secret is their diet, which is called the Mediterranean Diet.
With the term Mediterranean diet, we characterize the eating habits of people living around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, etc., where due to the climatic conditions, they cultivated their own food, without pesticides or chemicals, excellent food products, rich in taste and nutritional value, food that provide people who chose them, with a healthy and long life.
What are the key points of the Mediterranean diet?
- Small consumption of red meat,
- Average consumption of fish, poultry and dairy products,
- Plenty of fibers (vegetables, pulses, fruit),
- Cooking with olive oil.
The benefits of inserting the Mediterranean Diet in our everyday life are so many. Antioxidants that are abundant in its ingredients, such as vitamins A, E, and C, Β-carotene and phenolic acids ( in fruit, vegetables and olive oil), have a protective effect against cancer. Everyone who receive them are less likely to develop coronary artery disease and or heart problems in general, compared to those who follow a different diet. Moreover antioxidants are also counteracting oxidation / aging of the cells. This is also another main secret of the Mediterranean diet that affects physical health and longevity.
October 16 is World Food Day. It can be a reason to review this important matter, reconsider our habits, be informed and choose more wisely products that we use for us and our loved ones, not because of the convenience and the price they are offered to us, but because of their quality, taste and their nutritional value.
Nature itself always knows best!!
