By Elena Voropay

When was the last time you indulged in natural taste of any food instead of concentrating on specific nutrients while gobbling down your beloved chemical-tasting protein shake? Here is your call – try to eat the Mediterranean. As a bonus for your enjoyment in delicious natural foods, you get a powerful boost of energy flaming to burn you fat stores and help you build muscle mass. You've probably heard of not so infamous Mediterranean Diet. I bet the first things that come to mind are olive oil, garlic and wine. Is that all they eat? Of course not.

But whatever the magic foods are chosen, Mediterraneans live longer, have lower risk of developing heart disease and cancer. The word "obesity" is almost unknown in that area. Taken the above benefits, now many dietitians of the western world recommend this diet to anyone striving to lose a few pounds, improve blood cholesterol, or simply to get 'energized'. The best part is that the Mediterranean Diet may feel almost intuitive for some – you don't have to count calories, or nutrient grams, and you can eat all the foods you have been depriving yourself from. The magic behind this eating plan is not so simple, as you may find out.

The Mediterranean Diet

There are 18 countries with coasts on the Mediterranean sea: Spain, southern France, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Since all these countries differ markedly in geography, flora and fauna, and food availability, it is difficult to unify eating habits of the people living here into a single diet. The results of the study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that dieters in each country eat differently depending on location. Neighboring countries food habits are closer than those on opposite sides of the Mediterranean Sea.

As it turns out, there is no single ideal Mediterranean diet and nutritionists who use the concept probably should specify the country and the time of referral to their model Mediterranean Diet.. However, from the available evidence lets us summarize some major points.

Foods from plant sources make up the core of the diet, so spare your meats and protein shakes. Cereals constitute the largest proportion of all foods eaten in the Mediterranean region. These include wheat, burghul, semolina, rice, maize, bread and pasta from these grains.

In North Africa, couscous together with vegetables and legumes forms the center of the diet; in southern Europe, indulge in pasta, rice, polenta and potatoes together with vegetables and legumes such as chickpeas and beans. Bread without butter or margarine is highly regarded throughout the Mediterranean.

If you you already read-up an appetite to snack on pop-corn and potato chips for snacks, rest your mind free if you want to eat like a Mediterranean. There are better alternatives, such as fruit,nuts, seeds, and olives which are adored in every country and are eaten as snacks and additions to main meals to enhance the taste and the energy density of each dish. When it comes to dessert, refined sugar is kept very low in the traditional diets of the Mediterranean.

Mediterraneans drink considerably less milk than northern Europeans or Americans. Dairy products come from buttermilk, yogurt and cheeses, are preferred in lower fat variety, such as ricotta, cottage, Parmesan, granular, bocconcini, feta, haloumi, kasseri, kafalograviera, kefalotiri, provolone, mozzarella, mascarpone, and pecorino. Most of them are made from sheep, goat’s and cow’s milk.

Butter is used sparingly, except in the rich northern Italian and classic French cuisines. Clarified butter, or ghee, is used in pastry cooking, or to flavor couscous when mixed with herbs. Instead of butter, the use of olive oil is widely advocated in and is consumed almost with every meal. It is the single most distinguishing feature of Mediterranean cooking. Other oils traditionally used are cottonseed, grapeseed, hazelnut, maize, safflower, sunflower, and walnut.

The olive is one of the most popular and simple appetizers used in the region. Served stuffed, fried, cooked with meat and poultry, added to salads or cereals, olives are well used around the Mediterranean, especially in Greece.

Many of the vegetables are Mediterranean only by adoption and include tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums, Jerusalem artichokes, aubergines. Despite the fact, they are enjoyed in high quantities and are inseparable part of the Mediterranean cooking. Cucumbers, asparagus, peppers, chilies, beans, beetroot, brassica ‘family’, carrots, okra, onions, celery, spinach, zucchini, squash and peas are also among the most widely used.

Herbs accompany every Mediterranean dish, especially vegetable dishes. Anise, basil, bay leaves, borage, caraway, chamomile, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rigani, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme are Mediterranean favorites. Other flavorings include allspice, capers, cinnamon, citron, and juniper. The use of garlic, both white and purple-skinned varieties, is a major characteristic of Mediterranean cooking, and has an effect of lower incidence of heart disease in the region. All of these flavourings have shown to have medicinal properties are widely used as measurements of prevention certain ailments.

Nuts are very highly regarded in the Mediterranean cuisine and are used to thicken sauces, add texture, and increase energy-nutrient density of foods. Seeds and nuts are also used as snacks and include almonds, pistachio, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, and tahini paste from sesame seeds. Other kinds such as Brazil nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, cashews and peanuts were brought to the Mediterranean from America and are now widely consumed around the world, but are not included in authentic.

One thing you may note is that Mediterraneans love their fish and shellfish, and lots of it. No wonder – living so close to the sea it's hard to resist the abundance of taste and variety. The most common habitants of the sea in the cuisine are clams, cockles, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, octopus,cod, eels, sole, sea bream, whiting, tuna, and sea urchin.

When it comes to meat, Mediterraneans prefer the least recommended foods – fat-loaded preserved meat, such as ham, salami and lamb. But being so healthy and fit, the weight-unconscious dieters of the region eat it only sparingly. Regarded low fat kinds include chicken, capon, Guinea fowl, rabbit and turkey.

The Mediterranean diet allows a moderate amount of wine, preferably red as it has more antioxidants from phytonutrients than lighter colors. Coffee is also on the diet list, so bodybuilding caffeine surge should fit your need for calorie-free energy.

Despite a high fat intake, the Mediterraneans have very low rates of coronary heart disease, cancer and a long life expectancy, lower incidence of large bowel, breast, endometrium, and prostate cancers. It is not the seaside sunshine that balances the fat. It is the sun's love of fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans and peas), nuts, unrefined whole grains and olive oil, the water's love of fish, the grass' love of stock that makes the region so special.

The dieting inhabitants ardor all nature's gifts by eating moderate amount of fish, dairy and wine, low amounts of meat, poultry and saturated fats which all contain cholesterol, saturated fat and trans fatty acids. Where does the energy come from? Of course from protective antioxidants, phytochemicals, low-GI sugars, amino acids and healthy fats of plants.

1. Monounsaturated:saturated fat from vegetable oils, particularly olive.

2. Combination of cereals (particularly bread) and legumes for complete protein 3.

Fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals, fiber and enzymes

4. Moderate consumption of alcohol, milk and slightly greater amounts of dairy products (cheese and yogurt)

5. Fish is preferred over poultry, eggs and meat

Instead of counting calories, the idea of the Mediterranean Diet is to eat with pleasure – something that most of us have forgotten how to. Slowing down and savoring foods, enjoying the freshness of the flavors, and tasting the richness of aromatic herbs and spices. In other words, get close to nature, avoid processed foods, eat your grains, fruit and veggies, fish, lean meats, fatten it all up with 'good' oils and you'll be fine. Oh, don't forget to flush the meal down with a glass of feel-good wine.

Is it possible to find side effects in the diet that doesn't give any specific recommendations? Since it lets you eat everything, Mediterranean Diet can be dangerous. Overconsumption of anything may cause chronic diseases, weight gain in the cellulite form, loss of muscle function and deprive you of energy. So, the over-stated word ‘moderation’ applied to all portion sizes needs a more clear definition.

Let's look at the Mediterranean Diet through a high-resolution magnifying glass and take some famous dishes from the menu. Haven't we been eating their baklavas, pastas, gyrus, kebabs, nuts, salads and cheeses for ages? For some reason, these only made us fatter and sicker. What's happening here?

Here is the problem: once the menu leaves its native country, it undergoes major transformations into an absurd health catastrophe to meet the tastes, habits and cultural context of the diet-welcoming nation.

Most Dietitians agree that the authenticity of any cultural diets can be applied only in the surroundings of its origin. In other words, Mediterraneans would enjoy their healthy lunch of tiny slice of Pizza and half a serving of wine for hours – with singing and dancing for dessert. The way we see Mediterranean Diet is to order in a family size dinner of four Pizzas, four garlic breads, topping it with a pint of ice-cream and several liters of Coke or beer. We certainly try to balance the healthy side – by eating some green leaves swimming in refined canola oil, and sprinkle some MSG-preserved olives, fried egg-plants, 'sun-dried' (oven-fried) tomatoes which have never seen the sun, and maybe some cucumbers for color. A dinner with nutritional promises wishes for more.

So, you better forget the way to your favorite Italian eatery. Otherwise, order a Fettuccine Alfredo and you stuff your arteries with as much saturated fat as three pints of Breyer's Butter Almond ice cream. Or, why don't you devour five egg rolls instead of Eggplant Parmigiana? If you go with a light fare and order an appetizer of Fried Calamari, you'll be getting more cholesterol than from a four-egg omelet.

 
Mediterranean diet has shown to benefit hypercholesterolemic people by improving their lipid levels and reducing the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome. According to the Harvard Health Letter, researchers found that red wine consumption is related to low hear-disease rate even when intakes of fat are high. At the same time, other studies concluded that the benefit is not from red wine but from the alcohol itself, no matter what the source.

For people with insulin resistance higher-fat diets protect against the heart disease risk factors of low HDL-cholesterol concentration, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia. These studies mainly concentrated on the lipid ratio of the Mediterranean diet attributing it to most of the health effects. However, the belief that consumption of large quantities of olive oil was the main reason for the reduced risk of several chronic diseases has been somewhat disproved by several major scientific studies.

According to the research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, olive oil itself produced no significant reduction in overall death rates. While olive oil itself showed little benefit, the researchers note a significant reduction in death rates from a higher overall ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. When the researchers looked at the individual components of the Mediterranean diet, they found no significant decrease in death with any one type of food.

Scientific Evidence for the Mediterranean Diet 

Harvard School of Public Health developed The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid based on food patterns in the early 1960s, when adult life expectancy was among the highest in the world and rates of coronary heart disease, certain cancers, and other diet- related chronic diseases were among the lowest. Low rates of obesity may be attributed to physical activity that was performed through required daily activities such as work in the field or in the kitchen. “The design of the pyramid is not based solely on either the weight or the percentage of energy (calories) that foods account for in the diet, but on a blend of these that is meant to give relative proportions and a general sense of frequency of servings, as well as an indication of which foods to favor in a healthy Mediterranean-style diet

The base of this pyramid is represented by physical activity emphasizing that it should be viewed as the most important component of a healthy lifestyle. Both the Mediterranean and USDA Food Pyramids show breads, pasta, grains, and potatoes as the largest food group to choose from. Fruits and vegetables, similar to the USDA's guide, are emphasized in the next two food groups with the difference in placement of beans and nuts group. Mediterraneans eat an abundance of these, equally to vegetables and fruit, when the USDA's pyramid emphasizes them as alternatives in the meat group at the top of the pyramid with 2-3 servings accounting for meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.

Olive oil is the next major food group in the Mediterranean Pyramid when USDA advises to use fats and oils only sparingly. One reason may be that in a typical Western diet people consume larger amounts of meat and dairy both containing large fat content, mostly saturated. Saturated fatty acids are more closely associated with risk factors for heart disease than are unsaturated fatty acids. Popular belief that plant-based diets are healthy because they are low in fat may not be true. In complete plant-based diets unsaturated fatty acids predominate coming from nuts, seeds and oils from grains and seeds.

Fish and poultry, followed by wine, red meat and sweets, are recommended in moderation taking the top of the Mediterranean pyramid. But that doesn’t conclude that protein is deficient. Some micronutrients may not be consumed in large enough quantities, including heme iron and calcium. Sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals, which have numerous health protective functions, are eaten by Mediterraneans in much larger quantities compared with Western population.

Fields of sunflowers, miles of coastline, and spectacular scenery of the Mediterranean are almost as good as the Australian ocean breeze, endless beaches, snowy mountains, spectacular forestry, wild bush, aromatic wineries, and an overwhelming abundance of seafoods. Climate variety lets us plant so many different foods year round, that probably no other country in the world can compare with our natural living conditions. So, when it comes to breeds and species of edible items, Australian diet has everything you would find in the Mediterranean eating plan. There's no question that it is a healthy diet.

Varied, rich, tasty and natural – this is how I would define Mediterranean diet. Cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit are eaten in abundance and represent the largest part of the diet. Mediterraneans consume low amounts of complete protein sources such as meat, eggs, and slightly more fish. So, you wonder, where do they get their protein from? Cereals provide an important portion of protein intake when eaten along with pulses or nuts well represented in the Mediterranean diet.

The total fat content of diets may vary from less than 30% in the traditional diet of Southern Italy to about 40% in the island of Crete. Saturated fat intake is 7-8 percent of the average total fat ranging from < 25% to > 35% of energy throughout the region.

Water-soluble vitamins in the Mediterranean diet are present in greater abundance than lipid soluble vitamins, especially vitamin A which is obtained primarily from animal foods. To balance the deficiency people of the Mediterranean region consume large amounts of provitamins A, such as alpha- and beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthine. High consumption of plant sources accounts for the presence of antioxidants, vitamins C, E, B, and various minerals.

Does the diet take and keep weight off, and does it help you build muscles from all the nutrients it contains? Who knows. Since there is no clear-cut proportions of anything, be it fat, protein, carbohydrates, or even calories, it is silly to assume or review the meal plan. In other words, just 'eat healthy' – basically what most know from common sense.

As difficult as it is to give specifics on non-definable Mediterranean Diet, follow these guidelines:

* For complex carbs and easily absorbably vegetable protein, focus on peasant fare of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains at every meal (10 servings per day with caloric count over 60% of your daily needs)

* Add some animal protein from seafood, lean white meats, cheese and yogurt daily (2-3 servings), eggs (less than four servings per week)

* Substitude animal fats for 'healthy options' like olive oil, nuts, and avocados (with total dietary fat accounting for 25-35 percent of energy, and saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of total calories)

* Drink plenty of wine (about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women) and be merry.

So, forget gyros, high-fat cheeses, greesy pizza or creamy fettuccini if you want strong lean body, Most importantly, enjoy your food while watching portion sizes, drink lots of water, and relax.

Maybe it will awake the inborn bodybuilding hormonal response in all of your sensory organs, spark up your energy and revitalize the power you can use at the gym