1-800-985-9066

Heart Healthy Choices: Mediterranean Diet FAQs

The Mediterranean diet is well known for its heart-protecting properties, its rich flavors, and the abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish. As menopause makes irregular heartbeat and cardiovascular disease a common concern, combining this healthy diet with Macafem may be just what you need to protect your heart health during this delicate time.

Before you begin seeking inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine, read our FAQs to get armed with the facts.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Mediterranean diet consists of meals that originated from Crete and Italy in the 1960s.

macafem heart healthy choices mediterranean diet faqs

What is the mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet began garnering popularity throughout the world during the 1990s and consists of the dietary traditions followed by Italy, Greece, and Spain, three of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. As opposed to the traditional Western diet, which is heavy in red meat, eggs, and saturated fats, the Mediterranean diet promotes good heart health and can help you to lose weight if that is your goal.

What foods does it include?

Fresh fruits and vegetables are a huge part of the diet. Olive oils, nuts, beans, grains, potatoes, and breads are also very prominent. There is very little red meat consumed, with fish being its common replacement, though white meat intake is also encouraged. Fat, an important part of every healthy woman’s diet, is mostly unsaturated and consumed through nuts and olive oil, whereas typical “fast foods” and processed foods, which mainly contain saturated fat, are rarely found in the diet.

Why is it so popular?

The Mediterranean diet is so popular around the globe because of its dual ability to be deeply appealing to your taste buds, as well as good to your health and waistline. It is also a simple diet to follow, without much need for following complex recipes, buying hundreds of ingredients, or having lots of time for cooking. Once you have mastered two or three of the traditional dishes, you will be easily able to adapt them to provide yourself with a huge array of appealing and healthy meals.

What health benefits does it have?

Studies have shown that, if the diet is followed over a prolonged period of time, following the Mediterranean diet can decrease your chance of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are both shown to be less frequent among people who eat the traditional Mediterranean diet.

Are there any downsides to following this diet?

Because the Mediterranean diet is heavy in foods such as anchovies, olives, and capers, it is very high in salt content, which may not beneficial to your health – although low-sodium options are always available. Moderate wine consumption is also encouraged as part of the Mediterranean diet: a glass of red wine with dinner has been shown to protect cardiovascular health, but it’s important to keep it at one glass.

An excellent diet to live by, the Mediterranean diet can be easily combined with Macafem and your new exercise plan, without making you feel like you’re missing out on anything. Learn more about other women who have banished their irregular heartbeats, hot flashes, and other menopausal symptoms on our Macafem reviews page.

British Broadcasting Corporation. (2013). 5 Year Mediterranean Diet Study. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.bbcupdate.com/?p=1843
British Broadcasting Corporation. (2008). Mediterranean Diet ‘Cuts Cancer’. Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7483164.stm
National Health Service UK. (2013). What is a Mediterranean Diet? Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/what-is-a-Mediterranean-diet.aspx
Walsh, F. (2013). Why do the Italians live longer than us? Retrieved August 15, 2013, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21690003
Willett, W.C. (2006). The Mediterranean diet: science and practice. Public health nutrition, 9(1A), 105-110. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16512956