11/23
Why Dieting is so Hard – Fix it with a Mediterranean Diet
Imagine sitting down to a huge spread of delicious and vibrant dishes. Beside a heaping pile of aromatic Falafel are marinated strips of chicken, with Middle Eastern spices and extra virgin olive oil rolled into thin Saaj bread. Seasoned tomatoes and other delights surround these wonderful dishes, ready to tempt you into another bite.
Although this sounds like a recipe for weight gain with so many incredible foods there to tempt you, it’s actually a recommended diet for weight loss. The Mediterranean diet has been proven in multiple studies to help you not only lose weight, but also keep it off.
Diets don’t work
The reason why so many diets end in failure is because they are temporary. Restrictive diets that carve out whole food groups do initially lead to weight loss, but you often gain that weight back plus more when you return to normal eating habits.
In the Mediterranean diet, there is a huge variety of different foods to choose from, and relatively few limits. Mediterranean food is mostly vegetables and grains, with very little dairy and red meat. Instead, seafood is the main protein source.
Why the Mediterranean diet does work
Most people give up on diets because they are too restrictive. It takes real willpower to look at a bag of potato chips and think to yourself, “I’m never going to eat carbs again.”
Rather than tell you that you can never eat carbs again, they instead give you a huge variety of choices in what you can eat. You might swap out those potato chips for Turkish Koufta Tajine, which features potatoes along with a host of other delicious vegetables.
You’ll come away feeling full, but you’ll also be healthier than you were, with each dish packed with nutrition.
It’s easier to change your lifestyle when you don’t feel restricted, and studies back up just how helpful the Mediterranean diet is on making these changes. In a recent study conducted in January of 2020, participants who switched to a Mediterranean diet were able to lose an average of 6 ½ pounds.
More importantly, they were also able to sustain this weight loss. The researchers also looked at other diets such as the Paleo diet and intermittent fasting, and while all of them helped with weight loss, the people who switched to a Mediterranean diet were more likely to stick to it.
The researchers also noted that those who chose the Mediterranean diet also saw lowered blood pressure and other health benefits, on top of the weight loss.
Start making a change today
Getting started with a Mediterranean diet is easy. If you’re not sure what foods you’ll like, consider starting off by visiting a restaurant and sampling a variety. Once you know what you like, you can start incorporating these dishes into your every day meals.
The Mediterranean diet has a lot to offer. Those who eat it enjoy longer, healthier lives, as well as rich and tasty food that satisfies in every possible way.
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