The Mediterranean Diet – Oh So Tasty
Yes, there is more to the Mediterranean than sun, beach and wine… there is the Mediterranean Diet…
For many years now the inhabitants of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea – (such as southern Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Israel) have been considered to be among the healthiest in the world enjoying both high life expectancy plus showing health benefits like low incidence of chronic diseases and in recent years many studies have been made to discover why and if it has to do with more than just the sunshine!
Traditionally, their diet has been based on the livestock, fishing and agriculture of their land and reliance on foods from a rich diversity of plant sources including fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans and seeds. In Northern Africa for example, couscous, vegetables and legumes form the centre of the diet, in the Eastern Mediterranean, bulgar and rice along with vegetables and legumes and in Southern Europe, the basis is formed by rice, polenta, pasta with plenty of vegetables and legumes and everywhere bread is eaten at most meals (but without butter!).
Nutritional research has shown the advantages of a diet HIGH in vegetables, fruits, grains, monounsaturated fats and various complex carbohydrates but LOW in cholesterol and certain forms of saturated fat and led to greater public awareness.
It is true that these foods, like those foods consumed by the rest of Europe and the United States are rich in fat, BUT… of a different type!
Let me explain this: There are three types of dietary fats:
? Saturated fats, (from animals)
? Polyunsaturated fats (from plants, seeds, nuts and vegetables)
? mono saturated fats (olive oil). Olive oil isn’t only delicious (and somewhat expensive) but it’s also rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, E and K as well as iron.
The health and therapeutic benefits of olive oil are vast: namely?
? it does not have the same cholesterol raising effects as the saturated fats found in animal fats
? it contains anti-oxidants that discourage clogging of the arteries and chronic diseases including cancer
? and it also has lubricating properties in so far as it acts as a laxative, aids digestion and protects the intestine from ulcers.
Now, this “Mediterranean diet” – (though not exactly a diet in the ?slimmers? sense of the word), has led to a style of eating that is a move away from relying on manufactured food stuffs to recipes consisting of natural and healthy ingredients eaten raw or minimally processed.
So WHAT typically comprises “The Mediterranean Diet?”
When, in 1993, The Harvard University School of Public Health and Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust (a Boston based educational organisation) held a conference on the Mediterranean diet and its influence on public health, reviewing data concerned with the dietary traditions of those countries bordering the Mediterranean, the committee developed the “Mediterranean Food Guide Pyramid”, the main points of which are summarised as follows:
? plenty of food from plant sources, including fruit, vegetables, breads and grains, beans, nuts and seeds
? use of Olive Oil replacing other fats and oils
? fresh fruit daily
? Seasonally fresh and locally grown foods in preference to processed foods
? Saturated fat should constitute less than 20 per cent of total calories
? small amounts of cheese and yoghurt (containing live cultures which may contribute to good health)
? daily moderate amounts of fish and poultry weekly and only a few eggs
? very little red meat
? a glass of wine (especially red) with meals as it contains anti-oxidants and has cholesterol reducing properties (although optional as there are contraindications for women related to breast cancer)
Natalia Kim is a journalist for beginning-exercise-and-weight-loss-help.com
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Belly Fat: Enough of That! One Probable Cause of Excess Abdominal Fat
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor; nor do I play one on TV. As a matter of fact, I don’t even watch the actors, who play the doctors on TV. I am a researcher, extraordinaire. I research, “the research.”
Health statements made by this writer have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. Nor are they intended as medical advice and should not be used for the purpose of self-diagnosis. Consult your personal physician regarding all medical problems and concerns…
There’s more fat around the bellies of American men women and children now, then there was 20 years back.
What’s up with that?
The truth is, there are a multitude of theories and reasons which address our battle with the belly. My aim is to focus on one, probable cause; and then share one, dynamic solution.
Let’s begin with a review of Anatomy 101. The colon. The colon is also known as the large intestine. It is a long, muscular tube, about six feet in length that orchestrates the digestive process. As you chew your food, your body releases enzymes that help with digestion. When your food reaches the stomach, the process continues and, the body’s digestive juices break it down even more. After about an hour or so of this, the stomach deposits your food into the small intestine.
After several hours of being in the small intestine, the undigested waste, is transported into the last section of the colon where it is eventually eliminated.
Most adolescents have little problems eliminating waste from the colon. This is because there is very little undigested waste sticking along the lining of the colon walls. However, the typical American diet is loaded in fats and enormous amounts of protein which have a propensity to deposit left behind, waste in the colon. As such, it’s during your post-adolescent years that the interior of the colon walls gradually become smaller and smaller.
Imagine a pipe accumulating years of interior rust. This causes a narrowing of its original diameter. Well, this is pretty much what happens to your colon over time. That is why there may be more force required to eliminate fecal matter. Elimination is supposed to require little effort. However, because your colon’s walls are lined with debris, you strain. “Straining” is indicative of a blocked colon.
A blocked colon leaves food behind to rot in the digestive tract: Therefore, the final process of digestion is not completed. The debris then rots and candida albicans, bacteria and toxins take residence. Food which is undigested in the colon contributes to colon cancer. John Wayne, the world famous western actor, died from complications of colon cancer. It is said that he had more than 40 pounds of undigested food in his colon.
Mucoid plaque consists of the layers of mucous and rotting food which compact themselves year after year along the entire length of the digestive tract (Anderson). But here’s the thing, this plaque forms in the intestine and continues to produce mucous as a normal response to the undigested food. Food is not supposed to just sit there and rot. Our body is designed to store three meals at any given time (Jensen), but most Americans are storing six to twelve! Mucous is not powerful enough to move the toxic, enzyme-free sludge left behind from fake, chemically-laced and high-processed foods such as, “wieners,” “supreme burritos,” and double orders of chili fries.
However, as a natural defense mechanism, your body continues to produce more and more mucous. This causes the colon to grow in diameter and create the appearance of belly fat. So, if you are doing dozens of crunches and other “ab work” and can’t seem to lose the belly fat, it’s probable that you have undigested food rotting in your colon.
In his book, Cleanse and Purify, Dr. Richard Anderson documents what another medical doctor (who requested anonymity) shared at a seminar:
“I have spent twelve years working in the field of post-mortem diagnosis. I have seen many thousands of dissected cadavers. What Rich is telling you is the absolute truth. Everybody has it in there. We have a way of attaching a hose to the upper intestines and with the aid of powerful chemicals, we literally blow the stuff right out of the intestines. I have seen the heavy ‘beer belly’ and so called fat people lose all that bulk in five minutes. It wasn’t fat. It was the mucoid layer that Rich was talking about. And, in that filthy substance we see all sorts of worms, bacteria, fungi, and many unidentifiable things. It is almost unbelievable that people can live with that filth in them. All these people were dead of course, and it wasn’t hard to see why?” (Anderson p2-46)
Unbelievable!
A VIABLE SOLUTION FOR A PROBABLE CAUSE
Colon hydrotherapy- is a powerful enema performed by a licensed professional. It has an immediate affect and flushes out old, putrefied food and debris from the colon. Many doctors have stated that rotten food can be removed with this hydro-cleanse.
Maintenance:
Reduce or completely eliminate white dressings, ice cream, processed sugar, candy and creamy soups.
Increase the fiber in your diet. Make broccoli, beans, fruits and nuts the norm.
And finally, exercise and drink plenty of clean, fresh water throughout the day.
It won’t be long before you begin saying:
“What happened to my belly fat? Oh, I had enough of that!”
References
Jensen, Bernard —Empty Harvest
Guyton, AC, MD —Textbook of Medical Physiology
Martin, Simon — Intestinal Permeability
Anderson, Richard, MD — Cleanse and Purify
Fran Briggs is an author and motivational speaker. She is also the President of The Fran Briggs Companies, an organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of individuals and groups around the globe. The company’s personal development website offers a free, exciting twice-monthly newsletter that helps you live a happier, healthier and wealthier life. Please visit franbriggs.com and dwjd.info for more information.
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