Italian Mediterranean Diet: a lifestyle of fresh, flavourful and wholesome eating

If you open any webpage you’re almost certain to find a link or two telling you all about the latest diet, how to lose weight and live healthier. The problem is that many of these diets are fads, passing trends. They can be difficult to stick to and may not give you the results you want.

However, The Italian Mediterranean diet is different. It’s more of a lifestyle choice than a diet and it’s simply a reflection of the way Italians eat. Put simply, the Italian Mediterranean diet is a typical Italian diet for many of the people living in the country.

Best of all, you can easily incorporate this Italian food diet into your lifestyle and feel the benefits of eating well.

What is the Italian Mediterranean diet?

The Italian Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world. At its heart, it relies on vegetables and fruit. However, nothing is off-limits in moderation. Food is generally cooked in extra virgin olive oil and you’ll find plenty of pasta and fresh fish included. Of course, being Italian, plenty of meals are topped off with genuine Italian Parmigiano cheese.

The Mediterranean diet differs slightly between countries bordering the Mediterranean. Italy is a big fan of pasta and this is the main source of carbohydrates. While nothing is off-limits, the main foods you’ll be eating are:

• Fresh fruit
• Vegetables
• Small amounts of dairy
• Small amounts of fish and poultry
• Very occasional addition of red meat
• Moderate quantities of wine
• Nuts and seeds
• Olive oil

There are plenty of fats in this typical Italian diet, but they are monounsaturated fats and considered healthy.

Why Choose The Mediterranean Diet?

In the first instance, this diet is sustainable. You can eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, enjoy your favourite dairy snacks, and even consume wine in moderation. However, the biggest reason to adopt this typical Italian food diet is that the research shows it’s the perfect diet for heart health.

According to the latest research, the average Italian will consume 140 kg of fruit and 180 kg of vegetables a year. By comparison, the average Brit only consumes 91 kg of fruit and 89 kg of vegetables. It’s worth noting that the Italians have a love of fresh food. Many of their traditional dishes are very simple and rely completely on local fresh ingredients. While modern technology is helping to recreate these meals, it’s still hard to match the authentic taste of Italian food while in Italy!

It’s not just your heart which will be healthier. The Italian Mediterranean diet is excellent at promoting bowel regularity. This is largely because the diet is heavy in fruit and vegetables. Nuts are also known to be full of fiber and a filling snack, making them perfect for keeping hunger away and a great way to introduce additional fiber to your diet.

Of course, nuts do have a high fat content, so eat them in moderation.

Diet Extras

While the diet primarily consists of the food and drinks you eat. It’s important to note that the Italians are also big on taking life as it comes. They prefer to slow down a little and enjoy what the day has to offer as opposed to constantly rushing to the next thing. It’s a fundamental difference between Italian culture and many others, particularly the UK and the US. As consistently high levels of stress have been linked with an increased risk of many diseases, it’s easy to see why it’s not just the diet keeping Italians healthy.