The Mediterranean diet. One of the best to use when losing weight.

It is considered to be an intangible piece of cultural heritage by UNESCO and according to Harvard University, it is one of the best diets to use in order to lose weight.

The following products make it rich in fibre, vitamins, antioxidants and omega 3.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in:

• Vegetables.
• Fruits.
• Legumes.
• Cereals.
• Fish.
• Extra-virgin olive oil.
• Garlic.
• Onion.
• Nuts.
• Eggs (to be consumed moderately).
• Dairy products (to be consumed moderately).
• Meat (to be consumed moderately).

Using the Mediterranean diet as a basis to lose weight, the bases of the diet would the same as those for the general population, with only reducing the portions being eaten, always served in a small plate or a dessert plate and be made up of approximately 10 to 11 tablespoons per portion without taking into account the added vegetables.

• The legumes that are part of the Mediterranean diet are: white beans, chickpeas and lentils.
• Cereals: Rice (wholegrain is best), breakfast cereals without sugar, bread and whole grain pasta.
• Fish: sardines, anchovies, hake, salmon, small fishes and seafood with low levels of mercury and with a rich amount of omega 3.
• Extra virgin olive oil, for its richness of mono unsaturated fatty acids, but only using 3 to 4 tablespoons in weight loss diets due to its high amount of calories.
• Milk in the form of low fat yogurt, due to its large quantity of probiotics, which aid the health of the colon.

Exercise is essential in this diet.

For everybody depending on age, walks of half an hour up to an hour, for a minimum of five times a week.

Drinking 2 litres of water per day, which helps to eliminate toxins through the kidneys and it is the best diuretic that exists.

Always eating a fresh salad of vegetables as a first course in all the main meals, followed by a course each day of a different legume, with one day being rice and with another being pasta, always mixing it with vegetables at different stages of cooking and always accompanied by a piece of bread.

Have dinners consisting of fish and vegetables, eggs, grilled chicken, or seafood.

It would be ideal to eat 5 meals a day:

• A good breakfast (cereal with milk or toast with olive oil and freshly squeezed orange juice).
• A piece of fruit or a yogurt mid-morning.
• Lunch at midday, which would ideally be the main meal of the day (legumes, rice or pasta, with vegetables).
• An afternoon snack of a yogurt or a piece of fruit.
• A light dinner of grilled fish, eggs or grilled chicken. 

A piece of fruit after every meal helps to quench the need to eat something sweet for those that have a sweet tooth, and eating it before a meal helps to quench the hunger for those who get very hungry, however we should never forget to eat a vegetable salad as a first course due to its large quantity of fibre that will help to reduce our appetite.

Dr. J. Hurtado Martínez

Medical Director of HealthSalus