Mediterranean diet, based on the Mediterranean diet pyramid

Summary

Well, first of all we need to say that there is no such thing as a Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by at least 16 countries, and there are many different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, religion, economies and agricultural procedures thus resulting in different diets. However, there is a pattern in the so called Mediterranean diet: high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread, potatoes and beans. Olive oil is an important monosaturated fat source. Fish and poultry are consumed in moderate amounts and almost no red meat is eaten. Wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts.

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What is a diet pyramid?

A diet pyramid is like a guideline to choose which foods to eat. The pyramid is in fact a triangle, where food elements at the base of it indicates that they should be consumed in large quantities and more frequently while food compounds at the top of the pyramid indicate they should be consumed in smaller quantities as well as less frequently. It is important to say that in the United States, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services established the Food Guide Pyramid in 1992. This guide was later replaced by MyPyramid, which is the new symbol which considers age, sex and daily amount of physical activity. There are many of such pyramids in the world, the Asian diet pyramid, the Vegetarian diet pyramid, the Latin American diet pyramid, the Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid and, of course, the famous Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, which we analyze in detail below.

The Mediterranean diet pyramid

In the base of the Mediterranean diet pyramid there is no food at all, there is something called daily physical activity, with emphasis on the word daily. And it is the base of the pyramid so if you want to follow its guidelines, you should consider doing some physical activity everyday. Next on the pyramid we find bread, rice, coscous, polenta, grains and potatoes, which are mainly sources of carbohydrates. Fruits, beams, legumes, nuts and vegetables follow, and they are the vitamin source of the pyramid. Next on the pyramid we find olive oil, which is monosaturated fat, or good fat. After that, cheese and yogurt to provide some minerals like calcium and phosphorous, an also some proteins. So far all the food mentioned and also the physical activity should be consumed and performed on a daily basis. Now we continue with the weekly food, which starts with fish for more proteins, poultry as the first source of meat found, eggs for more proteins and essential amino acids, and finally on the weekly stage of the pyramid, we have sweets, like ice creams. What?s on the top of the pyramid? Red Meat, the only source of saturated fat on the pyramid, and guess what, it is the only one who should be eaten monthly.

Conclusion

Among the many pyramids that exist, it is clear that the famous Mediterranean diet pyramid is one of the best to preserve healthy conditions on the human body. It contains everything in the correct dosages to do its job but it will require some commitment on your part to succeed. It is always not easy to get rid of such tasty foods and such sweet candies, and maybe daily exercise is too much. Well, unfortunately for lazy people, we have a phrase that suits perfectly with here, ?no pain, no gain?.