In today’s world with high information and a high pace of life, people can always find something in trend and then follow it. A good example is that people focus more on health and pay close attention to a healthy diet. The Mediterranean diet with daily intermittent fasting integrated into it, according to a group of specialists, is the ideal eating regimen for a healthy heart, as suggested by a wealth of research. The popularity of the latest diet fad is increasing, but if you’re not sure if it really works, keep reading to discover.
What is Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a recommended eating style that places an emphasis on wholesome foods such as fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and extra virgin olive oil. It also recommends consuming very little animal protein. It is primarily plant-based. Antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents, such as polyphenols, fiber, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids, are included in this diet and are thought to be responsible for multiple health benefits and heart health. The Mediterranean way of life places an emphasis on both delicious, rich-tasting, fresh cuisine and an active lifestyle that includes regular exercise.
Healthy Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
Since the Mediterranean diet focus on an active lifestyle, what are the health benefits? According to existing evidence, both men and women may experience a lower risk of dying too soon from any cause while following a Mediterranean diet. To give you some examples:
The Mediterranean diet may be healthy for your heart, according to numerous research. When someone needs to lower their blood pressure or enhance their cardiovascular health, one of the first recommendations a doctor will offer is the Mediterranean diet. The leading chronic illness afflicting Americans today is cardiovascular disease. Due to its abundance of polyphenols, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrients—all essential for maintaining optimal cardiovascular health—the Mediterranean Diet is ideal for preventing heart disease.
Can you lose weight while following a Mediterranean diet? While it depends on how much you consume, the inclusion of largely nutrient-dense foods can undoubtedly help you manage your weight and lower your calorie intake. For instance, a study published in Nutrition & Diabetes monitored over 32,000 participants for 12 years and discovered that those who followed a Mediterranean-style diet had a decreased chance of becoming overweight or obese than those who did not.
The Mediterranean diet’s ability to regulate excess insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels and weight, maybe one reason it is so effective at preventing diabetes. According to a study published in 2020, inflammatory- or antioxidant-blocking substances, glucagon-like peptide agonists, and alterations in gut flora are just a few of the pathways that the Mediterranean diet may influence. Due to the fact that many of its components follow similar physio-pathological pathways, every element of the Mediterranean diet may be implicated in processes relating to diabetes homeostasis.
The Mediterranean diet is high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, which are protective plant chemicals because it is based on fresh and minimally processed plant foods. Here is a list of items that are acceptable and avoidable for the Mediterranean diet.
Foods to Eat
- Vegetables and Fruit: Veggies like zucchini, eggplant, artichokes, bell peppers, and dark greens; All fruits like cherries, apricots, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries
- Whole grains: like farro, bulgur wheat, barley, and quinoa
- Olive oil and fat: like olive oil, avocados, and avocado oil
- Nuts and seeds: like almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts
- Dairy in moderation: like plain Greek yogurt, goat cheese, plain ricotta, and cottage cheese
Foods to Limit
- Red meat or processed meat
- Trans fats and butter
- Sweetened trail mixes or sugar-coated nuts
- Frozen waffles and pancakes
- Ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and processed cheese
- Red wine or other alcohol
Healthy Snacks
- Nuts and dried fruits
- Greek yogurt
- Early Harvest EVOO and Za’atar Snack: This is an Eastern Mediterranean snack that is a little out of the ordinary. It requires superb extra virgin olive oil, Za’atar—a spice blend of Mediterranean wild thyme and toasted sesame seeds—and a tiny with a little slice of whole wheat pita or your favorite whole grain crusty bread.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Generally speaking, intermittent fasting is a diet approach that alternates between eating and prolonged fasting (i.e., eating nothing or very few calories).
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Can you get healthier by intermittent fasting? Being physically active and losing weight both reduce your risk of obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, sleep apnea, and several types of cancer. Intermittent fasting appears to be roughly as good for these diseases as any other kind of diet that lowers overall calorie intake. According to some studies, intermittent fasting may be more effective than other diets for some diseases or something bad for health, including:
Intermittent Fasting Plans
There is no one “right” method to engage in intermittent fasting. This eating pattern frequently includes:
16:8 plan
You must fast for 16 hours before eating for 8 hours when you adhere to the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan. The one meal that is skipped depends on the circumstances or the demands of the individual when 16:8 is chosen as the intermittent fasting strategy. Most fasters start with the most popular intermittent fasting schedule, the 16:8.
5:2 diet
One of the most well-known IF strategies is called 5:2 fasting, which calls for eating normally for 5 days without a set fasting period but only taking in 20% of your typical calories for the other 2 days. To observe the two-day fast, you might choose any two days. People who would claim, “I can do anything for two days, but it would be too much to cut back on what I eat all seven days,” are excellent candidates for the 5:2 fasting plan.
OMAD diet
A fasting method known as “one meal a day,” or OMAD, only recommends one meal per day. Although it doesn’t specify what or when to eat, it does stipulate that there should only be one meal per day. The OMAD fasting regimen has a maximum of 23:1 fasting. Since OMAD is so difficult, beginners of intermittent fasting shouldn’t attempt it.
The Warrior Diet
The Warrior Diet is an intermittent fasting plan that was developed by health and fitness author Ori Hofmekler. You must eat in the evening if you want to adhere to the warrior diet. During the evening’s 4-hour window, those who are fasting are only allowed to have a little amount of fresh produce and a substantial dinner. Compared to other intermittent fasting plans, the warrior diet is more restrictive.
How to Follow Intermittent Fasting?
There are many various approaches to intermittent fasting, but they all start with deciding on regular eating and fasting windows of time. You may, for instance, try eating only for eight hours each day and fasting for the other sixteen. Or you could decide to only eat one meal each day for two days per week.
How Mediterranean Diet Works with Intermittent Fasting?
Because IF does not restrict any food, all healthy diets can be combined with IF. And the Mediterranean diet is healthy and flexible, which is more conducive to matching with IF and promoting people’s health. A Mediterranean diet during time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting has several health advantages, from preventing cognitive decline to controlling body weight.
“One of the benefits of pairing the Pesco-Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting is that it encouraged focusing on real foods and distinct meal times as opposed to continuous grazing on packaged snack foods that often contain large amounts of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats, which are linked with negative health outcomes,” said Arielle Leben, MS, a dietitian at NYU Langone Health.
Taking the 16:8 intermittent fasting diet as an example, here is a meal plan of one day for you by combining a Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting:
Meal 1 (9:00 am): Avocado Breakfast Bruschetta
With avocados, tomato, a hard-boiled egg, ricotta, and basil on toasty rustic whole-grain bread, this breakfast-inspired take on classic bruschetta will get you through the day.
Preparation:
- Cut up the tomatoes, green onions, and avocado.
- Chop hard-boiled eggs after peeling.
- Gently combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl, reserving 2 tbsp. of basil for garnish. As desired, add pepper.
- Ricotta cheese is spread on warm baguette pieces.
- Add the avocado mixture on top, then sprinkle on the basil.
Snack 1 (11:00 am): Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I believe you will like this cookie, especially for its sugar-free but delicious taste!
Preparation:
- Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fill a small saucepan with margarine. Set a low heat to melt it.
- Fill a mixing dish with all the ingredients. Blend thoroughly.
- The oats should be moist by the time you let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes.
- The cookie sheet should be lightly grated.
- About 1 tablespoon of dough should be taken out of every cookie, and it should be dropped onto the prepared baking sheet.
- For between 15 and 20 minutes, bake the cookies.
- Approximately one minute should pass while the cookies cool on the baking pan.
- Reposition the cookies onto a cloth or wire racks. Totally let them cool.
Meal 2 (14:00 pm): Dilled Fish Fillets
For a quick seafood meal throughout the week, use frozen fish fillets in this recipe.
Preparation:
- Frozen fish can be thawed in the microwave or overnight in the refrigerator. Afterward, divide into 4 fillets or pieces.
- In a glass baking dish, put the fish. Wrap in wax paper.
- Cook for three minutes in the microwave on “medium” power. Take off the cover, flip the fish over, and season with salt and pepper.
- Fish should flake easily when tested with a fork after 3 minutes of cooking undercover on “medium” power.
Snack 2 (17:00 pm): Fruity Thai Pita Pockets
This Thai-inspired pita pocket, which is packed in a very portable pita pocket, livens up lunchtime sandwiches with a surprise combination of fruits, spinach, and peanut sauce.
Preparation:
- Fruit salad should be well drained; save 3 tbsp of the liquid.
- Mix the peanut butter, cream cheese, soy sauce, and reserved juice in a small bowl.
- In a bowl, combine the spinach, drained fruit, and optional cilantro.
- Sauce added, toss.
- Offset a little bit of each pita. Insert the slice into the pita’s bottom.
- Place some of the fruit-spinach mixtures inside each pita pocket.
- Refrigerate after separately wrapping with plastic wrap. Lasts nicely overnight.
References:
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2015.1107021
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5916888/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468821/
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193152441400200X
- https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(13)00503-2
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28115234/
- https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30850-5