A recent study, performed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in the February issue of Archives of Neurology proposes that the Mediterranean diet may be healthier for the brain. The study suggests that the “Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with reduced small vessel damage in the brain.” Other studies have found that eating a Mediterranean Diet can also reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cognitive disorders.
So what exactly is a Mediterranean Diet? According to the Mayo Clinic the Mediterranean diet “is a heart-healthy eating plan combining elements of Mediterranean-style cooking.” The diet is less of a diet and more of a lifestyle change that includes exercise, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, olive oil and canola oil instead of butter, less salt and more spices, reducing the intake of red meat to a few times a month, and consuming more fish and poultry.
You can find a lot of tasty Mediterranean style recipes here at BBC Good Food and over at this website.
Now all you have to do is be willing to implement some changes into your eating habits and reap the rewards. The old adage you are what you eat applies here.
